Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 04, 2015

Kodiak Area

Week of August 2 to August 8

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 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, 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.
• Effective July 3, sport fishing for sockeye salmon is closed in the Pasagshak drainage.
• Effective July 16, the bag limit for sockeye salmon is increased to 10 fish in the Saltery River drainage.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Silver (coho) were reportedly caught in the past week during the incoming tides along Kalsin Bay beach.
• Hatchery returns of king salmon to the American and Olds Rivers are now over.
• Department of Fish and Game counting weirs on the Buskin, Afognak, Karluk, Ayakulik, Olga, Dog Salmon, Saltery and Pasagshak rivers are now operating to count returns of sockeye salmon. The Buskin and Afognak rivers runs are now effectively over, while the Saltery River run has also peaked. Due to a historically poor weir count, sport fishing for sockeye salmon is closed in the Pasagshak River drainage. On July 16 the Saltery River bag limit was increased to 10 fish.
• King salmon runs to the Karluk and Ayakulik Rivers are over. Both drainages closed by regulation to fishing for king salmon on July 25.
• Pink salmon fishing continues to be excellent in near shore salt waters and in most Kodiak road zone streams. In the past week Kalsin Bay beach, Myrtle Creek Beach and the Olds River were excellent locations for catching ocean bright pink salmon.
• 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 present in large numbers in most Kodiak freshwater drainages. Dollies can also still be caught in near shore salt waters along beaches adjacent to most Kodiak freshwaters drainages. Dollies were reportedly being caught in the Olds American and Salonie rivers during the past week.

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. No reports of stocked rainbow trout fishing were received by the Kodiak office during the past week.

Salt waters

Halibut

• Halibut fishing reportedly remains excellent, with ‘Buoy #4’ and the ‘3 Humps’ area north of Long Island are currently advised by anglers as productive locations to fish.

Salmon

• Trolling for pink salmon dimished during the past week.
• Silver salmon trolling remained excellent during the past week. Buoy #4, Kalsin Bay and numerous other locations are currently reported as good fishing for silvers.
• Reports from last week indicate that king salmon trolling has been excellent, at Buoy #4, Kalsin Bay and Cape Chiniak.
• Charter vessel catches of king salmon typically peak for the year during late July and early August.
• Other well-known trolling spots along the road system are Cape Gravelle and waters between long and Woody islands.
• Local hatchery-released king salmon are no longer returning to Kalsin and White Sands beaches.
• 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.
• Lingcod season opened on July 1.