Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

September 1, 2020

Fall Fishing Report 2020

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by following and reviewing the current State of Alaska Health Mandates in effect. This includes practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing and wearing a face covering when fishing and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store as indicated in Health Alert 010.

* The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted several proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for the Northern and Western Cook Inlet Area at its Anchorage February 2020 meeting. Please see the 2020 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet for a complete summary of the Northern and Western Cook Inlet sport and personal use fisheries regulations.

Freshwater Fishing

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 some late cohos trickling in. Fishing has been slow.
• In early September, coho salmon 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.
• Wasilla Creek (Rabbit Slough) is a weekend only fishery, from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., where some late season coho may be found.
• Jim Creek is known for some late season coho and worth a shot.

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.

Burbot

• October until the big freeze is about the perfect time to target burbot as they start the fall migration. Good places to target them are the mouths of the Parks Highway Streams.

Northern Pike

• Pike fishing will continue to improve until freeze up.
• Road accessible lakes include Nancy, South Rolly, Tanaina, Anderson, Kings, and Memory 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 the following 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.
• New for 2020 Lake Trout will be stocked in Matanuska and Long Lake (mile 86), expect slow fishing as these fish will be stocked at sub-catchable sizes, it may take a while for them to grow.

Emergency Orders

• Emergency Order 2-SS-2-53-20 restores coho salmon bag and possession limits to two fish on the Little Susitna River and bait is allowed effective through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2020.
• Emergency Order 2-SS-2-52-20 increases the bag and possession limits for salmon, other than king salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, to six per day and six in possession, of which no more than three salmon per day and in possession may be coho salmon, in all waters of Fish Creek open to salmon fishing. In addition, sport fishing on Fish Creek will continue to be allowed seven days per week from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day. These provisions are effective through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2020.
• Emergency Order 2-RS-2-47-20 closes Larson Creek and within one-quarter mile radius of its confluence with the Talkeetna River to sport fishing for all salmon species effective through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2020.
• Emergency Order 2-R-2-24-20 added three new lakes - Leech, Summit, and Zero - to the stocking program in the Northern Cook Inlet management area effective June 20, 2020. The bag and possession limit for rainbow trout in these stocked lakes is five fish, of which only one fish may be 20 inches or greater in length. For Arctic grayling, the bag and possession limit is five fish, no size limit.

This is the last fishing report for the 2020 fishing season. This fishing report will be updated when additional information is available. For current seasonal information, please contact the ADF&G Palmer Area Office at (907) 746-6300.