Area Sport Fishing Reports
Anchorage

Archived Sport Fishing Report

December 22, 2014

Winter Fishing Report: Anchorage Area

Date: 12-23 through 1-6-15

Regulation Reminders

• January 1, 2015 marks the start of a new licensing year. Remember to buy one prior to heading out on your next adventure.
• 2014 Sport Fish regulation booklets are valid through April 15, 2015, or when the 2015 regulations become available.
• Licenses can be purchased at licensing vendors or online at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/store/
• Check page 4 of the Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing regulation summary booklet for legal ice fishing gear description.
• Anchorage Area regulations start on page 36.

Stocked Lakes

Fishing on stocked lakes has been good. Try Sand Lake or DeLong Lake. If you wish to target grayling in Anchorage, try fishing just off the dock behind Sand Lake Elementary in four feet of water. For Arctic char and land-locked salmon, concentrate your efforts in 16-18 feet of water. A jig tipped with salmon roe or a small piece of shrimp fished near the bottom is a productive strategy. Remember your bag limits!

Page 10 of the regulation booklet lists all the Anchorage Area stocked lakes. Lakes stocked with land-locked salmon (LS) and Arctic char (AC) are also stocked with rainbow trout (RT) and will likely have the highest density of fish.

Link to Anchorage-area stocked lakes page: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSport.region&StockingAreaID=2

Anchorage-area lakes ice thickness report:
http://www.muni.org/Departments/parks/Documents/IceTrailsStatus.pdf

Places to Take a Kid Fishing (easily accessible locations)

Mirror Lake, just north of Eagle River, is a great place to take kids fishing. The lake is full of hungry chinook and rainbow trout. The most effective way to take these fish is to use a small jig tipped with cured shrimp.

Here is a link to a map of Mirror Lake: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSport.lakeDetail&LakeID=332

Un-stocked Lakes

The adventurous type my want to ski into Rabbit Lake and try their hand at ice fishing for rainbow trout. This lake is stocked only once every three years. It was last stocked in 2012 with about 1,000 catchable sized fish.

Hot Spot

For a shot at northern pike, try Lower Fire Lake in Eagle River.

Fish Facts:

Northern pike tend to be quite dormant during the month of January, and will not venture as far in order to feed. To target this fish more successfully in the cold months, think: drill, drill, drill. Even if you punch holes 20-30 feet from your original spot of choice, you almost have to present your bait or lure directly in front of them to get their attention.