August 2024 Alaska Fishing Reports
August 1, 2024 — We had a family group of 5 guests (mom, dad, grandpa, and 2 young kids) fishing Deshka River who caught 3 coho salmon , 1 pink salmon, and a rainbow trout. Water was still high with plenty pf current.
We had a second group of 4 guests fishing Little Susitna River who harvested 2 coho salmon, 4 chum salmon, and also caught and released maybe 8 additional chum salmon and several pink salmon. Water was high, but had dropped and cleared a bit.
August 2, 2024 — I took a family group of 5 fishing who harvested 1 chum salmon each and 3 coho salmon from the Little Susitna River. More to Follow
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced emergency restrictions to the sport coho salmon fishing at Little Susitna River, Jim Creek, Deshka River, and entire the Susitna River drainage that will become regulation on Tuesday August 6.
August 3, 2024 — I took a husband and wife fishing in the morning, and they harvested 3 chum salmon and 3 coho salmon while fishing the Little Susitna River. More to be added.
I took an afternoon family group of 5 fishing at Little Susitna River and each family member caught and released chum or pink salmon. One family member caught and harvested a single coho salmon.
August 4, 2024 — I took a group of 5 people fishing in the morning and they caught and harvested several chum salmon, 2 coho salmon, and also caught and released several chum salmon and pink salmon at Little Susitna River.
We had an afternoon group that caught a single coho salmon and several chum salmon on Little Susitna River as well.
August 5, 2023 – I took 4 men fishing in the morning and they harvested 3 chum salmon, 1 sockeye salmon, 1 coho salmon, and caught and released several more chum salmon and pink salmon.
August 6, 2023 — The groups of people we were scheduled to fish with today decided to cancel their fishing opportunities after ADF&G issued emergency fishing regulations that prohibited the use of bait and restricted the coho salmon limit to one fish per person daily at Little Susitna River.
Greg Acord took a family and friends group fishing at Little Susitna River today and they caught and released mostly pink salmon, but did catch and harvest 3 chum salmon headed for the smoker.
I wrote and submitted the Mat-Su Anglers fishing column for the Friday August 9, 2024 Frontiersman Newspaper.
August 7, 2024 — I took na father and son fishing in the morning and they each caught and harvested a coho salmon while casting #5 Flashtrap Spinners. We specifically went after coho, and the limit had been reduced to one fish. During the trip we saw a bald eagle perched near the river.
We had a large group run by 3 different guides in the morning as well. I know everyone was working hard at catching salmon, but did not hear what was caught by each boat.
In the afternoon I took a group of 4 who wanted as much action as possible. We back trolled Mag Lip Flatfish and they caught a lot of chum salmon (harvest 3 of the fresher ones). It was raining throughout and they decided to call it a trip early when one member of the group got soaked and chilled.
August 8, 2024 — I took the same father/son group from the previous day and my wife also went on the trip. The two men, once again, each caught and harvested a coho salmon. One of those fish was caught on a #5 Flashtrap Spinner and the other was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish. My wife also caught two chum salmon and a pink salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish. We once again knocked off a bit early, not long after the men had harvested their coho. The water was high and rising from a couple days of rain.
Another guide ran a single guest for us in the afternoon, going downriver and looking for coho. The guest caught and released a pink salmon, then caught and harvested a good sized chrome coho. Both fish were caught on a #4 Vibrax Spinner fished in a quiet shallow water spot along the bank and out of the strong current in the main channel.
August 9 — Little Susitna River Weir was overtopped with high water today, and we had rescheduled the trip we were set to run today, because of the rapidly rising river. That gave me time to communicate with several other groups, some of which chose to reschedule trips or cancel reservations in light of the emergency bait restriction and reduced coho salmon bag limit. With low numbers of coho salmon through the weir, it appears more and more likely that ADF&G may likely close both Little Susitna and Deshka River to coho salmon fishing shortly after the weekend.
August 10 —
August 11 —
August 12 — I talked with several people in preparation to writing a fishing column for the newspaper. Late in the afternoon the ADF&G announced that coho salmon fishing will close at 12:01am Thursday August 15 through September 30, 2024 in the entire Susitna River drainage, Little Susitna River, Fish Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Wasilla Creek, and the entire Knik River drainage (Except for Eklutna Tailrace, waters within 1/2 mile of the tailrace / Knik River confluence and then downstream approximately 2 miles to the ADF&G regulatory marker(s). just upstream from where the Knik River side channel rejoins the mainstream Knik River.
Tuesday August 13, 2024 — I wrote the Friday fishing August 16, 2024 column for the Frontiersman newspaper.
Wednesday August 14, 2024 — Eklutna Tailrace — I drove to the Tailrace and casted a #4 and #5 spinner for a couple hours, and while I saw some salmon. surfacing (most of which I suspect were sockeye I did not get any bites that I could detect and did notebook any fish. There were perhaps 12 – 15 people fishing and during the time I was there I saw one salmon (a sockeye) hooked and caught on a piece of shrimp hooked on a small jig and dried under a bobber. There was also one coho salmon and another sockeye salmon that people had caught before I arrived. It was a beautiful sunny morning, but fish catching or even getting a bite was extremely slow.
In the afternoon I met with two other members of the Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and we discussed an agenda change request that will need further work. — by each of us.
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