Steelhead & salmon
11′–13′6″ two-hand rod, 7–8 weight, Skagit head + sink tips · Steelhead and Pacific salmon
Open checklist
Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna
Willow is a Parks Highway community in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, between Wasilla and Talkeetna.
- Alaska · West
- 7 waters
- 13 guides nearby
- 2 shops nearby
- MRI airport · 37 mi
Photo credit
The Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, seen from a boat in June 2015. Photo: Kolmkolm, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More about Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna
Willow is a Parks Highway community in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, between Wasilla and Talkeetna; Willow Creek runs west past it to the Susitna River, the Deshka joins the Susitna from the west, and the Little Susitna runs south-west to Cook Inlet.
Waters around Willow
About this
Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.
Catch and releasePhoto credit
The Little Susitna River near the road to Hatcher Pass, Alaska, at midnight. Photo: Jim from Lexington, KY, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Willow CreekPhoto credit
Hikers in the upper Peters Creek valley below Mount Rumble, Chugach State Park, Alaska. Photo: Paxson Woelber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Willow Creek.
Willow Creek
Alaska · 5 mi from Willow
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Deshka RiverPhoto credit
Fishing on Ship Creek near downtown Anchorage, Alaska, looking upstream toward the old power plant. Photo: Haydn Blackey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Deshka River.
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Kashwitna RiverPhoto credit
The Eagle River at the Eagle River Nature Center, Chugach State Park, Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Kashwitna River.
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Montana CreekMontana Creek
Alaska · 25 mi from Willow
Steelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not Alexander CreekPhoto credit
The Russian River, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Photo: Ken Curtis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Alexander Creek.
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Goose CreekPhoto credit
Dip-netters at the mouth of the Kasilof River, Alaska, summer 2011 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Photo: USFWSAlaska, public domain, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons Not Goose Creek.
Goose Creek
Alaska · 21 mi from Willow
Distances and official pages
The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Willow. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.
- Willow Creek5 mi from Willow in a straight line
- Deshka River10 mi from Willow in a straight line
- Little Susitna River26 mi from Willow in a straight line
- Kashwitna River12 mi from Willow in a straight line
- Montana Creek25 mi from Willow in a straight line
- Alexander Creek23 mi from Willow in a straight line
- Goose Creek21 mi from Willow in a straight line
All gauge readings
The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage. Open a water for what the level means.
Reading the gauges around Willow…
Meet local guides
About this
13 guide listings within 60 miles (7 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.
Wilderness Place Lodge, Alaska Fly Fishing
Skwentna, AK · 30 mi
Float trips · Lake & stillwater
- Unclaimed
Silent Run Driftboat Guide Service
Anchorage, AK · 41 mi
Walk-and-wade · Drift boat · Kenai River
- Unclaimed
Big Time Alaskan Fishing Adventures
Anchorage, AK · 40 mi
Float trips · Beginners & lessons · Russian & Kenai
- Unclaimed
Fly shops nearby
About this
2 shop listings in the towns around Willow, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.
Fish around Willow
About this
Species the state agency lists on the waters here. A species listed for one water is not a promise for every water.
Rainbow trout
Listed on 2 waters here
Photo credit
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Steelhead
Listed on 2 waters here
Photo credit
Winter steelhead fishing on the Skagit River, Washington (Doug Wilson, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). Photo: Doug Wilson, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Chinook salmon
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Chinook salmon moving upstream in the lower Tuolumne River, California (Dan Cook, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Photo: Dan Cook (USFWS), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Coho salmon
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), illustration by Timothy Knepp for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Timothy Knepp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Pink salmon
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), illustration by Timothy Knepp for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Timothy Knepp, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Agency species and seasons (14 waters)
Taken from the state agency pages of 14 waters around Willow, each on its own water page with the agency link. Seasons are quoted word for word and apply to the water named.
- Rainbow trout3 waters
- Rainbow/steelhead trout3 waters
- Coho salmon1 water
- King salmon1 water
- Pink salmon1 water
- Steelhead1 water
Species guides mention (12)
Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch.
- Chinook salmon9
- Rainbow trout9
- Coho salmon8
- Sockeye salmon6
- Arctic grayling4
- Northern pike3
- Steelhead3
- Halibut2
Things to know
Fishing license: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Fees on the agency page.
Getting there
MRI Merrill Field · 37 mi
Regulations and access
Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.
Official license and rules pages
Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.
Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.
Veteran-owned and veteran programs
About this
Near Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna. Each fact comes from the business's own website, an official register or an approved claim; the listing page links the source.
- Drill Team Six Fishing Excursions, LLCGuide · WasillaVeteran-owned · from their websiteVeterans on the team · from their websiteMilitary discount · from their website
- Kenai Wild FishingGuide · Anchorage · 43 miVeteran-owned · from their websiteMilitary discount · from their website
The Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna area
About this
The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Willow. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.
Map of the Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna area: its waters, shops and guides
Map of Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.
Restrooms near Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna
Restrooms near Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna
Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of 2 restrooms near Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 2 restrooms near Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna, numbered as in the list, with the town centre marked.
Nancy Lake Campground
3.2 mi away in a straight lineAt a campground · State of Alaska
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
4.3 mi away in a straight line- Vault or pit toilet (mapped)
- Public (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Free?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Base yourself nearby
About this
Wasilla and Palmer have the most places to stay; Willow, and Talkeetna farther north, are the smaller towns. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.
Nearest airports
About this
Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.
- MRI Merrill FieldAnchorage, AK · 37 mi · regionalSearch flights
- ANC Ted Stevens Anchorage International AirportAnchorage, AK · 39 mi · major hubSearch flights
- ENA Kenai Municipal AirportKenai, AK · 91 mi · regionalSearch flights
Rough out the trip
About this
Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.
Estimates, not quotes
- Fishing licenseSee sourceAgency page
Source
One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by Alaska Department of Fish and Game; see the agency page.
Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Guided days9 rates pagesWilderness Place Lodge, Alaska Fly FishingDave Fish AlaskaAleutian AdventuresKvichak Lodge
Source
1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 9 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.
Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied) - Find lodgingSee sourceSearch lodging
Source
Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.
Source: Lodging search link - FlightsSee sourceSearch flights
Source
Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to MRI (Merrill Field).
Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)
No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.
How we estimate
Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.
Parks, forests and visitor offices
About this
For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.
Gear checklist
About this
A steelhead and salmon fly-fishing checklist: a switch or spey rod (or 9′6″ single-hand) in 7–8 weight, Skagit lines and sink tips, swing flies, studded boots and cold-weather layers, with estimated prices and where to buy.
Watch: swinging flies for steelhead
About this
Two-hand casting, sink tips and the swing.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
How To Swing Wet Flies | Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube S4 E9 How To Maximize The SwingEmbedded from YouTube · RIO Products · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
Not sponsored All videos on steelhead
Stories from Alaska
About this
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in Alaska.
No Alaska stories yet.
Sources for this page
All 8 sources
Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game: fishing licensesAlaska Department of Fish and Game
- Southcentral Alaska sport fishing regulationsAlaska Department of Fish and Game
- Sport fishing emergency orders (in-season changes)Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- Willow Creek State Recreation AreaAlaska State Parks (Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
- Nancy Lake State Recreation AreaAlaska State Parks (Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
- Denali State ParkAlaska State Parks (Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
- OurAirports open data (airport locations)OurAirports, public domain
- Overture Maps places (guide and shop map records)Overture Maps Foundation, CDLA-Permissive 2.0
Links checked 23 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.