August 2020 Alaska Fishing Reports
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August 2020 Coho Ho! August is our best month for harvesting coho (silver) salmon at most (if not all) Mat-Su Valley fishery locations. 2020 should provide consistently good silver salmon abundances and fishing regulations through out August. When strong abundances of silver salmon are migrating through an Alaska Department of Fish and Game salmon counting weir at Fish Creek, Little Susitna River, or Deshka River the department may increase daily coho salmon bag limit(s) by emergency order. In the past the coho salmon bag limit increases have occurred as early as August 6 and as late as August 23. If we have our average number of August guests we would expect them to harvest more salmon than all of our May, June, July, and September 2020 guests combined. You may want to bookmark this page for future reference during August 2020. Scroll down for the latest August Fishing Report update.
Key Coho Dates:
August 1, August 2 — Youth Fishery at Fish Creek off Knik Goose-Bay Road. Contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at (907) 746-6300 for more information.
August 6 — Bait fishing scheduled to open at Little Susitna River downstream of the Parks Highway bridge.
August 15 — Youth Fishery Day at Eklutna Tailrace — contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at (907) 746-6300 for more information.
August 31 — last day of bait fishing on many Susitna River locations.
September 31 — last day of bait fishing on Little Susitna River.
August 2020 Alaska Fishing Reports —
Saturday August 1, 2020 — I guided a group of 3 guests in the morning who caught some pink salmon and each guest also caught a limit of silver salmon. All of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. During the trip we saw lots of other anglers out in boats and also quite a few bank anglers..
I guided 4 guests in the afternoon who caught 3 silver salmon and two pink salmon. Once again all of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. During the trip we saw many groups of anglers both in boats and some fishing from the bank.
Sunday August 2, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 5 guests to Deshka River and they caught 5 silver salmon, a large rainbow trout, and 2 large sucker fish. All of the fish were caught while drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. There were quite a few people out to catch silver salmon, but we did have the opportunity to fish two good spots all by ourselves. Deshka River will likely be better for people fishing during the week when there is less pressure. There were still solid numbers of pink salmon and some silver salmon being caught near the Deshka / Susitna River confluence by many boats. During the trip we saw a bald eagle.
Monday August 3, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 2 guests who harvested limits of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. The also caught one chum salmon and several pink salmon by casting with #5 Flashtrap Spinners.
I guided an afternoon group of 3 guests each of whom harvest a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. One member of the group also caught several pink salmon by casting a #4 Vibrax Spinner. During the trip we saw several bald eagles.
Tuesday August 4, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 2 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. Before keeping their limits they also caught and released some pink salmon. During the trip we saw a moose , shorebirds, ducks, and heard sandhill cranes along the river.
I guided an afternoon group of 3 guests, 2 of whom caught a limit of silver salmon, while the remaining guest caught 1 silver salmon. All of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. During the trip we saw shorebirds, ducks, and bald eagles.
Little Susitna River — NO BAIT — ADF&G issues emergency order today that the river will remain artificial lures only from August 6 — September 30.
August 5, 2020 — My wife and I fished with 2 guests on a mid-day guided fishing trip, and each of us caught a limit of silver salmon. 6 silver salmon, some pink salmon, and 1 chum salmon were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinner. 2 silver salmon were caught on a #6 Vibrax Spinner. During the trip we saw ducks and shorebirds along the river.
August 6, 2020 — I guided a group of 4 people in the morning who caught 4 silver salmon and some pink salmon. All of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. There were lots of boats and anglers on the river.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests who caught 6 silver salmon and a pink salmon. All of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. I felt like most of the fish and already been worked over pretty hard during the morning and we did not see many salmon surface at any time during the day.
August 7, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests who caught 5 silver salmon, 2 chum salmon, and some pink salmon on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. During the trip we saw ducks and shorebirds.
My wife and I fished with two guests in the afternoon and we harvested 4 silver salmon, and also caught some pink salmon and a chum salmon. Most of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners and a couple were caught on a #6 Vibrax Spinner. We saw lots of ducks during the trip.
August 8, 2020 — I guided a tour and fish group of 4 guests, 2 of whom caught a limit of silver salmon, and 2 of whom each caught 1 silver salmon. In addition the group caught some pink salmon and a chum salmon. All of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. During the trip we saw ducks and shorebirds, and looked at several campsites along the river.
August 9, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 3 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. In addition they also caught some pink salmon a chum salmon, and a large rainbow trout.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. They also caught 1 chum salmon and several pink salmon on the salmon roe as well. During the trip we saw a couple bald eagles.
Monday August 10, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 5 guests, who started late. For a long time all they caught was several pink salmon. Eventually we caught several more pink salmon and a couple silver salmon. Near the end of the trip we caught another silver salmon and I started filleting fish. The guests had their best fishing for silver salmon as I was filleting. By then they were baiting hooks, hooking salmon, fighting them, netting fish, bonking them, and unhooking them. When I caught up filleting we called it a trip as they had an app0intment to make. I am not quite certain, but I think 2 guests caught their limits of silver salmon and 3 guests each kept 1 silver salmon before the trip ended. I think one of the girls caught 8 or 9 pink salmon before limiting on silver salmon. All of the fish were caught by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers.
Tuesday August 11. 2020 — My wife and I fished with 2 guests. and each of us caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. Before harvesting our limits we also caught several pink salmon and a chum salmon on the same rigs.
Note: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that the coho salmon daily bag limit on Little Susitna River will be reduced to 1 fish starting Thursday August 13. Because of low numbers of silver (coho) salmon at Little Susitna River we have been fishing other locations which will continue to have a larger daily bag limit.
Wednesday August 12, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon on Fire Cured salmon drifted under ESB Bobbers.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guest each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. During the trip we saw a bald eagle.
Thursday August 13, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon while drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. In addition they caught several pink salmon before keeping their silver salmon. At the start of the trip two guests and I saw a coyote on the bank of the river.
I guided an afternoon group of 6 guest, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon. One silver salmon was caught on a #5 silver / black Flashtrap Spinner, while the rest of the silver salmon were caught on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. Before keeping their limits the afternoon group also caught and released several pink and chum salmon on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. During the trip we saw a bald eagle.
Friday August 14, 2020 — I took my mother, my wife, and 2 guests on a salmon fishing trip, and each of them caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. They also caught a few pink salmon. During the trip we saw groups of merganser ducks. After my trip I had time to get some maintenance work done on my pickup — sometimes during the salmon fishing season it is difficult finding enough time to get even the simplest things done.
Saturday August 15, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 2 guests, each of whom caught a limit of nice coho salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. We had a good early start and found some decent action at the first two spots we stopped. During the trip we saw beaver near where we were fishing.
I guided a second group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a limit of coho salmon on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. We fished several spots to get the fish in the afternoon and also enjoyed wonderful warm sunny weather. during the trip we saw a bald eagle flying over the river.
Sunday August 16, 2020 — I guided a group of 5 guests, each of whom caught a limit of coho salmon. In addition the group also caught 1 chum salmon and some pink salmon. All of the fish were caught on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. Water conditions are changing after several days with unusually hot sunny weather.
Monday August 17, 2020 — I guided a morning group of 3 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. Near the end of the trip we saw a beaver in the sunshine along the riverbank.
I guided an afternoon family group of 4, who caught 4 silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. This was their last trip on an Alaska vacation, and they decided to cut it a couple hours short to give them time to get ready for the flight home tonight. During the trip we saw a couple bald eagles watching us as we fished out last spot.
Tuesday August 18, 2020 — I guided a group of 4 people, each of whom caught a limit of coho salmon on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. In addition, one of the guests caught and harvested one of the freshest looking chum salmon I’ve seen in several trips. During the trip we saw merganser ducks along the river. The weather report had called for rain, but we enjoyed weather for fishing with no rain.
Wednesday August 19, 2020 — I guided a group of 4 people each of whom caught a limit of coho salmon on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. One guest also caught and kept a bright chum salmon before harvesting her limit of cohos. During the trip we saw merganser ducks along the river — it is getting to be that time of year where fishing pressure is dropping off — especially on week days. Give us call if you would like to get in on the fun! 907-746-2199.
August 20, 2020 — Fishing with the Big Fisherman — I did not have a charter scheduled, so I asked former Mat-Su salmon guide / owner of Big Fisherman Charters, Bruce Knowles if he would like to go on a fishing trip. I also asked “Mean Ol’ Chuck” Ashmun along. We all had some luck catching silver salmon, but Bruce put on a bobber fishing clinic and showed us all how it was done. A very fun afternoon of fishing — what a guide does on a day off.
Friday August 21, 2020 — I guided a group of 2 guests who each caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. The silver salmon were biting well for us and they each caught a quick limit, so we went on a boat ride tour which included an upriver view of Mt Deanli / McKinley. We also saw merganser ducks and a bald eagle during the boat ride.
Saturday August 22, 2020 — I guided a father and his two 12 year-old sons. Each of them caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Curd salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. We got a good early start and some rain to discourage other anglers — so we had the opportunity to fish each spot we wanted without competition from other fishermen.
Sunday August 23, 2020 — I guided a group of 5 guests, who caught 4 rainbow trout, 1 large pink salmon, and 5 limits of silver salmon. All of the fish were caught by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. During the trip we saw bald eagles and merganser ducks along the river. We experienced a little rain, but not near as much as predicted by the weather report.
Monday August 24, 2020 — I guided a group of 5 people, who caught their limits of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. It was a partially rainy day and we only saw one other group of anglers out fishing. During the trip we saw some groups of merganser ducks along the river.
Little Susitna River — Opens to Bait fishing with 2 coho salmon daily limit starting on Tuesday August 25, 2020 — as announced by Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
Tuesday August 25, 2020 –– I took my wife and Chuck Ashmun fishing on the Little Susitna River today since we did not have a guided trip scheduled. We each caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. There were quite a few people out moose hunting along the river and some fishing as well. During the trip we saw different species of ducks.
Wednesday August 26, 2020 — I guided a group of 3 guests, who caught limits of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. During the trip we saw mallard and merganser ducks, a bald eagle, and moose hunters along the river.
Thursday August 27, 2020 — I guided a group of 3 people in the morning, each of whom caught a silver salmon and one of whom caught 2 silver salmon. In addition they also caught a few rainbow trout and a whitefish. All of the fish were caught on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers.
I guided three people in the afternoon two or whom each caught a silver salmon — with one guest catching two silver salmon. They also caught a grayling, a few rainbow trout, and a whitefish. All of the fish were once again caught on Fire Cured salmon roe drifted under ESB Bobbers. During the trip we saw a bald eagle along the river.
Friday August 28, 2020 —I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests who caught and harvested 5 silver salmon and 1 whitefish. All of the fish were caught by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. We saw ducks and a bald eagle along the river, and during part of the trip we could see some salmon in some of the shallower sections of the river. The number of salmon available is starting to dwindle, and morning trips should provide better salmon catching opportunities most days.
Saturday August 29, 2020 — I guided a pleasant group of 5 people on a busy weekend afternoon. They caught 2 silver salmon (one with sea lice) by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. There were plenty of anglers out on the river looking for salmon today, but we had the opportunity to fish many prime spots as well. Weather was warm and sunny when we started and got cloudier as the afternoon progressed. We were done before it started raining.
Sunday August 30, 2020 — I guided a group of 2 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon by drifting Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. We got an earlier start today and I attribute that to part of our success. There were also less people out on the river as the weather was not as nice. That may have helped as well.
August 31, 2020 — I have a day off today — If I do not go fishing this will be the first day during the entire month of August that I have not guided a fishing trip or gone salmon fishing with friends. The weather forecast calls for plenty of rain today — so I’m thinking I’ll work inside cleaning up some of my fishing gear.
For our next Fishing Report please go to our September 2020 Alaska Fishing Reports Page.