Mat-Su, Northern Kenai, Prince William Sound Fishing Reports

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

Mat-Su Fishing Report

June 05, 2024

Freshwater Fishing

• The Eklutna Tailrace is open. The first salmon should be caught in the beginning of June. Water levels at Eklutna have risen increasing catching opportunity. Remember to purchase your 2024 king salmon stamp along with your license for this fishery. You can record your catch with the new mobile app.
• Northern Pike:
  • Northern pike are finished spawning and will be hungry. Try top-water lures, imitation frogs and mice or weedless leeches.
  • For road-accessible pike fishing, try the Nancy Lake Recreation Area lakes, Big Lake, Long Lake near Willow, Memory Lake and Prator Lake.
  • Boat-accessible pike fishing can be found in the side sloughs of the Deshka River, Alexander Creek, Fish Creek (Kroto Slough), and Hewitt Lake.
  • For fly-in pike fishing try Alexander Lake, Shell Lake, Eightmile Lake, Trapper Lake, Flathorn Lake, and Sucker Lake.
• Rainbow Trout
  • Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north to Talkeetna River should provide good action for rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling. Rainbows are well distributed throughout area streams. Water levels have slowly risen leading to murky waters but fishing is still opportunistic. Try a variety of flies, including fry patterns, prince nymphs, egg sucking leaches, wholly buggers, leeches, and sculpins.
  • Anglers are reminded that flowing waters in the Palmer-Wasilla Zone are CLOSED to all fishing until June 15. This includes Cottonwood Creek off Seward Meridian as well as Lucille creek.
  • Many flowing waters along the Parks Highway are catch-and-release ONLY for rainbow trout until June 15.
  • Deception Creek is closed to fishing until June 15.

Local Lakes

• Stay tuned to our webpage for more information as the stocking truck has been active in the Mat-Su.
• Lakes recently stocked with rainbow trout include: Kepler/Bradley, Canoe, Lucille, Matanuska, Rocky, Crystal, Lalen, West Beaver, Slipper (Eska), Irene, Long, Ida, Seventeen mile, Wolf, Lorraine, and Carpenter lake.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-05-24 Closes the Susitna River drainage to sport fishing for king salmon. In addition, sport fishing gear is limited to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure with a gap between the point and shank of the hook that is one-half inch or less in the Susitna River drainage (Units 1-6).
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-06-24 Closes the Little Susitna to sport fishing for king salmon and limits gear to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure with a gap of one-half inch or less when fishing for other species.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-11-24 Closes all waters of West Cook Inlet Management Area to sport fishing for king salmon.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-2-19-24 extends the area open to sport fishing at the Eklutna Tailrace downstream to the upstream edge of the Alaska Railroad bridge.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2024 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2024 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Palmer Area Office at 907-746-6300.

Northern Kenai Fishing Report

June 05, 2024

Freshwater Fishing

• Kenai lake, river, and tributaries are closed to fishing to protect rainbow trout spawning from Kenai Lake, downstream to the Lower Killey River, until June 11.
• Kasilof River is open to fishing for hatchery king salmon. Anglers are having some success as the run develops. You may only retain hatchery king salmon, wild king salmon are recognizable by an intact adipose fin. You must release wild king salmon immediately.
• Crooked Creek weir is in place and king smolt were stocked in the hatchery raceways on June 3. The smolt will be released later next week, then the hatchery crew will switch over to counting and collecting adult king salmon.
• Kenai River sonar at river mile 14 is counting daily, but king salmon passage remains low. We will be monitoring the counts closely as the season progresses. Daily counts can be found on our website.
• Russian River weir is being installed June 5, expect to see daily escapement counts posted on our website in the next few days.

Saltwater Fishing

• Anglers are continuing to have success shore fishing for halibut and cod at local beaches.
• Personal use herring and hooligan is closed in the saltwater, and beginning to taper off in the river. A few anglers are continuing to fish in river, but harvest is low

Local Lakes

• With the recent stocking of John Hedberg, Longmere, and Sport Lake, fishing on local stocked lakes has been good.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-KS-1-18-24 Prohibits the retention of naturally produced king salmon and reduces the gear to one single hook, artificial lure or fly, with the allowance of bait, on the Kasilof River.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-1-08-24 closes the Kenai River to sport fishing for king salmon and prohibits the use of bait and multiple hooks in the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to ADF&G markers located at the outlet of Skilak Lake from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, May 1 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 30, 2024.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-1-09-24 closes the Kenai River to fishing for king salmon and prohibits the use of bait and multiple hooks in the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to ADF&G markers located at the outlet of Skilak Lake from 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 1 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2024 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2024 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the Soldotna Area Office at 907-262-9368

Prince William Sound Fishing Report

June 05, 2024

General Area Description: includes all waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon are returning to the Eyak River near Cordova. Fishing has been slow but should improve.
  • Remember: Effective June 1, Eyak River Special Regulations are in effect (see 2024 regulation summary).

Cutthroat Trout/Dolly Varden

• From April 15 – June 14 there is no retention of cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, or steelhead trout to protect spawning fish. In addition, no bait is allowed during this time.
• Cutthroat trout fishing has been good in Cordova area lakes.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut

• Halibut fishing has been fair to good throughout Prince William Sound. Try fishing at the entrances of a bay with a large jig tipped with herring in depths of 150-200 feet.
• Halibut fishing has been good in the outside waters of Prince William Sound, including near Cape Junken, as well as around Montague and Elrington Islands. Larger halibut have started showing up in the area. Anglers have been successful by setting a chum bag and fishing a large herring on a circle hook.

Lingcod

• Lingcod season is closed until July 1.

Rockfish

• By emergency order, Yelloweye Rockfish may not be retained from April 1–June 30.
• Large schools of pelagic rockfish are beginning to the inside waters of Prince William Sound but can be found near the entrances and the coastal outside waters.

Other Finfish

• Fishing for Pacific (gray) cod continues to be excellent throughout Prince William Sound and outside waters while targeting other saltwater species.

Salmon

• King salmon fishing has picked up in Prince William Sound. Anglers have been catching kings trolling near Culross Island and in the Valdez area.
• King salmon fishing has been good to excellent near Cape Cleare (Montague Island). Trolling a large flasher with a medium-sized herring has been an effective way to catch king salmon.
• There are still no reports of king salmon having been caught at Fleming Spit (in Cordova) yet, but kings should begin showing up any day now. Try casting a larger spinner or drifting a herring under a bobber during the incoming tide.
  • Remember: Effective June 1, Cordova Terminal Harvest area is closed to snagging (see 2024 regulation summary).

Local Lakes

• Both Blueberry and Thompson lakes are starting to open up and will be fishable soon.
• Ruth Pond (Valdez area) will be stocked in late June. Fishing will be very slow until then.

Special Species Information

Shrimp

• Shrimping continues to be good in Northern Prince William Sound with catches coming from various depths between 300-450’.

Squid

• Anglers reported good catches of squid across Prince William Sound. Anglers are having success targeting them late at night or early in the morning when they can be caught shallower.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-SHR-6-03-24 reduced the number of shrimp pots allowed to harvest shrimp in the Prince William Sound noncommercial shrimp fishery. The pot limit per person and per vessel has been reduced to three pots; however, of those three pots only two pots can be set in areas of historical high effort including areas near the Port of Valdez, near the Port of Whittier, and in portions of Port Wells and Culross Passage.
• Emergency Order 2-RF-6-04-24 reduces the rockfish bag and possession limits in Prince William Sound to three per day and six in possession of which only one per day, one in possession can be nonpelagic. In addition, from April 1 through June 30, 2023, yelloweye rockfish may not be retained.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2024 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2024 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the Anchorage Area Office at (907) 267-2218.