Valley lakes HHHH

Trout, grayling, landlocked salmon, pike

Cooler weather means hotter lake fishing. Diamond, Honeybee, Nancy, Rhein, X, South Friend, and Ravine lakes all offer rainbows.

Willow area lakes ++++

Trout, char, grayling, pike

For road-accessible pike fishing, try just about any lake in the Nancy Lake canoe system, plus Memory and Prator lakes. Seymour and Lalen lakes have rainbows, which are moving into shallow water.

Sheep Creek +

Rainbows, silvers

Silver fishing has slowed.

Montana Creek +

Silver salmon, trout, grayling

Not many fresh fish left. Prospects should be excellent for catch-and-release rainbow trout.

Little Susitna River +

Silver salmon, rainbows

High water has slowed silver salmon fishing. Bait is legal. Two of your three-salmon limit may be silvers.

Willow Creek +

Silver, pink salmon, rainbows

Silver fishing turning poor. Rainbows are catch-and-release downstream of the Parks Highway.

Jim Creek +

Silver salmon

Silvers started fast here, but the run is about done. Bag limit is three salmon, two of which can be silvers.

Eklutna Tailrace ++

Silver salmon

Still the occasional silver here; Fish and Game rates it "fair." Limit is three salmon. Bait and multiple hooks are legal. Vibrax or pink No. 4 Mepps spinners have proven productive.

Rabbit Slough, Cottonwood Cr. +++

Silver salmon

Get to the mouth of the small waterways at dawn Saturday for your best shot. Fishing limited to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday-Monday.

REMOTE FISHERIES

Deshka River +

Silver, chum salmon

Silver fishing is pretty well done. Only one day since Aug. 19 has seen more than 10 silvers pass the Deshka weir.

Lake Creek ++

Silver salmon, rainbow trout

Silver fishing is slowing but rainbow fishing remains good .

Talkeetna River +++

Chum, silver salmon, rainbow trout

Probably the best silver fishing north of Anchorage, Fish and Game calls it "good" at the mouth of Clear Creek.

ANCHORAGE AREA

Local lakes & streams +++

Trout, graying, char, pike, salmon

Cool nights are heating up action at local lakes. Take a hike up to Symphony Lake above Eagle River for a shot at gorgeous grayling on a fly. Bag limit at Anchorage-area lakes is two rainbows, two grayling and two Arctic char per day, with only one 12 inches or longer. Bait is banned in Chester Creek. Rainbow fishing in Campbell and Chester creeks is catch-and-release only.

Campbell Creek +

Silver salmon, Dolly Varden

Silvers are starting to come out of Campbell Lake into Campbell Creek. Try prospecting along the bike path from Piper Street to Dimond Boulevard.

Ship Creek +

Silver salmon

Grim silver run means you can pretty much have the creek to yourself for some excellent casting practice. Beware: The creek upstream of the Chugach Power Plant to the Reeve Boulevard bridge is closed through the end of the month to protect wild populations of spawning rainbows.

Bird Creek +

Chum and silver salmon

Fishing here is about kaput, though some anglers prospecting the sloughs of the Placer River have found silvers. Fishing in Bird Creek is legal from Turnagain Arm to regulatory markers located about 500 yards upstream. Might head down highway to try Twentymile River.

KENAI PENINSULA

Deep Creek +++

Silver, pink salmon, Dolly Varden

Good silver catches around high tide. Remember, only two of your three-salmon limit can be silvers and anglers are restricted to single hook and no bait. The limits for salmon are three per day and three in possession, only two of which can be silver salmon. Dolly Varden limit is two a day. Fishing upstream of regulatory markers at river Mile 2 is open for Dolly Varden, steelhead and rainbows. Salmon are off limits there.

Ninilchik River +++

Silver salmon, Dolly Varden, rainbows

Dolly Varden fishing has been fair to good, with egg patterns, beads and Muddler Minnow patterns particularly effective. Limit is two fish. Fair silver fishing on incoming tides. Single hook only; no bait.

Anchor River +

Silver, pink salmon, Dolly Varden

Silvers continue entering the Anchor, with more than 4,400 counted upstream so far, significantly ahead of last year's pace. If you get an early-morning high tide, grab it. Single hook only; no bait. Steelhead hooked here, in Deep Creek, Stariski Creek, the Kasilof River or the Ninilchik River must not be removed from the water and released immediately.

Kasilof River +++

Pink, silver salmon, Dolly Varden

Silver fishing has improved and is expected to remain consistent the rest of the month. Dolly Varden are in the area upstream of the Sterling Highway Bridge crossing to Tustumena Lake. Steelhead trout hooked here, in the Anchor River, Deep Creek, Stariski Creek or the Ninilchik River must not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Russian River +++

Rainbows, Dolly Varden, silvers

Excellent rainbow trout and Dolly Varden fishing as both species feast on salmon eggs. Red salmon fishing is over, but silver fishing has been hot at times. The Russian River ferry will operate through Monday. A late push of reds up the Russian allowed state biologists to exceed the minimum escapement goal, with 37,000 fish past the weir.

Upper Kenai River ++++

Rainbows, Dolly Varden, silver salmon

With red salmon spawning, rainbow trout and Dolly Varden anglers who successfully imitate eggs or salmon flesh should score big until freeze-up. Side channels can be productive spots.

Lower Kenai River +++

Silver, pink salmon

Silver salmon limit is up to three fish and coho are spread throughout the river. A silver salmon float trip amid the colors of fall can prove a memorable trip. Lots of pink salmon still in the lower river.

Swanson River +++

Silver salmon, rainbows

Silvers are in the middle and upper portions of the river. Anglers with enough time for the popular 21-mile float from Swanson River Road canoe landing to Captain Cook State Park report fair to good fishing. Move quick; this will peter out soon.

Clam Gulch ++

Razor clams

Next good minus tide series begins Labor Day and runs through the end of the week. In general, razor clams can be found on the sandy beaches from Kasilof to Homer and are exposed on any minus tides. Larger clams may be difficult to locate. All razor clams that are dug must be kept regardless of size.

MARINE FISHERIES

Outside Resurrection Bay +++

Halibut, lingcod, silver salmon, cod

Try a large lead-head jig with white rubber tail for both lingcod and halibut. Hot halibut action sometimes available at stream mouths spitting out pink and chum salmon carcasses. Pacific cod (big chin barbell), Tom cod (little chin barbell) and walleyed pollock (no chin barbell) are all available in North Gulf Coast waters. All three taste good, and there's no limit. Identify codfish by their three dorsal fins and two anal fins.

Resurrection Bay +++

Silver salmon, halibut, rockfish

Why mess with derby crowds? Silvers remain at the head of the bay and the action can get hot. They may be available to beach casters over Labor Day weekend, but that hadn't happened yet last week. Calisto Head and Cheval Island have seen some good catches. Silvers should be available to beach casters by Labor Day weekend. For halibut, Eldorado Narrows has proven dependable. Fish and Game suggests taking the youngsters fishing for kelp greenling. Colorful fish, they're related to lingcod and easy to catch -- with no bag limit. They are also fine eating.

Deep Creek offshore +++

Ling cod, silvers, halibut

Lingcod fishing has been good. Many anglers target lingcod near the rock piles and pinnacles by Elizabeth Island and Kennedy Entrance. There is a minimum size limit of 35 inches and a bag limit of 2 per day. A gaff may not be used for any fish intended for release. For silvers, the most popular trolling set-up is herring behind a flasher or dodger. Trolling hootchies, tube flies, and spoons behind flashers also works. Try fishing in the shallow kelp beds near Bluff Point or trolling along the west shore of the Homer Spit to Bishop's Beach.

Kachemak Bay ++

Halibut, rockfish

Season winding down for halibut anglers out of Homer, with most charters operating through Labor Day. Derby continues through the end of September, though, and many will continue to chase big flatfish. Slack tide usually best for keeping your bait on the bottom.

Homer Spit +++

Silvers, Dolly Varden, cod

Dolly Varden, cod and flounder are plentiful off the end of the Homer Spit by Land's End. Herring or jigs work well. For Dolly Varden, try fishing small silvery or orange spinners for best results. Lousy silver fishing in Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon.

Prince William Sound +++

Halibut, lingcod, shrimp, salmon

Jack Roskind of Knot Roughin' It Charters in Whittier says the silver fishing is "dismal," with the first run over. "We're finding very few of them," he said. Second run should be a week or more away. Otherwise, coho are spread throughout Prince William Sound, and the angler able to prospect usually does best. Labor Day is the last weekend for the Valdez fish derbies, with a 19-plus-pound silver and a 364-pound halibut topping the leader board. Shrimping has been steady all summer.