Now showing in Mat-Su waters: sockeye, pink, chum, and coho salmon

After waiting since early May, Mat-Su Valley anglers are on the verge of seeing an abundance of four salmon species in local rivers and streams. King salmon runs to most Mat-Su locations are now complete with fish nearing their spawning destinations or already at spawning areas. By Monday of this week sockeye, chum, pink, and coho salmon were arriving at popular Mat-Su sport fishing and personal use dip netting areas.

Fish Creek: The largest abundance of sockeye salmon has been counted through the Fish Creek weir with 4, 507 sockeye passing through Sunday June 16 — this location was currently closed to both sport salmon fishing and dip netting when this column was written, however after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) can project a sockeye return (not escapement) in excess of 35,000 fish, the dip net fishery may be opened by emergency order. It is possible and, somewhat likely, an emergency order could be issued by the time this column is printed.

Lower Susitna River: While not a weir count, one of my nephews told me he and two of his brothers plus a friend caught modest numbers of sockeye and chum salmon along with more robust numbers of pink salmon from the Lower Susitna River Personal Use Dip Net Fishery on Saturday July 15 — not particularly good dip netting yet — but salmon numbers should be much stronger for the remaining two Saturdays and one Wednesday after this column is published. Deshka Landing Manager, Amy Davis, also told me on Monday that dip netters had started catching some salmon at this location on Saturday.

Little Susitna River: Through Sunday July 16 in addition to 760 king (Chinook) salmon, ADF&G had also counted 516 sockeye, 462 chum, 64 pink, and 6 silver (coho) salmon passing Little Susitna River Weir. High water from our weekend rain may cause weir counts to be discontinued for a day to three days, but more catchable numbers of harvestable salmon are now available at Little Susitna River near Little Susitna River Public Use Facility Campground and Boat Launch than at any other time this year. These fish only recently started arriving in increasing numbers, with Corey Berg, owner of Berg’s Frontier Fishing Guides, telling me as of Sunday, guests on his charters had now caught all 5 species of salmon returning to Little Susitna River.

Deshka River: 3,686 king, 60 pink, 5 silver, and 4 sockeye salmon had been counted through Saturday July 15 at Deshka River Weir, before water overtopped the weir on Sunday July 16. Salmon counts should resume once the water level drops, and the weir becomes operational again — my guess perhaps by Wednesday or Thursday before this column is published. I guided salmon fishing trips to the Deshka on Sunday July 16 and Monday the 17th. The first day my groups saw hundreds of pink salmon surfacing during both a morning and afternoon trip — they also caught good numbers of pinks along with one coho salmon. By Monday the river had risen significantly and more debris was floating downriver. While my group still saw perhaps 50 pink salmon surfacing along the bank and up against the brush, during their trip the guests only caught four legally-hooked pink salmon, along with several foul-hooked pinks they also fought to the boat. Pinks salmon were all they caught during Monday’s trip, but I expect migrating salmon numbers and sport catches to jump up as the Susitna River and Deshka River water levels drop with forecasted drier weather this week.

Jim Creek: In an email on Monday ADF&G fishery biologist, Sam Ivey, told me the Jim Creek Weir would be installed sometime this week. Therefore, the first salmon could be counted before the weekend. Although this is the first time in 4 years Jim Creek Weir will be back in operation, historically sockeye and coho salmon passage has occurred as early as July 20 - 25. With an abundance of rain, cool temperatures, and consequently, cooler water temperatures I predict the first salmon migrating through Jim Creek Weir should occur by Monday July 23. Local anglers will likely be trying their luck near the Jim Creek / Knik River confluence this weekend, and while fishing may be slow there is a significant chance the first sockeye and possibly the first coho salmon of the season may be harvested at this location during the weekend.

Using Mat-Su Weir Data: While I previously wrote about the Fish Creek, Deshka River, and Jim Creek Weir projects receiving legislative funding to run through the entire coho salmon runs during 2023, I did not mention the benefit weir-generated data can provide to Mat-Su anglers. The most obvious information is the fish counts, but keep in mind, catchable numbers of salmon are often available lower in a stream system before significant numbers have passed a weir. Still, fish counts will show when increasing numbers of salmon are available to be caught, and historical counts can be used to make a fair evaluation, for trip planning purposes, of when abundances of salmon are likely to be present in specific stream systems. Fish counts from specific indicator streams may also provide an index of what may occur at related streams in an area or drainage. For example, ADF&G uses both Little Susitna River and Fish Creek coho salmon counts as early indicators of likely coho salmon abundances throughout the Knik Arm drainages — while Jim Creek counts are considered more specific to the Jim Creek / McRoberts Creek drainage. Deshka River Chinook and coho counts are used by ADF&G as general guidelines, and can be early season indicators, for the entire Susitna / Yentna River drainage Chinook and coho salmon returns.

Water Levels: While high water events can disrupt or pause inseason salmon counts, water levels are often recorded at the weirs and I use them in consideration of water conditions for both fishing and safe boating. Even with my shallow running outboard jet boat I like to have a water level of 2 feet or more as measured at Deshka River Weir, when I consider boating upstream as far as the weir. Lower water levels at Deshka Weir indicate more problematic boating conditions upstream, but also indicate to me that larger concentrations of salmon are likely to be schooling near the Deshka / Susitna River confluence. Water levels in the 4 - 5 foot range generally indicate high and likely darker colored water at both Little Susitna River and Deshka River. Water at these levels or above may overtop the weirs and definitely provide what I consider high water fishing conditions. Because of lakes leveling out water conditions, the weir projects and fishing conditions at Fish Creek and Jim Creek are less affected by high water. Find the most recent weir counts and water level data here: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/

Mat-Su Salmon Locations for the Weekend and Next Week:

Personal Use Dip Netting at lower Susitna River (Wednesdays and Saturdays only) and —if open —at Fish Creek daily. When fishing is allowed: both fisheries are open from 6a.m. — 11 p.m. The seasons are extremely short for both of these opportunities — by the time my next fishing column is published, there will only be one last Saturday when dip netting is allowed on the lower Susitna River, and dip netting at Fish Creek must close for the season, by regulation, at 11:01 p.m. on July 31.

Bank Fishing Locations: Eklutna Tailrace, Cottonwood Creek, Jim Creek / Knik River confluence (access can be difficult with a rough and muddy road), Willow Creek / Susitna River confluence, Sheep Creek near Susitna River confluence, some sockeye are also available in the Talkeetna River drainage according to Phantom Tri River Charters. For those up to a long boat ride or a fly-in trip salmon are available as far upstream as Lake Creek in the Yentna River drainage.

Personal Use Fishery — Road Trips: Chitina (solid salmon numbers and reasonable water levels), Kasilof River (large sonar counts — expanded fishing area), Kenai River first large sockeye salmon sonar count on Sunday July 15. Some of the peak salmon harvests of the entire season will likely occur at each of these three locations, within a week of both sides of this column’s publication.

Good Luck and Fish On!

Andy Couch posts fishing report updates on his Fishtale River Guides website at: https://www.fish4salmon.com/2023-fishing-reports/july-2023-alaska-fishing-reports/