Ice Fishing Conditions Improve

Talking with Samantha Oslund, fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) on Monday, she mentioned seeing and or hearing about an uptick in ice fishing effort recently. Samantha attributed this mainly to improvements in weather conditions, and that explanation appears entirely reasonable. When temperatures are extremely cold or there are extremely high winds, many anglers may not be too interested in getting out on the ice — where the temperatures may be even lower (since the cold tends to settler in low spots or where ir wind is the issue it can become more impact in an area where there may not be any tree or structures to break the wind — such as out on a smooth ice surface. Anyway, for several days now both the temperatures and wind have subsided, making it easier for anglers to enjoy a more pleasurable ice fishing experience.

Saul, with 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla, mentioned that he had noticed more people were likely out fishing lately, and more people were coming into the shop and purchasing package of herring (likely for northern pike fishing) and shrimp (likely for fishing trout, arctic char, and landlocked salmon in Mat-su Valley stocked lakes. In addition he mentioned an ice fishing derby that had been gaining on at Big Lake that also attracted more fishing effort recently.

More Thoughts on the 2026 Statewide Stocking Plan for Sport Fisheries

In last week’s column I shared some ideas that could better inform or improve the limited stocking program for anadromous (ocean run) salmon in the Mat-Su Valley (currently only at Eklutna Tailrace. Most of ADF&G's sport fish stocking programs in the Mat-Su, however, involve stocking fish in landlocked lakes, and I’ve had conversations with multiple people that led me to believe there are ways we may be able to greatly improve the stocking programs in Alaska and Mat-Su Lakes.

!. More Longer-Lived Fish / Less Short-Lived Fish. Although the amount of catchable landlocked salmon to be released in Mat-Su lakes looks to have been switched to more coho salmon and less Chinook salmon (which I agree with), one comment that I have heard from several individuals over a considerable number of years is that Alaska’s stocking program might produce more larger fish with additional long term benefit if lake plantings were shifted to stock more longer-lived species (such as arctic char, rainbow trout, and arctic grayling) and less salmon which tend to have a very short life cycle in many of the small lakes where they are planted. Nearly all of the catchable- sized landlocked coho or Chinook salmon stocked by ADF&G on an annual basis may be dead within a year whether anglers catch and harvest them or they simply mature and die. Arctic char and arctic grayling in particular have life cycles that may span a decade or more. The difference is stark, to maintain a level of fish catching productivity catchable-sized salmon must be stocked on an annual basis, while stockings of longer-lived species may provided fish catching opportunity for up to a decade or longer. A diversity of fish-catching opportunity is good and certainly can increase angler effort, however, one also needs to.ask, what provides the best bang for Alaska’s limited sport fishery hatchery buck?

II. Salmon Size Stocked in Lakes. The anadromous coho salmon smolts released at Eklutna Tailrace were released at Eklutna Tailrace at an average size of 4.8 inches in length on May 8 in 2025. It is my understanding that those fish migrated to the ocean, and will return as full-sized ocean-run salmon in July and August 2026. For lake stockings ADF&G often stocks extremely small-sized salmon early in the summer or catchable-sized salmon (8 - 12 inches) in the fall. While it may cost more money to raise larger-sized salmon for early summer release — could planting larger smolt-sized salmon in specific productive Mat-Su lakes in early summer grow more catchable-sized salmon by fall at less or a similar cost compared to growing them in the hatchery? If the answer is yes, then this may be another way to leverage higher angler participation at less cost, and possible free up some hatchery tank space for other use during the summer. Echo Lake along the Glenn Highway West of Palmer is a specific location that I have personally fished quite a bit over several years time. I don’t know if I or anyone fishing with me ever caught a coho salmon over 8 inches from Echo Lake ( and most of my fishing at Echo has occurred during winter when coho size should be around maximum). This might be a prime location to do a trial with releasing larger smolt-sized coho in early summer. If no or few larger coho were available in late fall or early winter — I believe it may be time to eliminate the Echo lake coho planting program. While I’ve fished Echo Lake many times — I’ve never gone there for the opportunity to catch coho salmon that average less than 6 inches in length, yet that is the size I see there.

III Increasing Angler Participation through Diversity. We’ve had an arctic grayling stocking program in the Mat-Su Valley multiple times, and that program has been cut as a cost savings measure multiple times. I can concede that it may be more cost / time effective to raise the same number of rainbow trout or landlocked salmon to a specific size compared to arctic grayling. However, as mentioned above, grayling stocked in the right spots can have extremely long lives that provide angling benefits for up to a decade — or longer. In addition, I’ve had many nonresident anglers specifically ask me, “Where can I catch arctic grayling?” I rarely have nonresident anglers ask me, “Where can I catch stocked rainbow trout?” As a professional fishing guide I’ve had many nonresident anglers say to me, “I can catch stocked rainbow trout back home (this applies to many states). In other words they are looking for something different — as our Alaska residents at times as well.

More on Diversity. One species we DO NOT need to stock is Northern Pike. Despite extensive efforts by ADF&G invasive northern pike have been spreading — and continue to spread in the Mat-Su Valley to the extent at which some traditional sport fisheries for other species have all but disappeared in some pike infested locations. Pike, have therefore been reducing the Mat-Su diversity of angling opportunity. This should bring up the question, “Are there species that might thrive or at least provide productive fisheries in waters where pike have all but eliminated fisheries for rainbow trout or a specific salmon species. I’ve heard that some native or anadromous species may prefer habitat that overlaps more heavily on prime pike habitat, while other species may prefer deeper water areas less inhabited by pike. I believe this concept is worth exploring, and that if attempted pre-stocking / post stocking populations levels along with human harvest levels of the stocked fish should be monitored. If this type stocking is attempted it is imperative that results be documented, and likely over a time period in excess of more than a year. This may be a departure from stocking policy in stocking a new species or multiple species in specific Mat-Su locations.

As mentioned last week, the 2026 Statewide Stocking Plan for Sport Fisheries remains open for public comment through January 31. This is an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts on how the program could be more effective / provide different or new opportunities. There are lots of forms of input that could be provided. Several thoughts in this column came from individuals other than myself. I also encourage people with thoughts that may differ from my own or what I have written to submit comments. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/EONR/index.cfm?adfg=region.NR&NRID=3964&Year=2026

Although Andy Couch is a member of the Matanuska - Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Matanuska Valley FIsh and Game Advisory Committee the thoughts and opinions expressed in this column are his own - unless noted otherwise.