Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 06, 2015

Kodiak Area

Week of July 5 to July 11

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 1, in the Karluk River drainage, including Karluk Lagoon, sport fishing for king salmon is closed. In addition, the use of bait is prohibited for all sport fishing downstream of Karluk Lake.
• Effective June12, the bag limit for sockeye salmon is increased from 2 to 5 fish in the Buskin River drainage.
• Effective June 16, the bag limit for sockeye salmon is increased from 5 to 10 fish in the Afognak and Karluk River drainages.
• Effective June 19, in the Ayakulik River drainage, sport fishing for king salmon closed. In addition, bait is not allowed for any sport fishing and only single hooks on artificial lures may be used.
• Effective June 19, the bag limit for sockeye salmon is increased from 5 to 10 fish in the Ayakulik River drainage.
• Effective June 23, the bag limit for sockeye salmon is increased from 5 to 10 fish in the Dog Salmon River drainage.
• Effective June 25, sport fishing for king salmon is closed in Monashka Creek and the waters of Monashka Bay. The freshwaters of Pillar Creek remain open.
• Effective July 3, sport fishing for sockeye salmon is closed in the Pasagshak River drainage.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Hatchery returns of king salmon to the American and Olds Rivers are currently in full swing, with anglers reporting excellent inter-tidal and inriver fishing during the past week at both drainages.
• Department of Fish and Game counting weirs on the Buskin, Afognak, Karluk, Ayakulik, Saltery, Olga and Dog Salmon rivers are now operating to count returns of sockeye salmon. King salmon returns will also be counted at Karluk and Ayakulik weirs. Respective escapement goals for these two runs are 3,000 – 6,000 and 4,000-7,000 fish. The current Buskin River sockeye salmon escapement goal is 5,000-8,000 fish, and the Afognak River sockeye goal 20,000 – 50,000 fish. The Saltery River sockeye salmon escapement goal is 15,000-30,000 fish. As of July 4, 29,799 sockeye salmon have been counted at Afognak River, 2,870 sockeye salmon have been counted at Saltery River and 4,717 have passed the weir on Buskin River. Each of these runs appear to be posting relatively healthy returns. Afognak and Buskin usually peak during mid-June and are winding down for the year, while Saltery generally peaks in mid-July.
• In response to a historically poor weir count, sport fishing for king salmon Karluk River drainage (including Karluk Lagoon) is closed. In addition, the use of bait for all sport fishing is prohibited downstream of Karluk Lake.
• A poor weir count has also occurred so far this year for the Ayakulik River king salmon run. Consequently, effective June 19, king salmon sport fishing was closed. Bait is not allowed for any sport fishing and only single hooks on artificial lures may be used.
• Sockeye returns to Pasagshak River have also been weak, with only 618 sockeye counted as of July 4. Sport fishing for sockeye salmon was closed on July 3.
• Updated daily counts for Kodiak salmon counting weirs are available to anglers at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/ .

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Dolly Varden are again available in moderate numbers within most Kodiak freshwater drainages. Dollies can also currently be caught in near shore salt waters along beaches adjacent to most Kodiak freshwaters drainages. The beaches of Roslyn and Myrtle creeks are favorite Dolly locations for local anglers.
• Lake Fishing
• July 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. No reports of stocked rainbow trout fishing were received by the Kodiak office during the past week.

Salt waters

Halibut

• Halibut fishing was reportedly productive during the past week, with Buoy #4 and Cape Chiniak being good bets for angler success.

Salmon

• Trolling for Chinook (king) salmon in Kodiak’s marine waters has become very popular in recent years. Kings can be fished successfully year-round, though fishing tends to be spotty and difficult to predict. Recent reports indicate that trolling over the last week has been slow but picking up at Buoy #4 and other Chiniak Bay locations.
• Near-shore trolling for hatchery kings along Kalsin Bay beach has been good to excellent during the past week.
• Other well-known trolling spots along the road system are Cape Chiniak, Cape Gravelle and waters between Long and Woody islands. Kodiak king salmon average 20 pounds, but fish up to 70 pounds are occasionally caught.
• Reports of coho being caught trolling in saltwaters have been coming in since late June. Buoy 4, Long Island and Chiniak and Narrow capes are reported to yield good coho fishing.
• The annual Kodiak King Salmon Derby sponsored by the Kodiak Association of Charter Operators (www.kaco.org) began on May 1 and remains open through August 15.

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 man-made structures. Rockfish are also frequently caught from shore at locations such as the outer reaches of White Sand beach and the breakwater barrier shielding St. Paul Harbor.
• Anglers are reminded that the lingcod season opened July 1.