2026 Alaska Fishing News Mat-Su Valley
For 2026 we plan to guide all of our June salmon fishing trips for king salmon at the Eklutna Tailrace / Knik River side-channel. Guest will meet us at the Knik River Access off of the Glenn Highway. King salmon harvest is allowed 7 days per week, the fishery is open to bait and multiple hooks, and legal fishing hours are 24 hours per day at this location. The Knik River fishing area for king salmon is much smaller than the Deshka and Little Susitna Rivers, where we have guided many king salmon fishing trips in the past, so if fishing is slow, our approach is to be patient and keep fishing. We sometimes move around to try new spots, but the fishing area is only a couple miles in size. The earliest I’ve seen a king salmon in the Knik River is May 16. The earliest I’ve ever caught king salmon from the Knik River side-channel has been May 24.
During May we also guide rainbow trout / arctic grayling / northern pike river trips mostly at Deshka River. Trout / grayling / pike trips to Deshka and or Little Susitna River often provide more fish catching and wildlife viewing opportunity compared to a king salmon fishing at the Knik River. If guests would like to fish for large ocean-run king salmon, however, Knik River is where we will be guiding our 2026 King Salmon Fishing Trips. Please call 907-746-2199 if you have questions about our May 2026 fishing opportunities.
(Updates Starting May 1 ):
Tuesday May 29, 2026 — I intend to work on getting both of my guide boats more ready for the fishing season today. I am also scheduled to submit my weekly Mat-Su Anglers fishing column for the Frontiersman Newspaper this evening (for print distribution on Friday May 22).
Monday May 18, 2026 — Inriver Salmon Migrations Recorded — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) posted king salmon migration numbers for Anchor River, Ninilchik River, and Kenai River for the first time in 2026 today. Ninilchik River counts stated on May 13, with 1 king salmon posted each day for May 16 and May 17. Anchor River weir was installed May 15, also with one king salmon posted each day for May 16 and May 17. Kenai River showed the first count on May 16 (-6) likely one king salmon may have swam downstream past the sonar/ since the sonar only spans a portion of the river the count may be expanded. The Little Susitna River weir had been installed on Sunday May 17 with no salmon counted — yet. The Copper River Sonar at Miles Lake has yet to show any posted salmon migration , so likely river conditions may still have too much ice for sonar installation / operation.
Sunday May 17, 2026 — Green leaves are starting to emerge on trees in the Palmer /Wasilla core area. It appears we are experiencing a cooler “late” spring with ice clearing from rivers and lakes a bit later than the past few years, however each passing day brings more green to trees, grass, and other plants.
Saturday May 16, 2026 — Deshka Landing — The landing / boat launch opened for the season to all passholders and to day use yesterday — Friday May 15, according to a post on the Deshka Landing Outdoor Association website. There was at least a couple dozen boats launched today.
Friday May 15, 2026 — I guided a man and woman on our first open-water fishing trip of 2026 on a Mat-Su Valley river this afternoon. They fished Little Susitna River using small spinners, small Pautzke tubes, and soft beads. As far as I know no one got a bite. We did see one fish perhaps 12 inches in length surface, and the made several cast all around that area. The water was higher and darker than I would like to see for an early season trout trip. There were some large ice chunks up on the shore in place, but no ice coming down the river. We saw a pair of trumpeter swans, several pairs of ducks, and some long-legged shore birds along the river. We fished about a 2 1/2 mile stretch of river drifting and casting. It was an enjoyable day on the river, but I have some motor work to get done with both of my guide boats before I run more trips.
Wednesday May 13, 2026 — Salmon counts — I learned yesterday that Alaska Department of Fish and Gam (ADF&G) staff were out at Little Susitna River to start working at installing Little Susitna River Weir at the further upstream location used for the first time in 2025. Installation at the new site is scheduled to be early enough to count the entire king salmon return during 2026. I am hopeful this project may be fish tight and fully installed by May 20. After Little Susitna River Weir installation ADF&G will be installing their Deshka River weir project — with the caveat that they may use a sonar counter to start the season depending on how long it takes for Deshka River to drop to a comfortable weir installation level. The department usually hopes to start Deshka River salmon counts by May 20 — but has been delayed significantly some years (including last year) because of May high water levels delaying weir installation. On the Kenai Peninsula ADF&G starts the season with 3 king salmon counting projects — Anchor River, Ninilchik River, and Kenai River. Counts from these locations are often some of the earliest in the Upper Cook Inlet region. I also received an email from ADF&G concerning Copper River king salmon counts at the Miles Lake sonar location that will be posted online as the fish start migrating past the sonar unit. Depending upon installation and river conditions it could be a while before any salmon are counted — or the first few king salmon counts at freshwater locations could start showing up sometime within the week.
Tuesday May 12, 2026 — Eklutna Tailrace Coho Salmon Enhancement — My wife and I drove over to Eklutna Tailrace this morning and watched Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) employees release coho salmon smolt that for the first time had been held at Cook Inlet Aquaclulture’s Eklutna Salmon raceways for imprinting during the previous week. This fish had been hatched and spawned at the Jack Hernandez State Sportfish Hatchery in Anchorage, then transported to Eklutna Hatchery for importing and then final release today. Research has shown that imprinting salmon at remote release sites before release can increase the adult salmon return to the imprinted release site. I therefore applaud this ADF&G effort to better maximize the coho salmon numbers returning to this terminal harvest area used by sport anglers. Adult coho salmon from this release should be returning during July and August of 2027. Note: Water release from the Eklutna Power Plant was low this morning as was the water level in the tailrace and the Knik River side-channel below the tailrace. The Knik River water level was also low at the Knik River Access site near the Glenn Highway Bridge.
Deshka Landing — I notice on the Deshka Landing webcam that.a couple different boats launched and took off from the landing’s boat launch yesterday. This morning I received a photo of a large ice jam several miles up the Susitna River from Deshka Landing. That indicates to me that significant ice flows could still be coming down the Susitna River for the next few days (at least), so I intend to avoid using Deshka Landing before Friday May 14.
Saturday May 9 , 2026 There a two significant happens today, both of which I would like to be part of, however I will not be at both places. The 14th Annual Ship Creek Cleanup hosted by the Bait Shack will occur today from 11:30 until 1 p.m. This is a community event with volunteers cleaning up the area along lower Ship Creek in Anchorage. Bait Shack owner, Dustin Slinker, told me a sponsor would be providing hot dogs for participants near the end of the event. The Annual Deshka Landing Membership Meeting will occur at Deshka Landing in Willow Alaska with a lunch at 1 p.m. and the meeting starting at 2 p.m. As mentioned in a previous post my wife and I plan to attend the annual meeting.
After having traveled to Deshka Landing today, and having talked with a friend who lives further up the Susitna River drainage and had an ice jam in the river near his place today, I’m still thinking about the earliest I would want to guide a river trip in the Susitna River drainage could be May 15, and I suspect water in several tributary streams would likely be cold, high, and dark colored.
Little Susitna River — I was told that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened the gate across Little Sustina River Road leading to the Little Susitna River Public Use Facility boat launch on Friday. I also talked with an individual who was boating several miles along the river on Friday, and reported the water was high, dark colored, with ice chunks in places along the shores. I therefore figure that Little Susitna River near the boat launch area may be in reasonable shape to fish for trout and possibly whitefish by May 15 as well. Water temperatures will likely be cold and I might expect to get only a few bites while fishing several different spots along the river.
Lakes mostly ice free at this time: Loberg, Lucille, Finger. Kepler-Bradley Lakes are losing ice quickly now, and Echo Lake just across the Glenn Highway was about 1/3 ice free this evening. Going North from Wasilla most of the lakes / ponds I could view from the Parks High way appeared to still be ice covered.
Friday May 8, 2026 — Susitna River / Deshka Landing — the Susitna River channel out from Deshka Landing boat launch looked to be mostly ice free from the Deshka Landing weather cam this morning. There remains a considerable pile of ice blocking the boat launch exit into the river channel, and quite a bit of ice has washed up on the sandbars of the far shore. As the river swells with runoff later in the day / evening, I expect considerable amounts of ice to be washed downstream again. I like to see about three days in a row with very little ice flow past Deshka Landing boat launch before I am willing to take one of my boats very far out on the Susitna River. Launch / River conditions indicate to me that Deshka Landing boat launch MAY likely open for members and season pass holders some time next week / after this weekend. My wife and I intend to attend the annual Deshka Landing Membership meeting tomorrow at Deshka Landing, so I will have more information Saturday evening. First Boat Launched — I saw on the webcam that an airboat was launched in the afternoon/ evening, was out for only a short time downstream of the boat launch before it returned, was loaded back on a trailer, and towed away. I suspect this was likely one of the Deshka Landing Board of Directors simply checking on launch / river conditions. The boat was on the water such a short amount of time that I suspect there may have been a significant ice jam on the Susitna River downstream of the boat launch.
Thursday May 7, 2026 — I spent the day working on some website updates that I hope to get in place within a week or so. I also spent some time thinking about some other guide business advertising that I hope to update. In the afternoon I drove past Kepler – Bradley Lakes and noticed the amount of open water has not increased much since I was last there, however, the remaining ice cover is looking increasing rotten. I also drove by Loberg Lake (still not much open water), Wasilla Lake (enough open water to fish — even down by the Harold Newcomb Park, and Lucille Lake (boat launch ice free as was about 1/3 or more of the entire lake). I even saw an angler fishing off the dock beside the boat launch at Lucille Lake. I stopped in at 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle in Wasilla where A.J. Hoffman told me quite a few anglers had been heading up the Parks Highway to fish some of the Susitna River tributary streams this past week, however he had not heard of any good catches being made from those streams yet.
Tuesday May 5, 2026 — Susitna River Ice Moving — Ice flows have been floating down the Susitna river out in front of the Deshka Landing boat launch and creating ice jams. When this happens the river water backs up behind the jam until enough pressure is formed to blow out the ice jam below, at which point the whole ice /water mass flows downstream until the next ice jam is formed. Finger Lake — now ice free! ADF&G fisheries biologist Samantha Oslund told me the news about Finger Lake yesterday. I expect people will be out boating and fishing this particular lake (one of the Mat-Su Valley’s most popular ) before the May 9-10 weekend.
Monday May 4, 2026 — Eklutna Tailrace / First Open Water Fishing for 2026 –I fished the tailrace for about 45 minutes this morning down near its confluence with the Knik River side-channel. I fished about a serious of high tides between 29 – 30 feet which should have assisted any fish that may have wanted to migrate up the side-channel to the tailrace. In addition we had rain last night and this morning that should have added a bit more runoff water to the Knik River drainage. Eklutna Power plant was also releasing a significant amount of water at the time I was at the tailrace as well. The currently could be readily seen, and when I casted spinners out into the tailrace channel the current visibly sweung them downstream, as I made my presentations. Even with all my timing to catch a peak instream water level, however, the Knik River side-channel was quite low even after being enhanced by the water volume flowing out from the tailrace. Between the Knik River confluence and the pedestrian bridge over the tailrace, there are two large wood snags that become submerged when water volumes flowing down the Knik River backs up and slows outflow from the tailrace. Both of those snags were 2 1/2 or 3 feet entirely out of the water. In other words, although there is some water depth in the tailrace itself, there is very little depth in the side-channel below the tailrace to encourage fish to migrate up the side-channel. In the side-channel upstream from the tailrace, there was some standing water, but no visible current flowing down the side-channel. Therefore, while the tailrace provides some open water for casting / retrieving lures or swinging flies (especially when sufficient through flow is occurring from the power plant) there will likely be very few (if any) fish migrating up the side-channel into the tailrace until very late May or early June. The lower Knik River (down by the Glenn Highway Bridge) is now mostly ice-free as the past few days of large tidal fluctuations appears to have flushed the remaining ice that had been anchored to the bottom and north shore of the river out into Knik Arm. When I drove over the bridge it appeared it might now be possible to launch a boat off the bank from the Knik River Access Site. It would, however, be easier to launch and load a boat if such opperations were done in conjunction with a solid high tide — until the water level comes up in the Knik River.
Sunday May 3, 2026 — I talked with Deshka Landing manager, Amy Davis, today and she reported the ice had never really started flowing down the Susitna River — yet. River thawing has definitely started as there has been a bit of Susitna River open water just beyond the boat launch area, however, there remains some ice anchored to the bottom near the same location. The river needs to rise enough to float away some of the ice. As the ice starts flowing downriver it usually stops and gets jammed up at shallow locations, damming the river and backing the water flow up until it blows out the ice jams and flushes everything downriver. I usually like to wait for at least about three days after ice flows quit flushing downriver before launching from Deshka landing to avoid being caught somewhere out on the river in an ice flow. Deshka Landing’s Annual Membership Meeting is scheduled for Saturday May 9, 2026 with lunch served at 1p.m. followed by the meeting at 2 p.m. I own a membership, and my wife and I are planning to attend. Amy expects the boat launch Will Likely NOT Be Open during the meeting weekend. Every year the launch usually opens to members and season passholders first, followed by opening for the general public when most of the parking lot has dried out and firmed up.
Saturday May 2, 2026 — Kepler – Bradley Lakes — I drove by and took a look down at the two lakes. I saw a man and young girl fishing at the bridge that crosses the channel between the two lakes. There was more open water, but not a lot of open water going out into the main lakes beyond the bridge and channel. Matanuska Lake — I drove into and around the parking area at Matanuska Lake. Looking out over the lake I could see no open water. Junction (Loberg) Lake I drove up beside Loberg Lake and there was about a casting distance of open water near the boat launch / access area. Nothing to get too excited about, although sometimes there are a few fish right in this location as the ice melts and lakestarts to open up. While driving to and from these lakes I saw a moose down on the north end of the Palmer Hay Flats, and a couple different groups of sandhill cranes out in farm fields beside the Outer Springer Loop.
May 1, 2026 — Spring River breakups appear to be a bit late this year — there was still a considerably amount of ice along the Knik River near the Glenn Highway yesterday, and the Web Cam at Deshka Landing is still showing a significant amount of ice in the Susitna River just out form Deshka Landing boat launch. I also talked with Corey Berg today, who told me there was still some ice out along the lower Little Susitna River and that Little Susitna River Road was still gated at the Susitna Flats Wildlife Refuge, so there is currently no vehicle access to Little Susitna River Public Use Facility. At this time I believe I should comfortably be able launch my guide boat and start running fishing trips by May 15. Check back for fishing report updates.