Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 25, 2014

Kodiak Area

Week of August 24 to August 30
Issued August 25, 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 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, Dog Salmon, Upper Station, Karluk and Ayakulik rivers remain in operation to count returns of pink and coho salmon. Late run sockeye salmon returns are also currently counted at the Karluk and Ayakulik rivers.
• 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, although the run is historically complete as of late August.
• Pink salmon runs have peaked early in Kodiak streams. Currently nearly all inriver pink salmon are in full spawning phase and of relatively poor quality for human consumption.
• Coho salmon are reportedly being caught at Shuyak Islands and the Afognak River and also at a number of locations along the Kodiak road system, including the Buskin and Pasagshak rivers. Catches of silvers have reportedly been modest so far at the Buskin, but excellent at Pasagshak. Other locations to look for early silvers along the Kodiak road system during the coming week include Monashka and Pillar creeks, and also the American and Olds rivers. The Buskin River weir has counted a total of 678 coho salmon as of August 24.
• Anglers can find daily updated Kodiak salmon weir counts at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Freshwater Dolly fishing is best right now in the American, Buskin and Salonie rivers.

Lake Fishing

• August is an excellent 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

• No new reports of halibut fishing in Kodiak waters were received during the past week. Fishing has previously been reported as fair, with mostly smaller-sized fish being caught. Buoy #4 and the “Humps” outside Long Island are common locations for anglers to target halibut during the month of August.

Salmon

• Trolling for Chinook (king) salmon was reportedly poor during the past week.
• Well-known trolling spots along the road system are Buoy #4, the deeper waters on both sides of Long Island, Cape Chiniak and also Cape Gravelle. Kodiak king salmon average around 20 pounds.
• Trollers are now also catching silver (coho) salmon in Chiniak Bay waters and elsewhere, although no new reports of success trolling for silvers have been received within the past week.

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 is open through December 31.