Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 04, 2014

Kodiak Area

Week of August 3 to August 9
Issued August 4, 2014

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• Marine boat anglers returning to any port on the Kodiak road system from May 31 - August 31 may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head king salmon until they have been brought to shore and offloaded, unless the fish have been consumed or preserved on board.
• Effective June 5, the Afognak River sockeye salmon bag limit is increased to 10 fish per day and 10 in possession.
• Effective June 12, the Ayakulik River sockeye salmon bag limit is increased to 10 fish per day and 10 in possession.
• Effective June 27, the Frazer Lake/ Dog Salmon River sockeye salmon bag limit is increased to 10 fish per day and 10 in possession
• Effective July 12, the Chignik River king salmon bag limit is restored to 2 fish per day over 20 inches in length and the annual limit restored to 5 fish.
• Effective July 18, The Pasagshak River is closed to sport fishing for sockeye salmon.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Department of Fish and Game counting weirs on the Buskin, Afognak, Chignik, Dog Salmon, Upper Station, Saltery, Pasagshak, Karluk and Ayakulik rivers remain in operation to count returns of sockeye, pink and coho salmon. King salmon returns are also currently counted at the Chignik River.
• The Chignik River sport fishing daily bag limit restored to 2 fish over 20” and the annual limit to five fish. As of August 2 the Chignik River weir counted a total of 2,755 king salmon.
• Ayakulik and Dog Salmon River drainage bag limits for sockeye salmon remain increased to 10 fish per day and in possession.
• Due to poor escapement, the Pasagshak River is closed to fishing for sockeye salmon until further notice.
• The Saltery River sockeye salmon run is about 90% complete, with 27,189 fish counted through the weir as of August 2. The Saltery River sockeye salmon bag limit remains at 5 fish per day.
• Hatchery returns of king salmon to the American and Olds rivers are now effectively over for the year.
• More and more pink salmon are returning to Kodiak streams. The Olds and Roslyn river mouths, as well as the Pillar Creek beach are traditional local sites for catching pink salmon on the Kodiak road system. Russian River and Buskin River currently have large numbers of pink salmon inriver. In the last week anglers have reported good pink fishing at the mouth of Olds River and along Kalsin Bay beach between the river mouth and the Kalsin Bay Inn.
• Anglers can find daily updated Kodiak salmon weir counts at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/ .

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Freshwater Dolly fishing in best right now in the American River. Dollies are currently also in Buskin, Olds and Salonie rivers.

Lake Fishing

• August is a good time to fish rainbow trout in the stocked lakes along the Kodiak road zone. Although ADF&G currently stocks only sterile juvenile trout, some lakes with a stocking history dating to the 1950s may also contain spawning populations of adult fish.

Salt waters

Halibut

• Halibut fishing reportedly remains fair, with mostly smaller-sized fish being caught. Anglers have recently reported catching fish at Whale Pass, Buoy #4, Cape Gravelle and Sequel Point areas.

Salmon

• Trolling for Chinook (king) salmon was excellent during the past week week. Trollers reportedly continue to work Cape Chiniak and Cape Gravelle.
• Monashka Bay is now open to sport fishing for king salmon.
• Other well-known trolling spots along the road system are Buoy #4 and the deeper waters on both sides of Long Island. Kodiak king salmon average 20 pounds, but fish up to 70 pounds are occasionally caught.
• Trollers are now also catching silver salmon.

Other salt water fishing

• Black rockfish can currently be caught at depths of 10 fathoms or less near kelp beds along rock pinnacles and other natural or manmade structures. Rockfish are also frequently caught from shore at locations such as the breakwater barrier shielding St. Paul Harbor.
• The Kodiak Area lingcod season opened on July 1.