Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 30, 2021

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing, and wearing a face-covering when social distancing is not possible, and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store.

Local Lakes

• If you are looking to camp and fish over this holiday weekend, here are a few places that have both - Beyers, Finger, South Rolly, Rocky, Matanuska, Lucile, Kepler/Bradley, and underdeveloped camping at Long Lake (mile 86 Glenn Hwy), and Knob lakes.
• If you want to try a 4-wheel adventure to fish, check out Ruby and Wishbone lakes.
• Wild lakes producing good catches right now include Big Lake, Nancy Lakes, and Bonnie Lake up the Glenn Highway.
• Fishing for big rainbows in stocked lakes this time of year can be fun. Find lake maps on our webpage and fish the deep holes as the temperatures get warm in the summer months. Drifting small pieces of shrimp under a bobber, or for the fly fishers, try leech patterns.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

• Deshka is open to king salmon harvest. See emergency order 2-KS-2-23-21 below. King fishing on the Deshka has slowed some moving into the later part of the season. Try early mornings or late evenings. Bait under a bobber and/or tossing out a Vibrax in a variety of colors are good options. Please use caution when navigating up this shallow river.
• Catch-and-release fishing on the lower Little Susitna River has been mostly good. This would be a good time to float down from the Parks Highway. Little Susitna River Emergency Order for July 3rd through the 13th states:
  • Limited King salmon harvest from the weir, downstream, effective July 3-13. Anglers may keep one king salmon per day 20 inches or greater and the annual limit is restricted to two king salmon. Fishing is allowed from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Artificial lures with multiple hooks may be used downstream of the weir per regulation.
  • Waters upstream of the weir to the Parks Highway, remain catch-and-release only for king salmon with only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure.
• King fishing at Eklutna Tailrace has been fair to good. This time of year, the Tailrace can be good anywhere along its length. Look for where fish are rolling. Also, try downstream of the mouth from the bank or boat.
• Parks Highway streams are open to catch-and-release fishing for king salmon for one last Sunday-Monday weekend, July 4-5. Side drifting a single hook corky or small spin-n-glo setup with enough weight to get it near the bottom works well at the mouth of Willow and Montana creeks.

Rainbow Trout

• Fishing for rainbows on the Parks Highway streams has been good. Water levels are great for rafting or hiking in chest waders. Just about any type of weighted fly in size six works well this time of year. Some of the more popular flies include white, purple, or black egg-sucking leeches, leeches, any kind of wooly buggers with a beaded head, and sculpins.
• If you are looking to camp and fish rainbows, you can do both on Willow, Kashwitna (Susitna Landing), and Montana Creek. Willow and Montana are both great places for a day trip if you want to float.
• This would be a good time of year for a trip to Clear Creek off the Talkeetna River, via the Talkeetna boat launch.
• Heading further north on the Parks Highway, try Chulitna, Honolulu, Byers, or Troublesome Creeks.

Northern Pike

• Anglers may retain as many pike as they catch – there is no bag or possession limit. In the freshwaters of West Cook Inlet, Knik, and Susitna River drainage, anglers are not allowed to release live pike back into the water.
• Pike fishing has been excellent. Try top-water weedless lures and flies fished in heavily vegetated waters.
• For road-accessible pike fishing, try the Nancy Lake Recreation Area lakes (Nancy, Tanaina, and South Rolly), Long Lake near Willow, Memory, and Prator lakes.
• Boat-accessible pike fishing can be found in the side sloughs of the Deshka River, Alexander Creek, Fish Creek (Kroto Slough), and Hewitt Lake.
• For fly-in pike fishing try Alexander, Sucker, Shell, Eightmile, Trapper, and Flathorn lakes.

Emergency Orders

Please review the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-33-21 limits king salmon harvests from the weir downstream, effective July 3-13th.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-23-21 lifts preseason restrictions placed on the Deshka River king fishery. One king over 20 inches per day/ two in possession is allowed and bait and multiple hooks are allowed. Other king fisheries on the Susitna River remain catch-and-release fishing only for king salmon. See emergency order 2-KS-2-14-21. In these catch-and-release fisheries, sport fishing gear continues to be restricted to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure. In addition, fishing time continues to be reduced in Unit 2 or the Susitna River to allow catch-and-release fishing for king salmon from Saturday, May 1 through Monday, June 14, 2021, and then only on Sunday and Monday for three consecutive weeks starting Sunday, June 20. This emergency order is in effect through 11:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, 2021.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-06-21 allows catch-and-release only of king salmon in the Little Susitna River and limits sport fishing gear to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, 2021.
• Emergency Order 2-R-2-03-21 adds Leech, Summit, Zero, Kings, and Anderson Lakes to the list of lakes stocked with hatchery fish. The bag and possession limit for rainbow trout in these lakes is five fish, of which only one may be 20 inches or greater in length. The bag and possession limit for Arctic grayling is five fish, with no size limit.

Don't forget to purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Also, make sure to review Emergency Orders and the 2021 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Palmer Area Office at (907) 746-6300.