Long fall

MAT-SU — In what has been an unusually long and warm fall, anglers have had better weather to fish, but not necessarily more fish to catch.

“The season is longer but you really need the cold weather to push the fish down,” said Mike Coughlin of Susitna Valley River Guides.

But with the colder weather the fishing should get better.

“The last couple of days, the cold weather has helped move the fish down to the mouths of the creeks and rivers,” explained Coughlin, who added that the next couple of weeks should be pretty good fishing from Willow Creek, the mouth of the Montana Creek, and Sheep Creek.

“I am surprised that I have not seen more people out fishing,” said Mike Hudson of Three Rivers Fly and Tackle.

Hudson believes that some fishermen might have written the season off.

“Well we almost had winter here a couple of weeks ago with snow halfway down the mountains, so maybe they (fishermen) just packed it up,” Hudson said.

He and Coughlin agree that he fishing is still good.

“The streams look good and are flowing clean but we do not know how much longing it will last, it all depends on the weather,” Hudson said.

Hudson recommends fishing the mouths of smaller creeks that feed into larger rivers.

“Spinners, cast masters, and spoons, are working very well right now, they just have to have one hook,” Hudson said.

For still-water fishing, Hudson believes that the ponds and lakes around the Mat-Su Valley are an untouched resource.

“A lot people do not realize the quality of rainbow trout in the ponds around here,” Hudson said. “Big lake is great for rainbows, and especially northern pike right now. But you might also want to try Echo, Honeybee, Finger, Kepler, and Bradley. They should be pretty good to.”

The fish are trying to feed before winter hits and are biting on spoons and spinners, said Hudson.

He suggested using a smaller spinner like a Panther Martin for trout and grayling.

“For fly-fishing I like small bead head nymphs,” Hudson said. “But also salmon egg imitation and flesh imitation should work well to.”

Contact Frontiersman reporter Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com.