Memorial weekend fisheries

Mat-Su Valley lakes started getting stocked with catchable-sized rainbow trout during the past week, just in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Since Friday of last week through Tuesday Lucille, Memory, Kepler - Bradley, Canoe, and Matanuska Lake in the Palmer -Wasilla core area all received trout stockings of fish in the 9 - 10 inch range. I expect additional Mat-Su Valley Lakes may be stocked before the coming weekend, however, I was unable to contact either Sam Ivey or Samantha Oslund with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) this week to get additional information from them. I found the list of lakes that had been stocked by doing a stocking search on the ADF&G website. You may make a more updated stocking search at this page on the ADF&G website: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=SportStockingHatcheriesSearch.main

Dan Suprak with Alaska Chinook Charters told me he guided a couple visitors on Sunday afternoon at a local core-area lake and they caught and released a total of 18 rainbow trout — and all of them except one fish were significantly larger than the catchable-sized fish recently stocked by the department. Dan said his guests caught most of their trout on Wooly Bugger flies, but also caught a couple by casting small spinners. During the charter they saw several other anglers out in boats catching fish, and a group of kids catching trout from a dock beside the boat launch. I expect Mat-Su lakes may once again provide some of the best fish catching opportunities in the Valley, and especially for shore bound anglers, this weekend.

Weekend Camping

Many Alaskans like to take a camping trip over the holiday weekend — some of them like to combine both camping and fishing. Campgrounds can fill up over the holiday weekend so it is a good idea to make reservations ahead of time when possible. I was told that Little Susitna River Public Use Facility campground recently opened — and it is also a location that usually has camping space available even on holiday weekends. Big Lake, Matanuska Lake, and Susitna Landing all normally fill up over the holiday weekend. When I called Susitna Landing this week I got a recorded message saying this location would remain closed through Memorial Weekend with a projected opening on June 2. Other locations may therefore have additional campers.

Weekend of the Hooligans

One of my nephews launched a boat from Deshka Landing and went camping on the lower Susitna River over the past week. He said there was still quite a bit of ice flowing down the river on Saturday afternoon, but the river was much cleaner on Sunday. Before coming back on Sunday, he and other people on the trip dipnetted as many hooligan as they wanted from the Yentna River confluence area and also caught and harvested several northern pike at another location. The pike were caught by casting spinners in a slow water tributary of the main river. Back to the hooligan — Memorial Weekend is often the peak weekend for catching these small oily fish in that portion of the Susitna River drainage near Deshka Landing and Willow Creek. Deshka Landing is an access point only for boaters — not a fishing location — although good abundances of hooligan are often available quite close to the landing. Boaters can often find the fish by motoring fairly close along the banks and looking into shallow water near gravel bars. Even though the Susitna River is quite silty, the hooligan are often in such shallow water that they can be spotted along the riverbanks. Before spotting the actual school of hooligan, a person may spot small water disturbances made by thousands of small fish tails in the shallows. Groups of birds like gulls or bald eagles often congregate in areas with hooligan abundances. I’ve also seen bears and coyotes attracted by hooligan along the Susitna River. When looking for hooligan — it is often easier to notice the birds or a coyote or bear along the riverbank — if you focus a search for hooligan in such an area over Memorial Weekend it is likely you may find an abundance of Susitna River drainage hooligan. Similar to salmon, the hooligan run up the rivers, spawn, and die. Depending upon the run size and the location along the river a huge abundance of hooligan may last only a day or two -- or as long as a week or two. As alluded earlier, I would expect the best abundance of hooligan near Deshka Landing and Willow Creek to occur over Memorial Weekend or during the coming week. Alaska residents with a sport fishing license may harvest as many as they can use — but I always caution people to catch , cook, and eat a smaller amount of hooligan before thinking about harvesting a cooler full. A cooler full of hooligan can be a lot of work to take care of —and it is a tremendous amount of fish — especially when people decide, after the harvest, that they really do not like eating hooligan. On the other hand, I’ve been told they may be an acquired taste — there are people who really enjoy hooligan and attempt to catch an abundance on an annual basis.

Northern Pike

A.J Hayes from 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle told me he had recently heard good reports of people catching northern pike from the lower Susitna River drainage, Memory Lake, and Big Lake. Pike can provide good action and catches early in the season as they stage in shallow water spawning areas. Spinners, spoons, topwater lures, and where legal — herring under a bobber-- are all proven pike catchers. Remember if fishing for pike in flowing waters of the Susitna River drainage -- single hook artificial lures are required at this time. While in my experience pike may not be hooked the first time they grab a single hook lure, I’ve had many pike continue biting until I was able to hook and land them. When pike fishing early in the season, the action can get better later in the day, after both the water and air temperatures have warmed up.

King Salmon

This holiday weekend is usually considered by many Alaskans to be the kickoff weekend for king salmon fishing. As I write this column on Tuesday — I have not yet heard of anyone catching a king salmon in the Mat-Su Valley this spring, however, I have confidence that a few king salmon will be caught either before Memorial Day weekend or during the weekend. Lake Creek up the Yentna River, the lower part of Little Susitna River, or the Knik River side-channel downstream of Eklutna Tailrace are the legal locations where I would expect a few king salmon may be caught this weekend. Eklutna Tailrace and the Knik River side-channel below are the only locations it is currently legal to harvest an ocean-run king salmon in the Mat-Su Valley. There is limited water to fish at the tailrace / Knik River side-channel so it will likely be the most crowded Mat-Su valley king salmon fishery over the weekend. Because of a later than normal spring breakup I would expect only a few king salmon, at most, to be caught from all Mat-Su flocations over the weekend. Expect much larger abundances of king salmon showing up in the weeks afterward.

Another holiday weekend king salmon option would be for anglers to road-trip to the Kenai Peninsula where king salmon fishing and harvest are allowed at Kasilof River, Ninilchik River, and the Fishing Hole Lagoon off of the Homer Spit. I’ve heard multiple reports of a king salmon harvested from the Kasilof River, but Ninilchik River does not open until Memorial Day Weekend -- check regulations carefully. I have not heard anything from Homer about the fishing hole lagoon yet this year. I have not yet heard about any king salmon being caught from Ship Creek in Anchorage — but it provides another harvest opportunity much closer to the Mat-Su Valley. Ship Creek is open 7-days per week from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Remember to obtain and take your fishing license, king salmon stamp or harvest card, and ink pen venturing out for king salmon this weekend.

Good Luck, as you Fish, and Camp On!

Andy Couch owns Fishtale River Guides and has guided Mat-Su Valley fishing trips in 5 different decades.