Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 24, 2020

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by following and reviewing the current State of Alaska Health Mandates in effect. This includes practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing and wearing a face covering when fishing and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store as indicated in Health Alert 010.

* The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted several proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for Kodiak Island, Alaska Peninsula, and Aleutian Islands at the Kodiak January 2020 meeting and the Anchorage March 2020 meeting. Please see the 2020 Southwest Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet for a complete summary of the Kodiak and Aleutian Islands sport fisheries regulations.

Emergency Orders

Please review the Emergency Orders and News Releases below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-RS-4-49-20 reopens sport fishing for sockeye salmon in the Saltery River drainage effective 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

Freshwater Fishing

• Road system creeks are nearly all having strong pink runs this year and they seem to be about at their peak right now. There are still some bright pinks around but look for them in the estuaries and lower sections of the rivers as they are getting harder to find now.
• There are a handful of cohos showing up around the island, but most seem to be in saltwater right now. Buskin is only at about 100 fish and a few have been seen in other road system rivers such as the Olds and Russian. Nearly all rivers are very low and warm right now and cohos typically will wait for lower temperatures and higher water to enter the rivers.

Saltwater Fishing

• Coho salmon are still being found in saltwaters near Buoy 4 and other locations though fishing has been reported as spotty. With the warm, sunny days, its likely fishing will be slower than if there are a few overcast or rainy days. Large schools of coho have been reported at the Fingers, Kalsin Reef, and some at Chiniak.
• King fishing continues to be slow but should pick up when schools of pinks and cohos thin out. More ‘off-shore’ areas like Cape Greville and Ugak Island can often help anglers get away from the pinks for king salmon.
• Halibut and lingcod fishing is still great and limits are easy to find right now. Lingcod seem to be just about everywhere right now with many anglers reporting catching them in unusual places and having a hard time find anything but lingcod in some spots. Hot lingcod spots are Kodiak Rocks and behind Long Island.

Local Lakes

• Heitman mountain is a popular destination as of late for family excursions, don’t forget this lake is stocked annually and offers some great fishing. Rainbow fishing has been great in nearly all of the local lakes lately and often is best right at the peak of the summer heat in these lakes.

Don’t forget to bring your 2020 sport fishing license! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2020 sport fishing license through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Also, make sure to review Emergency Orders and the 2020 Southwest Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Kodiak Area Office at (907) 486-1880.