Where are Mat-Su’s coho?

Since king salmon fishing was closed in all Mat-Su waters except Eklutna Tailrace on July 3, I’ve guided a dozen salmon fishing trips focus on other salmon species, and through July 19 nobody fishing with me has managed to catch a silver (coho) salmon.

Looking back through 10 previous years of fishing reports I noticed that 2017 will now be the latest date in 11 years someone has caught a silver salmon from my boat. The average date is July 12 with the earliest being July 5 back in 2014 and the previous latest date being July 19 in 2011.

The Deshka Landing website has yet to report any silver salmon catches, and Marilynn Rouswell at Susitna Landing could only be hopeful that some salmon may be available at that location by this coming weekend. The Susitna River drainage bait opener on July 14 that I mentioned last week has largely been a bust due to lack of salmon.

Through July 18 a total of five coho salmon have been counting through Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Little Susitna River salmon counting weir.

One year ago, 429 coho had already passed the Little Susitna River weir through the same date. On July 16 the first coho salmon harvest of a single fish was reported through the Little Susitna River Public Use Facility Angler Exit Survey. No coho salmon have been posted as passing ADF&G’s Fish Creek Weir, Jim Creek Weir, or Deshka River Weir through July 18. Although numbers of available coho salmon may still be soft this weekend, expect substantial increases over the coming week.

Because of low escapements of sockeye salmon to the Kenai River commercial fishing in the Central District of Upper Cook Inlet has been restricted, so Mat-Su coho migrating through Upper Cook Inlet should have a better opportunity of reaching their spawning streams than many years. On July 20 the Northern District commercial set gill net fishery has been restricted in amount of gear that can be fished.

The normal 105 fathoms of net has been reduced to 35 fathoms for the General Subdistrict and 70 fathoms for the Eastern Subdistrict.

This restriction should also increase the number of salmon making it into Mat-Su streams, even by this weekend.

With over 1.4 million salmon already harvested in Upper Cook Inlet commercial fisheries (through July 17) hopefully now a reasonable number may make it into the streams where both Alaska residents and visitors may have a more reasonable harvest opportunity in the latter half of July.

Fish Creek sockeye salmon

Sockeye salmon escapement numbers through the department’s Fish Creek weir are running higher than 2016.

This year 9,720 sockeye have passed the weir compared to 6,878 sockeye in 2016 through July 18. The Fish Creek Personal Use Salmon Fishery may be opened by emergency order based on a run projection in excess of 35,000 sockeye salmon. It would be interesting to know what escapement number / Date the department meant is looking for before opening this fishery? The Central District and Northern District commercial fishing restrictions I mentioned earlier should spark increasing jumps in Fish Creek sockeye escapement as well.

Although Fish Creek is currently closed to sport fishing for salmon, ADF&G is mentioning Cottonwood Creek and Jim Creek as locations to try for Mat-Su sockeye salmon this coming week.

Chum salmon

Last week I mentioned chum salmon, and at this time on Little Susitna River, below the weir, chums are the most plentiful salmon available, as predicted.

However, through July 18 cumulative chum salmon escapement past the weir is 1,250 fish compared to 9,308 chum salmon on the same date last year. Chum catching is lower as would be expected, but can still provide some great action when one locates a school of undisturbed fish. Small plugs and spinners are the lures of choice, although twitched flies can also be productive.

About one out of every three chum salmon my guests have caught in 2017 seems to be gill net marked to varying extremes. According to Marilynn Rouswell some chum salmon have already arrived at Little Willow Creek and may be available at other streams along the Parks Highway as well.

Good Luck and Fish On!

Andy Couch is the owner of Fishtale River Guides and has fished Mat-Su Valley waters since 1971.