Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 14, 2021

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing, and wearing a face-covering when social distancing is not possible, and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store.

Local Lakes

  • Summit Lake in Hatcher Pass was stocked for the first time ever last year with Arctic grayling. This year Summit received rainbow trout. Head to the pass for beautiful views, hiking, and now fishing opportunities. This lake is stunning.
  • The local lakes in Palmer have been producing consistently good fishing all summer. You can fish multiple lakes in a day given their close proximities. Try Matanuska, Echo, Kepler/Bradley, Loberg, Meirs, Canoe, Irene, Long Lake (special regulations apply), or Finger.
  • There are some good fishing opportunities towards Sutton. Try Eska Lake. Reports of rainbows up to 20” were caught last weekend.
  • Coyote Lake (North 3 miles up Jonesville Road, recommended 4-wheel drive) is a great place to take kids fishing on a rainy day. It is a very small lake and if you are into fossil hunting, it’s a perfect spot to look for them.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

  • King salmon fishing is closed for the season and standard regulations now apply for all northern and western Cook Inlet area waters, except for the stocked fishery at the Eklutna Tailrace where king salmon fishing is allowed year-round. Any king incidentally hooked must be immediately released and may not be removed from the water.
  • The new Susitna Personal Use fishery will be open Wednesday, July 14, and Saturday, July 17 from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. this week. This fishery runs from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 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 or planes landing on gravel bars. 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.
  • Eklutna king salmon fishing has been slow and will tail off as July progresses. Coho salmon will start to show in late July.
  • A few early season coho and pink salmon have been caught at the Deshka as well as a few chum salmon on the Little Susitna. Expect slow coho fishing on the Parks Highway streams this week.
  • Just a few sockeye salmon are beginning to show in the Knik Arm, it is still very early. Fishing opportunities for sockeye are limited. Cottonwood Creek is a weekend-only fishery open on Saturdays and Sundays from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. You could also try Jim Creek, which is open to fishing for salmon of all species except king salmon seven days a week until August 1.

Rainbow Trout

  • Fishing for rainbows on the Parks Highway streams remains good. The forecast for Parks Highway stream levels looks favorable going into the weekend with the warm sunny temperatures. For the fly fishers, try top water mouse patterns, black wooly buggers, (size 4 or 6), olive sculpins, and beads (size 8-10).
  • Arctic grayling fishing has also been great. They tend to like mosquitos, bead headed nymphs, and gnats.
  • 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.

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, Knik, and Susitna River drainage, anglers are not allowed to release live pike back into the water.
  • Pike fishing has been excellent. Try top-water weedless lures and flies fished in heavily vegetated waters.
  • For road-accessible pike fishing, try the Nancy Lake Recreation Area lakes (Nancy, Tanaina, and South Rolly), Long Lake near Willow, Memory, and Prator lakes.
  • Boat-accessible pike fishing can be found in the side sloughs of the Deshka River, Alexander Creek, Fish Creek (Kroto Slough), and Hewitt Lake.
  • For fly-in pike fishing try Alexander, Sucker, Shell, Eightmile, Trapper, and Flathorn lakes.

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-2-38-21 closes dipnetting in the vicinity of Anderson Creek as designated by markers posted approximately 300 feet downstream and 50 feet upstream of the mouth effective 6:00 a.m. Saturday, July 1- 11:00 p.m. Saturday, July 31, 2021.
  • Emergency Order 2-R-2-03-21 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, with no size limit.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2021 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 2021 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

Mat-Su Area Archives for:
Aug 18, 2021 Aug 12, 2021 Aug 04, 2021 Jul 28, 2021 Jul 21, 2021 Jul 14, 2021 Jul 07, 2021 Jun 30, 2021
Jun 22, 2021 Jun 16, 2021 Jun 10, 2021 Jun 03, 2021 May 25, 2021 May 19, 2021 May 11, 2021 May 05, 2021