Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 27, 2022

ADF&G News

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Local Lakes

• The Glenn Highway lakes offer beautiful views and good fishing this time of year. Try Ida, Long Lake (mile 86), Bonnie, Ravine, Weiner, and Knob lakes.
• If you head towards Talkeetna, try Christiansen, Benka, South Friend, and X and Y lakes.
• For camping and stocked lake fishing check out Finger, Matanuska, South Rolly, and Rocky lakes.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

• The Fish Creek dipnet fishery is open each day from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. through Sunday, July 31. Try fishing the incoming tides and please be considerate of private property postings. Please take heed of the 30-foot tides, strong tidal currents, and the mud. See the emergency order below for more info.
  • This fishery is part of the Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit. An Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit is required in addition to a sport fishing license. Only Alaska residents may participate in this fishery. Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit harvest and participation must be reported online no later than August 15 through the ADF&G harvest reporting webpage.
  • See page 15 of the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for more info on this personal use fishery.
• The Susitna personal use dipnet fishery is underway on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of July on the lower Susitna River. Don’t miss the last Saturday of dipping this weekend. With water levels dropping, dipping should be very good for all salmon species (no kings allowed though). This fishery runs 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 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. Boaters new to the Susitna are urged to use caution when navigating to this fishery, which is only accessible by boat or plane.
  • This fishery is part of the Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit. An Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit is required in addition to a sport fishing license. Only Alaska residents may participate in this fishery. Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit harvest and participation must be reported online no later than August 15 through the ADF&G harvest reporting webpage.
  • See page 15 of the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for more info on this personal use fishery.
• High water levels throughout the area are finally subsiding and clearing. Pinks are increasing in abundance quickly on a daily basis and cohos are starting to arrive.
• Some limits of coho salmon are now being taken on the lower Little Susitna River. With waters continuing to clear, fishing should improve for coho, pinks, and chums. 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 is two fish.
• Pinks are now showing in larger numbers on the Deshka River and along the Parks Highway streams. Coho salmon front runners should be available at these locations by this weekend.
• Try the lower sloughs of the Yentna, such and Moose and Indian creeks, and also at Lake Creek. Coho fishing is expected to pick up in these areas this weekend and into next week.
• For sockeye, try Cottonwood (weekend only) and Jim Creek in the Knik Arm area and Larson Creek of the Talkeetna River. Sockeye are running strong this year in Cook Inlet.
• Note that weirs on the Deshka and Little Susitna rivers had been overtopped with high waters since about July 17, allowing salmon to pass undetected. The Deshka weir is back to functional now and the Little Susitna weir should be up and running prior to the weekend, provided waters continue to recede.
• Fish counts and water stage is posted on our Fish Count webpage.

Northern Pike

• Anglers may retain as many northern pike as they catch - there is no bag or possession limit. In freshwaters of West Cook Inlet, Knik, the Susitna River drainage, anglers are not allowed to release live pike back into the water.
• Roadside, try Nancy, Big, Horseshoe, and Rainbow lakes. Fly-in to Trapper, Shell, Alexander, or Sucker lakes.
• Pike fishing in Big Lake has been good. Try fishing off the islands.

Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Rainbow trout fishing is good on Parks Highway streams, including Clear Creek of the Talkeetna River. This is a good time for egg patterns, egg sucking leaches, and flesh flies. Also try sculpins, leeches, mice, and dolly llamas.

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-2-62-22 increases the bag and possession limits for salmon, other than king and coho salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, to six per day and six in possession in all waters of Fish Creek open to salmon fishing effective 5:00 a.m. Monday, August 1 through 10:00 p.m. Friday, August 12, 2022. In addition, sport fishing on Fish Creek will be allowed seven days per week from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day. Retention of coho salmon is not allowed, except in the youth-only fishery, which occurs Saturday – Sunday, August 6 – 7.
• Emergency Order 2-RS-2-56-22 opens Fish Creek to dipnetting 6:00 a.m. Thursday, July 21 through
  11:00 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022. 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. 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-2-48-22 closes dipnetting in the vicinity of Anderson Creek of the lower Susitna River effective 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 13 through 11:00 p.m. Saturday, July 30, 2022. The area closed to dipnetting is identified by ADF&G markers located approximately 50 feet upstream and 300 feet downstream of the mouth of Anderson Creek. In addition, dipnetting is not allowed in Anderson Creek.
• Emergency Order 2-R-2-19-22 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, no size limit. This emergency order is effective for the 2022 season.
• Emergency Order 2-DV-2-13-22 prohibits the retention of Arctic char/Dolly Varden in the Fish Creek (Big Lake) drainage. This emergency order is in effect through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, December 31, 2022.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2022 sport fishing license and king stamp! Purchase your 2022 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 order, advisory announcements, and the 2022 Southcentral Alaska 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.