Beginning Friday, Mat-Su and Anchorage sockeye lovers can load up on their favorite salmon without driving hundreds of miles to the Kenai Peninsula.
The popular Fish Creek dipnet fishery for all salmon species except kings will open at 6 a.m. Dipnetters who are heads of households can harvest 25 reds, with 10 more allowed for each household member.
Expect company. Thousands of anglers wielding long-handled nets typically visit the creek that empties into Knik Arm near Wasilla.
Sam Ivey, area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said Thursday that more than 21,000 sockeye have already passed the Fish Creek weir near Knik. He's projecting more than 50,000 will do so by the end of the run.
Biologists seek a range of 20,000 to 70,000 red salmon to ensure the strength of future runs.
Fish Creek sockeye runs can be erratic. Last year, nearly 44,000 reds passed the weir. But in the previous year, just 19,000 did so. Back in 2010, though, a whopping 127,000 reds made it upstream.
In addition to a fishing license, a 2015 Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit is required. That's the same permit used in the Kenai and Kasilof dipnet fisheries. They're available online at the Fish and Game website and selected vendors -- though the vendor supply is reportedly drying up.
The open area in Fish Creek extends from a Fish and Game marker at the creek's terminus upstream to another marker about a quarter-mile upstream of the Knik-Goose Bay Road. Netters can work from shore or on a boat.
Typically, the fishing slows rapidly after the 6 a.m. opening. Dipnetting will continue from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. the rest of the month.