August 31, 2016

 Northern Cook Inlet area

Fall fishing report 

Issued August 31, 2016

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• Starting September 1, the Parks Highway streams and many other Mat-Su and West Cook Inlet waters go to no bait and single-hook only. So check your regulations before fishing.
• Use of bait is currently prohibited by EO on the Little Susitna River.
• Jim Creek, including all waters downstream to the Knik River and continuing downstream on the Knik River to within 100 yards of its confluence with Bodenburg Creek remains closed by EO to sport fishing for salmon; sport fishing for any species is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for the rest of this season by regulation.
• By emergency order Fish Creek has been liberalized to fishing 7 days per week. Sport fishing in Cottonwood and Wasilla creeks remains open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Anglers are reminded that sport fishing is only allowed in all of these waters from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. The bag and possession limit for salmon, other than king salmon, 16 inches or greater in length remains at three per day and in possession, of which all three may be coho salmon, in the waters of Fish Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Wasilla Creek.
• Coho salmon 16 inches or longer once removed from fresh water must be retained and become part of the bag limit of the person who originally hooked the fish. A person may not remove a coho salmon 16 inches or longer from the water before releasing it.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• The best success for coho salmon this time of year comes from the Talkeetna River and nearby streams such as Sunshine and Rabideux creeks.
• Willow, Montana, and Eklutna Tailrace usually see late silvers trickling in. Fishing has been slow.
• In early September, silvers can be found in the tributaries and sloughs of the Yentna and Skwentna rivers. Most anglers try at Moose, Indian, Bottle, or Hewitt creeks. Expect slow fishing conditions.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Rainbow trout fishing should be good to excellent well into freeze up. Look for trout with the spawning coho during the last two weeks in September. When the waters do drop, target trout in deeper holes and near or below the mouths of streams draining into the Susitna. Flesh flies and sculpin patterns work well in late fall.

Northern Pike

• Pike fishing will continue to improve until freeze up.
• Road accessible lakes include Nancy, South Rolly, Tanaina, and Memory Lakes.
• Try Alexander and Trapper Lakes for fly-outs.
• Pike are also to be found in Sucker, Donkey and Eightmile lakes.
• River fishing is good in the sloughs of the Yentna and Susitna Rivers.

Lake Fishing

• With the cooler temperatures of fall approaching, Mat-Su Valley lakes provide excellent fishing as fish become much more active, and feed in shallower water.
• In the Palmer/Wasilla area, Lorraine, Carpenter, Knik, Lucille, Kepler, Rocky, and Echo lakes are stocked with rainbow trout.
• Lakes stocked with landlocked salmon are Matanuska, Finger, Beverly, Loberg and Klaire.
• Arctic char are stocked in Benka, Finger, Irene, Long, Lynne, Marion, Matanuska, Prator, and Seventeenmile lakes.
• Along the Glenn Highway northeast of Palmer, Seventeenmile, Slipper, Long, Ravine, Weiner, Knob and North Knob lakes all have rainbow trout.