Alaska Fishing

Mat-SU

Matanuska Valley lakes +++

Trout, grayling, landlocked salmon, pike

Fishing is good very early or very late. By mid-morning, most trout and grayling have descended to the depths.

Willow area lakes ++++

Trout, grayling, pike

Lynne and Honeybee lakes should be serving up decent action for rainbow trout. Benka Lake was stocked with more than 1,400 arctic char averaging more than 7 inches last week.

Sheep Creek

Trout, grayling

Closed to king salmon anglers 6 a.m. Friday. Trout fishing can be good.

Montana Creek +++

Trout, grayling

Stream levels are low and trout are wary. Closed to kings 6 a.m. Friday.

Little Susitna River ++

Rainbows

Closed to king salmon anglers.

Willow Creek ++

Rainbows, grayling

Closed to king salmon anglers, but Fish and Game terms rainbow fishing here "excellent." And, undoubtedly, it'll be less crowded than when the kings are running.

Eklutna Tailrace +

King salmon

Fishing here has been slow, but the company is good and the site is relaxing.

REMOTE FISHERIES

Deshka River

Closed

Even though it's closed, several hundred kings a day have been clearing the weir upstream. Nearly 11,000 are now upstream, which should bode well for future years.

Lake Creek ++

King salmon, rainbows

Fish and Game says king fishing here and on the Talchulitna River should be fair this weekend. With so many closures, Lake Creek may see a crush of anglers too.

Talkeetna River ++

King salmon, rainbow trout, grayling

One of few spots to try for kings, and hard-working anglers who put in time may be rewarded. Fish and Game says the water is becoming increasing glacial. Junction with Clear Creek has been thick with anglers.

ANCHORAGE AREA

Local lakes +++

Trout, graying, char, pike, salmon

Warm sunny weather has the fish headed for deep water, though recently stocked hatchery fish are small and dumb -- perfect for young anglers. Try around 6 a.m. or midnight for best results. Sand Lake has pike. In late June, Jewel and Campbell Point lakes were stocked with trout more than 8 inches long and more than 2,000 char longer than 7 inches.

Ship Creek

Closed

Closed until later this month when silvers begin returning.

KENAI PENINSULA

Deep Creek +

Dollies

Reopened Wednesday to all species except kings. Dollies your best bet until silvers show at the end of the month.

Ninilchik River ++

Stocked king salmon, Dollies

Reopened Wednesday to fishing for all species except for wild king salmon to department markers two miles upstream.

Homer Spit +

King salmon

King fishing the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon continues to be slow. Silvers should begin showing up by mid-July.

Anchor River +

King salmon, Dollies

Dismal return has closed it to kings, but the Dolly fishing sometimes is good.

Russian River ++++

Red salmon, rainbows

A second surge of early-run red salmon brought the escapement to 36,000 fish, above the maximum sought by biologists. Expect the first run to begin tailing off, although Fish and Game said fishing was "good to excellent at times this past week." Anglers fishing as far as two miles downstream of the ferry crossing the Kenai River are catching reds. Limit is six reds, 12 in possession.

Kasilof River ++

King salmon, red salmon, Dollies

King fishing has been slow "with a few good days of fair to good fishing." Some 42,000 red salmon have passed the sonar eight miles from the river mouth, with the run so far mirroring the last two years.

Upper Kenai River +++

Red salmon, rainbows

Good to excellent rainbow trout fishing with plenty of red salmon still around too.

Lower Kenai River ++

King salmon

King salmon anglers who have suffered through a slow early run hope the second run is more bountiful. Two years ago, more than 40,000 kings poured through between July and early August. Most anglers are fishing between river miles 10 and 19.

Kenai, Kasilof dipnetting ++

Red salmon

Kasilof personal use fishery opened Thursday, and the early days have only been fair. The more-popular Kenai opens July 10. Only boats powered by four-stroke motors, two-stroke DFI, or electric motors are allowed in the personal-use dip net fishery. Beware, the sand dunes near the river mouths are fragile. Tread carefully and pack out all garbage.

Clam Gulch ++

Razor clams

A modest minus tide from Sunday through Thursday, but the whopper comes toward the end of the month. Don't return razor clams to the sand once you've removed them -- they are delicate and handling damages them, increasing their chances of dying. If caught, the fine is $100. Clammers need a fishing license.

MARINE FISHERIES

Outside Resurrection Bay ++++

Halibut, rockfish, silver salmon

Too late for the halibut derby, which ended June 30, but still plenty of 20-30 pounders east of the bay, with the occasionally chunky flatfish over 100 pounds. Lingcod fishery opened Wednesday outside the bay, and these greenling fight well and taste good.

Resurrection Bay +++

Silver salmon, halibut, rockfish

Silver salmon are moving into Pony Cove, and fishing should improve during July. Rockfish limit is four per day but keep what you catch. They do not survive release well. Shore fishing for kings probably not worth your time.

Deep Creek offshore ++++

King salmon, halibut

Halibut fishing in near-shore areas should be good to excellent this weekend. King salmon troll fishery has been fair at best in Lower Cook Inlet.

Prince William Sound +++

Halibut, shrimp, lingcod

Good shrimping in deep water. Lingcod season is open for fish at least 35 inches. Lots of reds in the Coghill River and in the Cordova area, with pinks already starting to appear in the eastern part of the sound.

Kachemak Bay ++++

King salmon, halibut, rockfish

Halibut fishing continues to improve for Lower Cook Inlet anglers, with many anglers catching their two-fish limit of halibut. Most have been 15-20 pounds. Bluff Point, Point Pogibshi and Flat Island have been productive.

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