Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 14, 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.

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-2-39-20 opened the Fish Creek Personal Use Dip Net Fishery effective 6:00 a.m. Sunday, July 19 through 11:00 p.m. Friday, July 31, 2020, dipnetting for salmon, except king salmon, will be allowed only between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. each day. NO RETENTION OF KING SALMON IS ALLOWED. Any king salmon caught may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. Dipnetters may harvest salmon off the shore or a boat from the ADF&G markers located on both sides of the terminus of Fish Creek, upstream to ADF&G regulatory markers located approximately one-quarter mile upstream from Knik-Goose Bay Road.
  • Emergency Order 2-RS-2-37-20 closed the waters of Anderson Creek on the Susitna River to dipnetting approximately 50 feet upstream and 300 feet downstream of the mouth effective 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 15 through 11:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, 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.
  • Emergency Order 2-NP-2-14-20 closed Alexander Lake and Sucker Lake to sport fishing through 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 31, 2020.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

  • The new personal use dipnet fishery will be open Wednesday July 15 and next Saturday July 18 on the lower Susitna River. This fishery runs 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays July 10 - 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. This fishery is part of the Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit. Boaters new to the Susitna are urged to use caution when navigating to this fishery, which is only accessible by boat. Dipping success should only improve with each new opener until the end of July.
  • Fish Creek sockeye counts are posted on our webpage under Fish Counts. The sport fishery is now closed by regulation including weekends. Stay tuned in case the personal use fishery is opened by emergency order. ADF&G must project more than 35,000 sockeye salmon prior to opening this dipnet fishery. This fishery typically opens towards the end of July.
  • King salmon fishing closed July 13 for all northern and western Cook Inlet area water, except for the stocked fishery at the Eklutna Tailrace. Any king incidentally hooked must be immediately released and may not be removed from the water.
  • Bait is now allowed in many - but not all - Susitna River tributaries. Check for exceptions to the general regulations before heading out.
  • Anglers are reminded that bait is not allowed on the Little Susitna River until August 6, and the daily bag and possession limit for coho salmon is two fish.
  • Try Cottonwood Creek this weekend for sockeye; it is open to fishing for salmon (other than kings) this Saturday and Sunday from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Some sockeye should also be coming into the Jim Creek mouth area later this week.

Rainbows

  • With a bit of a break in the salmon runs, this is a great time of year to fish for rainbows! Fishing for rainbows on the Parks Highway streams is good. Try Willow, Montana, Kashwitna, Little Willow, and Goose creeks. Fish wet flies like wooly buggers, leeches, sculpins, and the infamous egg sucking leech.
  • Willow Creek has multiple access points off Willow Fishhook Road. Montana Creek may be accessed at several locations off the Talkeetna Spur Road; single day float trips are popular on Willow and Montana creeks.
  • Further north, tributaries of the Chulitna, such as Honolulu Creek and Byers Creek should also provide good rainbow trout opportunity.

Northern Pike

  • Roadside, try Nancy, Big, Horseshoe, and Rainbow lakes. Fly-in, try Trapper, Shell, and Eight-mile lakes. Try top-water weedless lures, leaches, and flies fished in heavily vegetated areas.

Local Lakes

  • Kid friendly locally stocked lakes includes Kepler/Bradley, Finger, Lucille, and Matanuska.
  • This is a good time of year to fish big rainbows in Seymour, Visnaw, and Lalen lakes. Try fly fishing deep waters just above weed lines with leech patterns.
  • Nancy Lake State Park Recreation Area offers come nice quite fishing, and canoe opportunities.
  • If you head out on 4-wheelers to Ruby or Wishbone lakes, bring the fishing rods. Remember Wishbone is single hook, artificial lure or fly only, and catch-and-release only. Anglers report nice fish up to 20 inches.

Don’t forget to bring your 2020 sport fishing license and king stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2020 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 2020 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.

Archives

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Sep 01, 2020 Aug 25, 2020 Aug 20, 2020 Aug 11, 2020 Aug 05, 2020 Jul 28, 2020 Jul 22, 2020 Jul 14, 2020
Jul 08, 2020 Jun 24, 2020 Jun 16, 2020 Jun 09, 2020 Jun 03, 2020 May 26, 2020 May 19, 2020 May 13, 2020
May 06, 2020