Personal use dipnet should provide best Mat-Su salmon harvests this weekend

With upstream abundances of salmon to Mat-Su sport fisheries on the low side, personal use harvest opportunities lower in drainages and nearer to saltwater will likely provide two of the best salmon harvest opportunities for Alaska residents during the July 29 / 30 weekend. The Fish Creek Personal Use Fishery, near Knik Goose - Bay Road, was opened by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) starting last Saturday. Fish Creek is open on a daily basis from 6 a.m. — 11 p.m. through Monday July 31. During previous seasons solid abundances of sockeye salmon have often continued to swim past ADF&G’s Fish Creek salmon counting weir through the first or second week of August, so this location will likely provide a solid opportunity to harvest sockeye salmon, in particular, during the final days of July. While sockeye salmon and coho salmon are the most harvested species, personal use permit holders are also allowed to harvest pink and chum salmon at Fish Creek.

The Lower Susitna River Personal Use Fishery will close after the Saturday July 29, 2023 6 a.m. — 11 p.m. opening. Participants in this fishery, even on the final scheduled opening, will have a realistic opportunity to harvest sockeye, coho, chum, and pink salmon. This relatively remote fishery is accessible by boat from Deshka Landing, and depending upon water level in the Susitna River, may become accessible by small airplanes with pilots landing on exposed gravel / sand bars.

Personal use permits are available at several ADF&G offices from 9a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or online at the ADF&G website 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Required harvest reporting must be done online by August 15 for the two Mat-Su Valley personal use fisheries. Soon after the Mat-Su dip net fisheries close, sport fishing for coho salmon should see a jump in harvest rates.

Recent salmon passage numbers through Deshka River weir and Little Susitna River weir have been reduced by high water flooding both weirs. At the time this column was written, salmon counts were minimal at Deshka weir which had been flooded the previous 9 days from July 16 — 24. Anglers continue to catch a few coho and pink salmon at Deshka River. Bait fishing is now allowed at Deshka River through August 31.

Little Susitna River weir had been underwater 6 days, from July 17 — 22, however 83 coho salmon swam through on July 24, along with 1,147 chum, and1,218 pink salmon. These numbers indicate that chum and pink salmon may now be arriving in peak numbers at Little Susitna River and there have been enough coho in the “Little Su,” for many anglers to catch one or a few. Artificial lures must be used at Little Susitna through August 5 in 2023.

Last week I reported that ADF&G was planning to have Jim Creek weir installed prior to the weekend. A search for Jim Creek sockeye and coho salmon escapements on Tuesday July 25, however, revealed that Jim Creek weir installation did not occur until Monday July 24 in 2023. No salmon were shown passing Jim Creek weir as of Tuesday, but salmon should be swimming past before this column is published on Friday. Jim Creek is normally a very stable weir site with upstream lakes leveling higher water events over multiple days.

Fish Creek Weir has already passed 22,980 sockeye salmon as of July 24, and dip netters have been flocking to the stream a couple hours before and after any high tide between 6 a.m.—11 p.m. in hopes of catching sockeye. Fish Creek sport angling for salmon is scheduled to re-start with a youth fishery scheduled for Saturday and Sunday August 5 and 6. “Youth” anglers for this fishery must be under 16 years of age. The general public sport fishery at Fish Creek is not scheduled to restart until the following weekend August 12 and 13.

Good Luck and Fish On.