Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 18, 2015

Kodiak Area

Week of August 16 to August 22

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) have been caught along Kalsin Bay beach recently. Catches of silvers near local rivers typically increase in mid-August and coho have been sighted entering the Buskin, American and Pasagshak rivers.
• Hatchery returns of king salmon to the American and Olds Rivers are now over.
• Department of Fish and Game counting weirs on the Afognak, Karluk, Ayakulik, Olga, and Pasagshak rivers are still operating to count returns of sockeye salmon. Weir operations on the Buskin River have shifted to focus on returning silver salmon. Road accessible sockeye runs are essentially over, though sockeye may still be caught in Saltery Creek and Buskin River. Due to a historically poor weir count, sport fishing for sockeye salmon is still 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 the American and Olds rivers 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 can be good if timing is right, with Whale Pass, ‘Buoy #4’ and the ‘3 Humps’ area north of Long Island reported to be the best locations.

Salmon

• Silver salmon trolling remains excellent during the past week. Buoy #4, Kalsin Bay, Long Island and Whale Pass are reported to be the best locations.
• Reports from last week indicate that king salmon trolling has been good at Buoy #4, Whale Pass and Cape Chiniak.
• King salmon harvest typically peaks 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.

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.