Andy Couch

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.



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