Stocked lakes shine as Mat-Su salmon wait

What you need to know:

• Stocked lakes offer the best current fishing in the Mat-Su Valley. Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials recommend stocked lakes for consistent trout action, with opportunities to catch larger fish at Big Lake, the Nancy Lake system and Lake Louise. Boats or float tubes can improve access on many lakes.
• Personal-use dip net opportunities are mixed. The Lower Susitna River remains open, but reports of success have been poor. Fish Creek could open by emergency order around July 20 if sockeye returns remain strong, while the Copper River and Kasilof River currently offer some of the best sockeye fishing opportunities.
• Most Mat-Su salmon fishing remains slow. High, muddy water and weak salmon returns have limited catches across the Susitna drainage, with king salmon fishing still closed. The Knik River has produced some sockeye, and coho fishing is expected to improve later in July as more salmon arrive.
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Stocked lakes may offer the Mat-Su Valley's best fishing during the coming week, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Oliver Querin.

For younger anglers especially, catching numbers of fish often makes for a more enjoyable day on the water, even if the fish are 10 inches or less in length. That's what you'll find in the lakes.

Most stocked lakes allow bait and multiple hooks and have more generous trout harvest limits. Although a few lakes attract significant numbers of boaters and anglers throughout the summer, others almost always provide a serene fishing experience.

Anglers willing to seek out stocked lakes with relatively light fishing pressure may also find significantly larger holdover fish. Even some lakes in the Palmer-Wasilla core area have good populations of fish 20 inches or larger.

On lakes with limited public shore access, a float tube, canoe or small boat can greatly increase an angler's access to productive fishing areas.

Anglers looking for larger fish should consider Big Lake, the Nancy Lake system near Willow or Lake Louise along the Glenn Highway, where larger fish and multiple species can be targeted.

Here are some details on which lakes are stocked and what species you can find.

Mat-Su personal use dip netting

Several people were picking up household personal use dip net permits Tuesday while I was at the state fish and game office in Palmer. Alaska residents must have one of these permits to participate in the state's personal use dip net fisheries.

Personal use permits are also available through the fish and game website.

An Upper Cook Inlet permit covers the Lower Susitna River, Fish Creek, Kenai River and Kasilof River fisheries. A Copper River permit is required for the Chitina River Subdistrict fishery.

The Lower Susitna River is currently the Mat-Su Valley's only open personal use fishery. Access remains difficult because most anglers must either travel about 20 miles by boat from Deshka Landing or fly in, as recent rains have flooded many gravel-bar landing areas.

When this column is published, only four fishing days remain:

• Saturday, July 18
• Wednesday, July 23
• Saturday, July 25
• Wednesday, July 30

Querin, Deshka Landing manager Amy Davis and Mike Hudson, a partner at 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla, all said they had not heard any positive harvest reports from the Lower Susitna River through Tuesday.

Fish Creek

Hudson and 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle's Saul Correa said anglers reported catching sockeye salmon at Fish Creek before the sport fishery closed at 10 p.m. July 14.

So far, Fish Creek is the only Mat-Su location with strong sockeye weir counts. However, the personal use dip net fishery opens only by emergency order after ADF&G determines enough salmon are expected to pass the weir.

Querin said Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) already has an emergency order drafted and, if consistent sockeye returns continue, the fishery could open by Monday, July 20.

Watch for a Fish Creek Advisory Announcement beginning Thursday or Friday.

Copper River and Klutina River Fisheries

Improving sonar counts could keep the Copper River personal use fishery open for another full week, according to state fisheries biologist Tracy Hansen in Glennallen.

King salmon harvest remains closed, but the fishery may offer one of the best sockeye opportunities of the 2026 season for personal use permit holders.

Water conditions remain a factor, but Hansen said cooler weather should help keep the Copper River in good shape.

The fishery is currently open from Thursday, July 16, through Sunday, July 19.

Before selecting a permit or making the trip, check the latest fishing schedule for dates after July 19.

Hansen also said the Klutina River sport sockeye fishery may be the best sport salmon fishing opportunity in the Upper Copper River drainage during the coming week.

The Klutina is the Upper Copper River's largest sockeye-producing tributary. Strong returns past the Miles Lake sonar supporting improved personal use fishing at Chitina should also translate into good sport fishing on the Klutina.

Kasilof River Personal Use and Sport Fisheries for Sockeye

The Kasilof River continues to offer the best sockeye salmon fishing in Upper Cook Inlet.

Drive time is similar to Chitina, but expect heavier traffic and more anglers on the Kenai Peninsula this weekend.

Kenai River

Lower sockeye returns have slowed both the Kenai River sport fishery and personal use dip net fishery compared with last year. However, fishing could improve substantially over the next week or two.

One friend says to expect Kenai River sockeye counts to increase around July 15, with the best fishing between July 20 and the first week of August.

See the state and fish and game information.

Fishing the Mat-Su salmon desert

Since last week I've guided eight Mat-Su Valley salmon fishing trips.

During those trips, my guests harvested:

• 3 sockeye salmon
• 1 chum salmon
• 1 coho salmon

The trips offered a chance to enjoy beautiful Mat-Su rivers with very little competition from other anglers. The fishing, however, was slow, to say the least.

Querin checked Susitna River drainage sport fisheries along the Parks Highway on Monday and, by Tuesday, had not heard of any chum, pink, sockeye or coho salmon being caught.

Hudson said anglers reported harvesting sockeye salmon at Fish Creek before the sport fishery closed.

Jim Tilton of Deshka Landing Charters and Lodge said they had looked for salmon as far upstream as Willow and Little Willow creeks but had not seen any chum, pink or coho salmon.

Tilton and Querin also said Susitna River drainage streams were running high and dirty following recent heavy rains.

Many Susitna River drainage streams opened to bait and multiple-hook fishing July 14, so expect angler effort to increase soon.

King salmon fishing remains closed throughout the Susitna River drainage.

Knik River

My guests harvested some sockeye salmon in the Knik, and I know of others that were also caught.

I haven't heard of any coho salmon from the Knik River yet, although some may already have been caught.

I expect the first few coho to be caught at Eklutna Tailrace or elsewhere in the lower Knik River drainage this weekend.

Querin said the Jim Creek weir was expected to be installed July 15, so counts from that site should be posted on ADF&G's website before the weekend.

Salmon passage past the Jim Creek weir typically remains light until after July 20, with fishing usually improving near the Knik River-Jim Creek confluence around July 25.

Bait and multiple hooks are legal throughout the Knik River drainage.

Little Susitna River

I've fished here several times and seen few salmon, although numbers appear to be increasing.

Little Susitna River weir counts through July 13:

• 597 king salmon
• 124 sockeye salmon
• 12 chum salmon

The fishery remains restricted to artificial lures only, but multiple hooks became legal July 14.

The Little Susitna River Public Use Facility campground and boat launch is located near the river's mouth.

King salmon fishing remains closed.

Deshka River

I haven't guided a salmon trip to the Deshka River yet this year, but it's one of the places where I expect to see the first coho and pink salmon.

If significant numbers of coho and pink salmon arrive early, some of the best fishing should be near the Deshka River-Susitna River confluence.

Expect relatively light sport fishing pressure this weekend.

Deshka River weir counts through July 13:

• 6,592 king salmon
• 1 chum salmon

King salmon fishing remains closed.

Lake Creek Near Skwentna

High water delayed installation of the Chelatna Lake weir.

Sockeye salmon weir counts will be posted when available.

Some sockeye, chum and pink salmon should be available near lower Yentna River tributary confluences this weekend, with a few fish also likely at Lake Creek. Read the fish and game regulations.

Larson Lake weir (Talkeetna River drainage)

Sockeye salmon may already be available near the Talkeetna River-Larson Creek confluence.

Note: This sport fishery is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The weir should be installed and counts posted before the weekend, although salmon passage typically remains light until about July 20.

Fishing access is limited to a small area near the Talkeetna River confluence.

Cottonwood Creek

Correa said a significant school of sockeye salmon moved through the legal fishing area earlier this week.

However, this fishery is open only on Saturdays and Sundays from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The legal fishing area is relatively small, located primarily in the creek's intertidal section and accessed from Hayfield Road.

Fishing events coming soon:

Big Lake Pike Derby (July 25)
Valdez Youth Pink Salmon Derby (July 25)

Good Luck and Fish On!

Andy Couch has guided fishing trips in the Mat-Su Valley for more than 40 years. He is a member of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Matanuska Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee. Unless otherwise noted, statements and opinions expressed in this column are his own.