Where did all the sunshine go?

When I talked with A.J.Hoffman at 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle this was the first place he mentioned as a hot spot for salmon catching activity. A look at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game weir counts for Fish Creek through Aug. 21 shows four days in the previous week had weir counts over 1,000 sockeye salmon per day. In addition over 1,000 coho (silver) salmon have also passed Fish Creek weir in the past week. It is hard to argue with those kind of numbers. Even so, the amount of vehicles I’ve seen at the fishery has been dropping as kids are back in school, the Alaska State Fair is starting, and hunting seasons have started or will start soon. As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, the water in the Fish Creek drainage is stabilized upstream by several lakes (including Big Lake), so water clarity and height fluctuations are less dramatically affected by rain and run off. By emergency order this fishery is now open seven days per week with a limit of 6 salmon per day (only four may be coho — only three may be chums or pinks — no king retention is allowed).

Jim Creek

My sources did not have direct knowledge for how recent fishing has been at Jim Creek near the Butte, however, this is a system that can produce good late season fishing for chrome silver salmon, especially near Jim Creek’s confluence with the Knik River.

Of course with all the rain we’ve been having recently a person may need to fish a bit further upstream to enjoy the better opportunities at this location. Jim Creek is also a system whose water flows are stabilized by lakes further up in the drainage. Check regulation before going, this fishery is restricted to five days per week with 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. open fishing hours. The coho salmon limit in the Jim Creek drainage and most of the Knik River drainage remains at two fish per person daily.

Eklutna Tailrace

This is one of the easiest fisheries for a large part of the Mat-Su population to access with paved road right to the fishing area and a large free parking area with an outhouse. A.J. Hoffman mentioned that success had not been so good at the tailrace lately according the the recent reports from anglers stopping by the 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle shop. The tailrace and Knik River waters within a short distance downstream have a 3 coho salmon daily limit, and is a great location for a short jaunt. This is a terminal fishery for primarily for hatchery fish, and after a while some of the salmon become quite wary of lures and bait that they see everyday that they remain in the tailrace waters, or until fishing effort drops off significantly.

Little Susitna River

Boat anglers in particular continue to catch good numbers of silver salmon at this location, although because of continuing high water the catching is mainly occurring at select location up and down the river from the Little Susitna River Public Use Facility Boat Launch and Campground. Most of the silver salmon at this location are now developing rosy blushed colors. There are still a few chrome fish available as well. Bait is allowed and the limit is three coho salmon per person.

Some anglers are also catching silver salmon in the Houston area either near the Parks Highway or near the Miller’s Reach subdivision.

Deshka River

When I talked with Spencer Cook of I FIsh Alaska Guide Service, he mentioned the most recent high waters causing difficulty for his guests catching salmon at the Deshka River. From what he has seen most of the silver salmon seem to have moved up past the weir, although his guests caught several nice rainbow trout on his most recent salmon fishing trip to the Deshka. Spencer had also been guiding salmon fishing trips along Parks Highway streams, but with recent waning salmon numbers he is now planning on switching focus to trout fishing trips through the end of September.

Amy Davis at Deshka Landing Outdoor Association mentioned that just a few guides were continuing to guide salmon fishing trips over to Deshka River, but traffic through the landing was being maintained by people hunting early moose over in Unit 16B on the West side of the Susitna River drainage south of the Yentna River confluence.

Susitna Landing

When I talked with Marilynn Rouswell at the Landing on Wednesday she mentioned a boat had been out catching some salmon that day even with higher water caused by recent rain. She was hopeful for more silver salmon and anglers looking to catch them this weekend. Note: Portions of the Susitna River drainage only remain open to bait fishing through August 31, so anglers who would like to catch silver salmon with bait in many Susitna River drainage waters will need to do so in the next week or wait until next year.

Talkeetna River and Clear Creek

When I talked with Margo Nealis of Phantom Tri River Charters in Talkeetna (733-2400) she mentioned high waters were making fishing more difficult, but they are continuing to catch silver salmon.

Note: high waters can make for difficult boating conditions as well, especially on a swift river like the Talkeetna. Upstream drainages like the Talkeetna have a later peak fishing time than areas closer to saltwater. Margo mentioned that some of the coho salmon are getting blushed coloring, but there are still some bright chrome fish as well. Once again this is the last week for bait fishing, as the Talkeetna River drainage is managed with similar regulation to the rest of the Susitna River drainage.

For those looking for another Mat-Su Valley salmon fishing opportunity before summer ends, these should be some of your better options.

Good Luck and Fish On!

Andy Couch is owner/guide of Fishtale River Guide. You may read his daily fishing reports at http://www.fish4salmon.com