Mat-SU Matanuska Valley lakes +++

Trout, grayling, arctic char, pike

Shot of rain and cloudy weather may get fish moving into shallower water in the early morning or late evening. Memory Lake and Prator Lake got a shot of stocked 7-inch arctic char recently and might be worth a try. Float tube fishing has been excellent for chunky rainbows at Long Lake (Kepler Bradley Complex), Walby, Beverly, Cornelius and Rhein lakes.

Willow area lakes ++

Trout, grayling, pike

Pike fishing in the Nancy Lakes system remains sluggish. Anglers at Lynne and Honeybee lakes may latch on to a rainbow trout. Lynne also offers arctic char.

Sheep Creek ++

Pink, chum and silver salmon, trout

Lots of pinks, a few more chums but not very many silvers yet.

Montana Creek ++

Pink and chum salmon, trout, grayling

Target some pink salmon for the smoker here.

Little Susitna River ++

Silver salmon, rainbows

About 100 silvers have been landed here, and fishing should improve in the weeks ahead. Last year, 18,485 silvers were counted at the weir, the most in three years. But the fishery is a late starter and typically doesn't ramp up until August. Bait is banned until Aug. 6, and the daily bag and possession limit for silvers here is two fish.

Wasilla, Cottonwood creeks ++

Silver salmon, trout

Silvers starting to show in Wasilla Creek and Cottonwood Creek, weekend-only fisheries open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Wasilla Creek is open to fishing for any salmon but kings from its mouth upstream to the Alaska Railroad bridge. Cottonwood Creek goes from its mouth upstream one mile. Motorized watercraft banned from Wasilla Creek until Aug. 15.

Jim Creek ++

Silver and red salmon

Some reds reported. Clear water of Jim Creek is being eaten up by the Knik overflowing the bank before it gets to Jim Creek's mouth.

Eklutna Tailrace +

Silver and king salmon

After a miserable king return, the silver salmon fishing looks fair.

REMOTE FISHERIES

Deshka River ++

Silver salmon, trout, grayling

A few silvers are milling around at the river mouth, but none have made it past the weir yet. But be ready -- especially if rain brings up water levels. Last year, the run went from a trickle of fewer than 10 fish a day past the weir to an explosion in late July, when nearly 2,500 passed July 24-25 after water levels rose.

Lake Creek +++

Silver salmon, rainbows

Silvers are starting to show, but rainbows may be your best bet.

Talkeetna River ++

Red and chum salmon, rainbow trout, grayling

Some reds and chums have appeared at the mouths of Clear and Larson creeks.

ANCHORAGE AREA

Campbell Creek ++

Silver salmon

Opens Saturday from Dimond Boulevard to marker downstream of C Street for silvers. Closed to king and red salmon fishing. Artificial lures only.

Bird Creek +++

Pink salmon, silvers, chums

Plenty of anglers landing fresh pinks on incoming tides, and fresh ones can be tasty barbecued or smoked. Chums available, and there's the occasional silver, too, but the run has been spotty. Expect it to build in the coming weeks. Vibrax and Pixee lures in pink, orange, chartreuse and blue are popular.

Local lakes +++

Trout, graying, char, pike, salmon

Pike fishing in Sand Lake has slowed. The usual offerings -- spinners, night crawlers, shrimp and flies -- will catch char and trout. Remote Symphony Lake can reward hardy hikers with feisty grayling.

Ship Creek ++

Silver salmon, pink salmon

Still a little slow for silvers, but should pick up soon. Cured roe fished near or on the bottom can be particularly effective. In slower, deeper waters, drift the roe below a bobber. Try a No. 2 hook and cinch your bait securely to the shank with an egg loop.

KENAI PENINSULA

Resurrection Creek +++

Pink salmon

Anglers in Hope are finding lots of pinks in Resurrection Creek and lots of company on its banks. Can be a nice place to introduce young anglers to fishing. Try No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 Vibrax in pink, red or green. Pixees in green or pink -- or even just yarn -- work too.

Deep Creek ++

Pink and silver salmon, Dollies

Dolly Varden are showing up in good numbers. The bag limit is two per day, two in possession. Use small (size 3 or smaller) spinners and spoons. Flies or beads that imitate salmon eggs also work. Try the river mouth for early-arriving silvers, which should be in by next week.

Ninilchik River ++

Hatchery kings, pinks, Dollies

Fair fishing for pink salmon and Dolly Varden. Hatchery kings can be recognized by their missing adipose fin and the healed scar where the adipose fin should be immediately front of the tail fin.

Russian River +++

Red salmon, rainbows, Dollies

Second run of reds is ramping up and it looks strong one -- just like the early run. Nearly 2,500 reds passed the weir below Lower Russian Lake on Tuesday, and so far the run is ahead of the last two years. Limits have been scaled back to three fish per day.

Homer Spit ++

Silver salmon, Dollies

Silvers should start arriving at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon soon. Snagging illegal. Small spinners and orange-colored lures have been effective for Dollies off the Spit.

Anchor River++

Dollies, pink salmon

A little slow until silvers show up later this month.

Kasilof River +++

Red salmon, Dollies

Strong red return allowed Fish and Game biologists to double the bag limit and expand the area open to dipnetters. So far there have been four days with more than 10,000 reds past the sonar at river mile 8. Biologists expect to exceed their escapement goals here.

Upper Kenai River +++

Red salmon, rainbows, Dollies

As the first-run reds spawn, rainbow trout fishing gets better and better and red salmon are available, too.

Lower Kenai River+++

King and red salmon

Second run of Kenai kings looking average with more than 1,000 kings passing the sonar at river mile 8.6 for the past 11 days, but anglers having trouble hooking up. The late red salmon run looking better, with an average of more than 40,000 fish past the sonar the last six days. Could be a million-fish return; two years ago more than 800,000 red salmon made it upstream and this run is starting faster.

Clam Gulch +++

Razor clams

Excellent minus tides today (-5.2 feet) and Friday (-4.5 feet) should make this a great alternative if windy conditions make offshore fishing dicey and you're sick of sharing riverbank space. Diggers remember to buy a fishing license first. Limit is the first 60 clams you dig.

Kenai, Kasilof dipnetting +++

Red salmon

Kenai personal-use dipnet fishery shifted into high gear last weekend with big crowds and lots of fish. Interest so high that Fish and Game had to print more permits for this Alaskans-only fishery. Kenai is open 6 a.m.-11 p.m. and the Kasilof is open 24 hours. Call 267-2512 for the status of commercial openings that have a big impact on dipnetters. Protect the delicate Kenai River dunes and don't drive cars or ATVs in closed areas. Pack out all trash.

MARINE FISHERIES

Outside Resurrection Bay +++

Halibut, rockfish, silver salmon

East of the bay, halibut anglers are bringing back 20-30 pounders as well as a few ling cod. If you find a school of silvers, you're golden.

Resurrection Bay +++

Silver and king salmon, halibut, rockfish

The hot silver salmon action has cooled a bit. Pony Cove and the area around Fox Island have been steady and often very productive. Fish and Game suggests mooching herring. Bait a No. 2/0 hook with a chunk of herring and add a Hoochie Skirt. Try locating "bait balls" that draw hungry silvers. Trolling a cut-plug herring behind flashers is also popular and some fly-fishers are tossing bucktail streamers when the winds and seas are calm.

Deep Creek offshore +++

Silver salmon, halibut, ling cod

Halibut fishing in near-shore areas should be good to excellent this weekend. Silvers are showing up in the Point Pogibshi and Flat Islands area. Ling cod should be available in the Chugach Islands area.

Prince William Sound +++

Silver, pink and chum salmon, halibut, shrimp

Pink and chum salmon are widely available. Halibut and ling cod fishing out of Whittier is best near ocean entrances. Silvers are starting to show. Try trolling a flasher followed by a medium herring. Anadromous cutthroat trout heading back to fresh water after a brief time in saltwater are like one-pound steelhead. Try olive-colored leeches, fly patterns or beads that imitate salmon eggs, or silver spinners

Kachemak Bay +++

King salmon, halibut, rockfish

Marine waters -- except the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon -- opened to snagging June 24. Halibut fishing continues strong with regular two-fish limits of fish up to 30 pounds. Bluff Point and Point Pogibshi have been productive.