Parks Highway streams reopen to fishing

As of July 14, Unit 2 Susitna River drainage streams from Willow to the Talkeetna River reopened to fishing. I am specifically referring to those portions of these streams where king salmon fishing is allowed in the regulation book. Jeff Boatright of Susitna Landing reported a couple anglers fishing waters near Susitna Landing on July 14, but when I talked with him one of those anglers had only caught two grayling. I talked with another friend of mine who was fortunate enough to hook into an early arriving silver salmon from one of these streams on July 14. Although anglers may now fish these water for salmon other than king salmon, the most prevalent salmon at this time in many of these streams are chum salmon or pink salmon, with a very few early arriving silver (coho) salmon in the mix as well. In addition to reopening to fishing many of these streams also opened to bait fishing on July 14. Be sure to check the regulation book and the specific section of stream you intend to fish before venturing.

Cottonwood Creek

sockeye salmon

This weekend should be a good time to start fishing the lower portion of Cottonwood Creek for sockeye salmon. Commercial catches in the Northern District of Upper Cook Inlet are currently dominated by sockeye salmon and Cottonwood Creek (along with Jim Creek) provides one of the better opportunities for roadside anglers to access some of the Mat-Su Valley’s better sockeye fishing. Remember that Cottonwood Creek is only open in the lower portion of the drainage and only on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day. Read the regulations carefully before making your first trip to this location. For more information contact the Palmer office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at 746-6300.

Deshka River silver salmon

Ben Allen told me of his guests catching a few coho salmon at the Deshka RIver before the king salmon season closed, but I have not heard any reports of limit catches — yet. Mike Hudson of 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle also confirmed a few coho salmon catches from the Deshka. Deshka River regulations allow the use of bait and also allow the harvest of a bag limit of three coho salmon per day. The Deshka often provides better fishing on rainy days or during early morning hours. Water level is very low at this time restricting most anglers to the deeper water areas closer to the river’s confluence with the Susitna River.

Chummy weir numbers at Little Susitna River

This past week, several anglers have asked me about coho salmon fishing on the Little Susitna River. Yes, everyday a few Little Su coho salmon are getting caught by sport anglers, however, escapement numbers through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Little Susitna River weir give a better picture of salmon abundance at the Little Su. July weir passage through July 14 include 2,480 chum salmon, 364 king salmon, 118 sockeye salmon, 20 coho salmon and 18 pink salmon. Chum salmon by far outnumber any other salmon at this time in the Little Susitna River below the salmon counting weir, and I expect sport catches of chum salmon to peak in the Little Susitna River over the next week or 10 days. Silver salmon fishing will continue to get better, but peak catches usually occur during the last week of July and early August. Water level is currently very low for boating on the Little Susitna River. Proceed with caution!

Personal use dip netting

With the Fish Creek sockeye salmon weir count at 990 fish through July 14, don’t expect this Mat-Su Valley Personal Use Dip Net Fishery to open any time soon, if at all in 2015. The next closest options are to travel to the Copper River, Kenai River, or Kasilof River to catch a year’s supply of sockeye salmon. I’ve talked to several Mat-Su residents planning to travel and dip the Kenai River for sockeye salmon. The first large push of sockeye salmon often arrives on this weekend with strong numbers of fish likely to arrive for the following week or 10 days. Like any fishing trip if salmon abundance is less than optimum, sometime you simply have to put in enough time to catch the number of fish you are looking for. If you hit it right, you can catch more sockeye salmon in a couple hours than you may want to clean the remainder of the day. To participate you need to be an Alaska Resident and will net to get a permit from ADF&G. I suggest getting the permit at the Palmer or Anchorage ADF&G office rather than attempting to get one on the Kenai Peninsula.

Fish On!

Andy Couch has guided sport fishing trips in the Mat-Su Valley for over 30 years. Visit his Fishtale River Guides website at www.fish4salmon.com