Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Recent Emergency Orders & Press Releases for Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

Effective June 4, the bag limit for sockeye in the Afognak River (Litnik) is increased from 5 to 10 fish per day.
Effective June 9, the bag limit for sockeye in the Buskin River is increased from 2 to 5 fish per day.
Effective July 6, the bag limit for sockeye in the Saltery River is increased from 5 to 10 fish per day.
Effective July 14, sportfishing for sockeye salmon is re-opened in the Pasagshak River drainage.
Drainages flowing into Chiniak Bay except Buskin and Kalsin Pond are closed above the highway bridges to salmon fishing beginning August 1st through September 15th.

Fresh waters

Salmon

Department of Fish and Game counting weirs on the Karluk and Olga rivers continue to operate to count returns of late sockeye salmon. Sockeye runs elsewhere are nearing their end for the season and most weirs have been pulled. Returns of coho salmon to the Buskin River are counted at the lower, floating weir near Bridge 2. The goal for this run is 4,700 to 8,700 fish.
About 900 coho have been counted through the Buskin weir and so far the run is below average. It has returned late in the last several years, however, and the run should continue to build through mid-September.
Coho are in at other road side rivers. The American, Olds and Pasagshak rivers have silvers coming in with each tide. There are fish in many of the holes below the bridges and should be easy to find in Lake Rose Tead as well.
Anglers are reminded that the limit for coho on the road system is 2 per day, this includes Saltery, Miam and Sacramento rivers.
Pink salmon virtually all in their spawning phase and most will be dying in the next 2 weeks. The run is over now.
After Kodiak salmon counting weirs begin operating anglers can find daily updated counts at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/ .

Dolly Varden

Dolly Varden are prevalent in most of the road side creeks. Popular places to fish dollies are the American River, Salonie Creek and Buskin River. Dollies can be found in any of Kodiak’s streams into the fall. Streams flowing into Chiniak Bay are open to fishing for Dolly Varden above the highway bridges.

Lake Fishing

September can be a good time to fish rainbow trout in the stocked lakes along the Kodiak road zone, but fish will become less active as the water temperature cools down towards the end of the month. 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. Be sure to check the local sport fishing regulations for a current list of stocked lakes as harvest of rainbow trout is only allowed in lakes that are currently stocked.

Salt waters

Halibut

Halibut fishing has been good by most reports and may be past the peak fishing time now. Popular places to fish halibut are Whale Pass, Cape Chiniak and Williams Reef. Reports have been coming in that many fish are larger than the last several years, averaging between 30 and 40 pounds and larger.

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 can be difficult to predict.
Most reports indicate that trolling for king salmon has been excellent in some areas but slow in others. Popular places to troll include Buoy #4, Whale Pass, Cape Chiniak and between Woody and Long islands. Kodiak king salmon average 20 pounds, but fish up to 70 pounds are occasionally caught.
Silver salmon are often caught just off-shore in places like Buoy 4, and near Woody Island, but fishing is still slow in Chiniak Bay and other nearby areas. Some reports indicate silvers have been found very deep while fishing for halibut and lingcod
Many rivers around the Island have large numbers of coho but saltwater fishing appears to be slow in general. Look to near shore areas by larger rivers for the best fishing.
The annual Kodiak King Salmon Derby sponsored by the Kodiak Association of Charter Operators (http://www.kodiakkingsalmonderby.com ) is ongoing.

Other salt water fishing

Black rockfish are able to be caught near rock-pinnacles and many other sub-surface structures and fishing can be good year round. They can also be caught from shore, with likely places including some of the points in Monashka Bay and the breakwaters at Dog Bay harbor.
Lingcod season opened July 1 and there are some reports that fishing has been good and the abundance of lingcod has been high.