Fish Creek open for youth this weekend; cohos slowly picking up

MAT-SU — Those looking for a good opportunity to take the kids out fishing this summer will find plenty of opportunity this weekend.

That’s because the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish has announced that Fish Creek is open this weekend as a youth-only fishery. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, the youth-only fishery allows anglers age 15 and younger to fish for all species — except king salmon — in Fish Creek between ADF&G markers at the mouth of Fish Creek and markers a quarter mile upstream of Knik-Goose Bay Road.

All other sport fishing restrictions remain in effect for Fish Creel. The daily bag and possession limit is three salmon; only two per day and in possession may be coho (silver) salmon, the division says in a press release. The weekends-only fishery for all ages of anglers will begin on Aug. 11.

In conjunction with the youth-only fishery, the department’s Aquatic Education program will host free educational activities on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Fish Creek, located at Mile 16, Knik-Goose Bay Road.

In a year that has seen numerous sport fishing restrictions, conditions in the Valley are slowly improving for some species, said Sam Ivey, area management biologist for the Department of Fish and Game’s Sport Fish Division.

“The coho have been a little slow to enter the streams up here, similar to last year,” Ivey said. “There are indications out in the Inlet there could be some coho on the way. We’re going to have to really watch the weir counts.”

Catch rates for coho on the Little Susitna River have picked up over the past couple of days, Ivey said, but the run is still slower than normal.

For more information about the youth-only fishery or other fishing restrictions, call the department’s Palmer office at 746-6300.