Matanuska Valley lakes +++

Trout, grayling, arctic char, pike

Anglers who fish very early in the morning or late at night should find action. Long Lake has been good, and Kepler-Bradley has trout. Grayling are in Canoe, Finger and Knik lakes.

Willow area lakes ++

Trout, grayling, pike

Wooly Buggers and Lake Leeches worked near drop-offs can take fish. Lynne Lake has rainbow trout and arctic char. Pike are in the depths now.

Sheep Creek +++

King salmon, trout, grayling

Lane Hobbs' 57-pound king caught on a Spin-N-Glo a week ago continues to lead the PSEA Mat-Su Valley King Salmon Derby, and several 40-pounders have been landed by derby anglers. Water visibility is good.

Montana Creek +++

King salmon, trout, grayling

With the Susitna River beginning to drop, kings are rolling at the mouth of the creek. Dave Johnson pulled in a 32.6-pounder on Friday using a Corkie.

Little Susitna River +++

King salmon, rainbows

Picking up a bit for kings. Anglers pulling large plugs and Spin-N-Glos are having the best luck.

Willow Creek ++

King salmon, trout, grayling

King catches picking up as the water clears. Fish and Game terms the fishing here fair.

Eklutna Tailrace +

King salmon

Fish and Game says fishing is poor. Not a single fish on the leaderboard of the PSEA Mat-Su Valley King Salmon Derby comes from Eklutna.

REMOTE FISHERIES

Deshka River +

Trout, grayling

Closed to king salmon fishing on Saturday. Some 4,113 kings had passed the weir by Tuesday, a healthy 2,459 fish ahead of last year's pace. A year ago, however, the Deshka didn't close until June 20. While unlikely to reach the minimum escapement goal of 13,000 kings, the Deshka should improve upon last year's return of 7,500 fish. "There sure seemed to be a lot more fish decades ago before they started managing it so hard," said Mat-Su fishing guide Dan Lewis.

Lake Creek +++

King salmon, rainbows

Even though recent rain has brought the creek up slightly, this still may be a good bet for king salmon this weekend. "Lots of small fish for the most part," says Jason Rockvam of Wilderness Place Lodge. "It's a little slower than we'd expect but, if anything, it's building." Wilderness Place and Northwoods Lodge are both weigh stations for the Mat-Su king derby.

Talkeetna River +++

Rainbow trout, Dollies, grayling

Might be just the spot this weekend with kings starting to show up and rainbows still in the offing.

ANCHORAGE AREA

Local lakes ++++

Trout, graying, char, pike, salmon

Campbell Point, Clunie, Delong, Jewel, Spring and Triangle lakes have all been stocked with rainbows this month. Both Jewel and Campbell Point lakes got more than 10,000 fish apiece -- including a batch averaging more than 8 inches. For remote fishing near town, try Rabbit and Symphony lakes in the Chugach Mountains. Spinners, cocktail shrimp and single salmon eggs all work.

Ship Creek +++

King salmon, Dollies

The Slam'n Salm'n Derby ends Sunday afternoon and this year's later start date for the derby seems to have worked. Officials report more entrants -- and some big fish. David Edmonds' 48.4-pounder -- 10 pounds bigger than the current runner-up -- took the lead Tuesday. Incoming tides typically work best. Save on gas and fish close to home.

KENAI PENINSULA

Deep Creek

Closed

Closed to sportfishing until July 1.

Ninilchik River

Closed

Closed to sportfishing until July 1.

Homer Spit +

King salmon

King fishing in the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon has been surprisingly slow. Try salmon eggs or blue Vibrax spinners on the incoming tide.

Anchor River

Closed to sportfishing until July 1. Lack of angling pressure hasn't helped the Anchor's miserable king run -- 11 fish passed the weir on Tuesday, upping the season total to 1,209. Two years ago, more than 9,000 kings made it upstream.

Kasilof River ++

King salmon, red salmon, Dollies

Slow "with a few good days of fair to good" king salmon angling, according to Fish and Game. Reds are moving in too. Anglers fishing plugs wrapped with sardine or egg clusters have done best.

Russian River ++++

Red salmon, rainbows

Bum rush of early-run reds has allowed Fish and Game to open the sanctuary and double limits to six fish per day, 12 in possession. Beware of bears. And beware of fellow anglers' flies zinging past your head. Combat fishing doesn't get more intense than this.

Upper Kenai River ++++

Red salmon, king salmon, rainbows, Dollies

Take advantage of a strong red salmon return and rainbow trout fishing that has been good to excellent since the upper Kenai reopened June 11.

Lower Kenai River ++

King salmon

So-so king salmon fishery is chugging along with 7,338 fish past the sonar counter through Tuesday -- a little below the past two years but not the disaster many other Southcentral king fisheries are experiencing. As specified by regulation, several king salmon in the slot limit range of 46-55 inches have been released this season.

Clam Gulch ++++

Razor clams

Good set of minus tides starts Saturday and runs for a week. Best bet is Tuesday or Wednesday, when low tide dips below minus-5 feet. Diggers, remember to buy a fishing license first.

MARINE FISHERIES

Outside Resurrection Bay ++++

Halibut, rockfish

Anglers outside the bay are bringing back a steady diet of 20-30 pound halibut. The limit is two. Anchorage angler Terry French took the lead in the Seward Halibut Tournament on Sunday with a 184-pounder. Check the weather report before heading out. Ling cod fishing remains closed.

Resurrection Bay +++

Salmon, halibut, rockfish, cod

Anglers are headed to Eldorado Narrows for halibut, and rockfish are plentiful. A few kings have been caught off the beaches, and there are some red salmon at the mouth of Resurrection River, where only single-hook artificial lures are allowed.

Deep Creek offshore ++

Halibut, king salmon

Halibut fishing in near-shore areas should be good this weekend; most anglers are bringing home two flatfish. Bluff Point, Point Pogibshi and Flat Island areas have all been productive. King salmon trolling has been only fair at best.

Prince William Sound ++

Halibut, shrimp, red salmon

Reds starting to show in Coghill River. The Valdez halibut derby has seen a 200-pounder, and halibut fishing out of Whittier is best near the ocean entrances. Go deeper than 300 feet if you're shrimping.

Kachemak Bay +++

King salmon, halibut, rockfish

Halibut are being caught in waters 60 feet deep around Homer Bluffs. Point Pogibshi is turning out good catches in 100 to 200 feet. Colorado angler David Moore leads the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby with a 235-pound fish. Salmon trollers report slow fishing in Seldovia and Halibut Cove.