Weak coho run cuts Little Susitna limit to one fish, bans bait

Anglers on the Little Susitna River may keep only one coho salmon 16 inches or longer starting 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, half the previous limit, and bait is banned from the river mouth up to the Parks Highway bridge. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game restriction runs through Sept. 30.

The number driving it: through Aug. 3, only 438 coho had crossed the Little Susitna weir, against a sustainable goal of 9,200 to 17,700 fish. The department said recent daily counts are well below average and the goal isn't projected to be met.

Within the restricted stretch, anglers are held to one coho a day, only unbaited artificial lures are allowed, and flowing waters above the Parks Highway stay closed to salmon fishing.

This isn't new ground. Fish and Game imposed the same one-fish limit and bait ban on the same water starting in August 2025, and Alaska News has covered a run of gear cuts on Upper Cook Inlet setnetters aimed at a weak Susitna sockeye return. The Alaska Outdoor Council, writing in 2023 about Mat-Su coho management, argued it "seems ridiculously unfair to allow a more liberal commercial harvest opportunity in close proximity to the stream mouth," and has said such restrictions can hurt local anglers and sport-fishing businesses.

The department said limits may ease if the run improves, or tighten further if it doesn't.