Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 08, 2019

Week of August 7 - August 13

Freshwater Fishing

• Fish Creek opens to all sport fish anglers Friday August 9 by emergency order and will be open seven days per week, 5:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. each day. Six salmon, except king salmon, are allowed per day and in possession, of which only two may be a coho salmon. Sockeye salmon are still coming in late, but they won’t last long. Now is the time to get them. See corresponding Emergency Order below.
• Wasilla Creek and Cottonwood Creeks are weekend-only fisheries, from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Wasilla Creek is open to fishing for salmon other than king salmon, from its mouth upstream to the AK Railroad bridge; and Cottonwood Creek from its mouth upstream one mile. Expect both sockeye and coho at these locations this next weekend.
• Bait is now allowed in many - but not all - Susitna River tributaries. Check for exceptions to the general regulations before heading out.
• Coho fishing has been fair to good on the Little Su. The water is low, so please use caution navigating by boat.
• Along the Parks Highway, try the mouths and lower sections of Willow, Little Willow, Bull Frog Slough, Kashwitna, Sheep, Caswell, Montana, and Sunshine creeks and the Talkeetna River.
• On Deshka, mornings at the mouth has been best for picking up coho. If it starts raining this week, head to the Deshka because the bite will be good.
• Jim Creek is now closed to sport fishing for any species on Mondays and Tuesdays and fishing is allowed only between 5:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. Wednesdays – Sundays. Fishing for sockeye and coho has been slow.
• On the Yentna River, fish the mouths of Lake Creek, Fish Lakes Creek, and Indian and Moose creeks. Fishing has been improving for coho and considered fair to good.
• On the west side of Cook Inlet, coho fishing is good on the Chuit and Theodore rivers.
• Fishing for rainbow trout on the Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north is excellent. Try fishing egg patterns as trout are now targeting large king salmon eggs. Water levels are favorable for fishing and extremely clear. Fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic Grayling should be good too.

Local Lakes

• 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.
• If it's Arctic grayling you're looking for try Bruce, Canoe, Reed, Finger, Florence, Knik, Meirs, Lorraine, and Kepler/Bradley lakes.
• Visit the ADF&G stocking webpage to find out which lakes have recently been stocked.

Emergency Orders

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

• NEW! Emergency Order 2-RS-2-47-19 closes sport fishing for all salmon species in the Larson Creek drainage and within a one-quarter mile radius of its confluence with the Talkeetna River effective 6:00 a.m. Saturday, August 10, 2019.
• NEW! Emergency Order 2-RS-2-46-19 increased the bag and possession limit for salmon, other than king salmon, to six per day and six in possession; however, no more than two per day and in possession may be coho salmon. In addition, sport fishing is allowed on Fish Creek from seven days per week from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. effective 5:00 a.m. Friday August 9, 2019.
• Emergency Order 2-NP-2-16-19 closed Alexander and Sucker lakes to sport fishing.

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