Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 06, 2022

ADF&G News

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Local Lakes

• Give Big Lake a try for pike fishing. This is a great time of the year to bow fish for pike.
• If you are looking for a place to target Arctic Char, try Matanuska and Seventeenmile lakes.
• Rainbow fishing has been great at Kepler/Bradley, Knik, Anderson, Loberg and Finger lakes.
• If you want to chase bigger rainbows, try Lucile and Seymour lakes.

Freshwater Fishing

King Salmon

• The Eklutna Tailrace is the only area open to harvest for kings in the Northern Cook Inlet management area. This is a stocked fishery; you can use bait and multiple hooks. Fishing at this site is good and should remain productive through the end of June. Try side drifting with bait, bait under a bobber, or a variety of different colored spinners in sizes 3 to 5. This fishery is productive in the early morning hours. Snagging (hooking a fish other than in the mouth) is not allowed.
• King salmon fishing in all Northern Cook Inlet waters, Units 1-6 and Knik Arm waters (Little Su), is closed (including jacks) and king salmon may not be targeted. Fishing gear is restricted to one-single, artificial lure and fishing for other species is only allowed in waters normally open to king salmon from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily through July 13. See the emergency orders below for more info. If you have questions, please call us at (907) 746-6300.

Salmon

• The Susitna personal use dipnet fishery will start next Wednesday, July 13 on the lower Susitna River. This fishery runs 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays by regulation from July 10 to July 31. The designated area for fishing is between regulatory markers posted approximately one mile downstream of Susitna Station (just below the Yentna River mouth) down to markers posted just below the Alexander Creek cut-off/northern tip of Bell Island. Boaters new to the Susitna are urged to use caution when navigating to this fishery, which is only accessible by boat. Dipnetting is closed in the vicinity of Anderson Creek. See the emergency order below for more info.
  • This fishery is part of the Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit. An Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit is required in addition to a sport fishing license. Only Alaska residents may participate in this fishery. Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit harvest and participation must be reported online no later than August 15 through the ADF&G harvest reporting webpage.
  • See page 15 of the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for more info on this personal use fishery.
• The Fish Creek personal use dipnet fishery can only be opened by emergency order after July 15 if enough sockeye salmon can be projected in the escapement. Stay tuned and watch for emergency announcements. The weir was installed on July 5 and a few sockeye have already been counted. This is the last weekend Fish Creek is open to sport fishing as it closes by regulation after July 14 in the event the personal use fishery opens.
• It is a little early for sockeye at Wasilla and Jim Creeks; try Cottonwood and Fish Creek this weekend for sockeye, both are open to fishing for salmon this Saturday and Sunday from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

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 and Susitna River drainage, anglers are not allowed to release live pike back into the water.
  • If you want a boat trip for pike try the side channel sloughs of the Deshka River, Fish Creek (Kroto Slough), or Moose and Indian creeks on the Yentna River.
  • For fly-in pike fishing try Alexander, Shell, Eightmile, Trapper, Flathorn, and Sucker lakes.

Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Further north, tributaries of the Chulitna, such as Honolulu Creek, and Byers Creek should be good for rainbow trout.
• Deception Creek has been consistently good for rainbow trout.
• 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.
• Clear Creek off the Talkeetna River would be a great trip this week. The rainbows will be following the kings.

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-RS-2-48-22 closing dipnetting in the vicinity of Anderson Creek of the lower Susitna River effective 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 13 through 11:00 p.m. Saturday, July 30, 2022. The area closed to dipnetting is identified by ADF&G markers located approximately 50 feet upstream and 300 feet downstream of the mouth of Anderson Creek. In addition, dipnetting is not allowed in Anderson Creek.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-34-22 closes the Susitna River drainage to sport fishing for king salmon, continuing the king salmon closure on the Deshka River and continues to limit sport fishing gear for other species to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure effective 6:00am, Thursday, June 23 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-33-22 closes the Little Susitna to sport fishing for king salmon and continues to limit sport fishing gear for other species to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure effective 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 20 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
• Emergency Order 2-R-2-19-22 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, no size limit. This emergency order is effective for the 2022 season.
• Emergency Order 2-DV-2-13-22 prohibits the retention of Arctic char/Dolly Varden in the Fish Creek (Big Lake) drainage. This emergency order is in effect through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, December 31, 2022.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2022 sport fishing license and king stamp! Purchase your 2022 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, advisory announcements, and the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.

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