Mat-SU

Matanuska Valley lakes ++

Trout, grayling, arctic char, pike

Punishing hot weather has pushed fish into the depths. Fish most active in evening and morning, but even then it's tough. Both Memory Lake (3,500) and Prator Lake (1,500) got a nice shot of hatchery arctic char averaging more than seven inches.

Willow area lakes ++

Trout, grayling, pike

Lynne and Honeybee lakes may be worth a try. Lynne also offers arctic char. Pike in the Nancy Lakes system will take some prospecting.

Sheep Creek +

Trout, grayling

Closed to king salmon fishing.

Montana Creek +

Trout, grayling

Closed to king salmon fishing.

Little Susitna River +

Rainbows

Closed to king salmon fishing.

Willow Creek +

Rainbow trout, grayling

Closed to king salmon fishing. Trout anglers might try fishing Wooly Buggers or Bunny Flies in purple, black or white. Smolt or Muddler patterns are also good bets.

Eklutna Tailrace +

King salmon

Anglers report very slow fishing, but the comfy bank offers a relaxing outing nonetheless.

REMOTE FISHERIES

Deshka River

Closed for kings

Even though the river is closed, kings continue to trickle upstream, with more than 11,000 past the weir. But it's definitely a trickle -- three passed on Tuesday.

Lake Creek +

King salmon, rainbows

King fishing not expected to be any better than fair.

Talkeetna River +++

King salmon, Dollies, grayling

One of best spots other than Kenai River for kings, with Fish and Game describing the fishing as "good." Temperatures near 80 have turned the main stem of the river glacial.

ANCHORAGE AREA

Local lakes ++++

Trout, grayling, char, pike, salmon

Fair pike fishing in Sand Lake when the shadows lengthen late at night. Otherwise, fishing is spotty. Might get a cool breeze if you head for mountain lakes like Rabbit Lake in the Chugach Mountains or Symphony Lake in Eagle River.

Ship Creek

Closed

King salmon fishing closed to help biologists collect enough eggs from spawners. Reopens downstream of Chugach Power Plant Dam to silver salmon anglers on Tuesday.

Bird Creek

Closed

Pretty and popular Seward Highway stream opens to silver and pink salmon anglers on Tuesday but will take a while to gear up.

KENAI PENINSULA

Deep Creek ++

Dollies

Open to all species except king salmon. Silvers should be here by the end of the month.

Ninilchik River ++

Stocked king salmon, Dollies

Open to all species except wild king salmon.

Homer Spit +

King salmon

King fishing in the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon has been a dud, but silvers should be here by next week.

Anchor River +

Dollies

Dismal king salmon return bought 2,856 spawners back -- a third of the return two years ago -- and closed king fishing to anglers. Dolly Varden are here, and silvers are coming.

Russian River ++

Red salmon, rainbow trout

Early red run hitting the skids, but it was a big one with lots of six-fish limits. More than 46,000 have passed the weir at the outlet of Lower Russian Lake -- tens of thousands more than last year at this time. The second run is on the way, officially starting Wednesday. It usually surges at the end of the month. Last year, the late run brought more than 46,000 reds; two years ago, about 90,000 fish came back in the second run.

Kasilof River ++

Red salmon, kings, Dollies

Three nice surges of more than 9,000 reds passed the sonar eight miles from the river mouth on July 1, Saturday and Monday, but overall the run is looking average. King fishing has been slow with a few decent days mixed in.

Upper Kenai River ++

Rainbow trout, red salmon, Dollies

Rainbow trout anglers have been scoring with fish longer than 15 inches; expect that to continue as more red salmon eggs become available. Lull in red fishing.

Lower Kenai River ++

King salmon, red salmon

Second king run looks like it may be solid, averaging about 700 kings a day past the sonar over the first week. Anglers can use bait again.

Clam Gulch +++

Razor clams

Small minus tides today and tomorrow. Big ones at the end of the month. Remember to buy a fishing license before you dig.

Kenai, Kasilof dipnetting ++

Red salmon

Kasilof, open 24 hours a day, has been steady but not spectacular. The Kenai opens Friday 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Check recorded Fish and Game hotline (267-2512) for commercial openings to make your dipping time more productive.

MARINE FISHERIES

Outside Resurrection Bay +++

Halibut, rockfish, silver salmon

Lead-headed jigs with white rubber tails work well on 20-30 pound flatfish, with the occasional 100-pounder available. Lingcod season opened outside of Resurrection Bay on July 1, and some big ones have made it back to the docks.

Resurrection Bay +++

Silver salmon, halibut, rockfish

Pony Cove is yielding more silver salmon -- and a bigger pack of boats in pursuit. Silvers seem to be about two weeks earlier than normal and up to 15 pounds so far. A lot of charters are doing combo trips, chasing both silvers and halibut.

Deep Creek offshore +++

King salmon, halibut

Halibut fishing in near-shore areas should be good to excellent this weekend. King salmon troll fishery spotty in Lower Cook Inlet.

Prince William Sound +++

Halibut, shrimp, rockfish

Pink salmon are spread throughout the sound, and good numbers of tasty shrimp are in deep water. Big halibut are mixed in among the chickens, with a 275-pounder leading the derby in Valdez. Some silvers starting to show near Knight Island, and lingcod season is open.

Kachemak Bay +++

Halibut, rockfish

Two-fish limits are common. Waters around Bluff Point, Point Pogibshi and Flat Island have been productive. Most fish are 10-20 pounds. Homer angler Thomas Youngblood leads the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby with his 354.6-pound flatfish, and nobody has gotten within 180 pounds of his fish this month.