Area Sport Fishing Reports
Upper Copper/Upper Susitna

June 18, 2026

Local Conditions

• Except for Summit Lake, all other lakes in the area are finally ice-free.
• The Gulkana River flow is dropping with some turbidity remaining; flows have increased in the Klutina and Copper Rivers but remain below average for this time of year.
• The Copper River flow gauge in Chitina is online and accessible at the NOAA website.

Chitina Subdistrict Personal Use Salmon Dip Net Fishery

• Fishing time in the Copper River personal use fishery is being reduced for the week of June 22. Salmon numbers are tracking approximately 83,000 fish behind what is expected for this point of the run.
• If Miles Lake sonar passage continues to fall below daily objectives, additional reductions in weekly fishing time in the personal use fishery should be expected, and potentially complete closures during some weeks.
• The Chitina Subdistrict Personal Use dip net salmon fishery will open and close as follows:
• OPEN: 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 15 – 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 21
• CLOSED: 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 22 – 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 25
• OPEN: 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26 – 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 28
• Chitina Subdistrict Personal Use permits and State of Alaska Sport Fishing licenses are currently available online at the ADF&G Online Store website, at Fish and Game offices, and at vendors in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other local communities. Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence permits are also available online and at the Fish and Game offices in Anchorage, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, and Palmer.
• Remember king salmon cannot be kept until July 1. All king salmon caught during June must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed.
• Informational Hotline for Chitina Personal Use Fishery: (907) 822-5224

Glennallen Subdistrict Subsistence Salmon Fishery

• The Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence salmon fishery opened by regulation June 1st at 12:01 A.M. and remains open through September 30th. Subsistence fishers are reporting salmon catch from Chitina up to Gakona.

Sport Fishing

• Several lakes in the area have been re-supplied with our finest rainbow trout and Arctic char.
• For more information about Alaska stocked lakes, visit Alaska Lakes Database.
• Both sockeye and king salmon runs to the Copper River are tracking weaker than expected this season.
• King salmon are entering the Gulkana River now, and water clarity is slowly improving. Fishing below Sailor’s Pit is the best option, but fish are also being caught upriver of Sourdough.
• Remember, if you are fishing for king salmon this season, an Upper Copper River King Salmon Sport Fishery Permit is required, and the Klutina or Tonsina Rivers are not open until July 1.
• Sockeye salmon continue to enter the Klutina River, and anglers are reporting success.
• To get ready, be sure to watch the ADF&G video, How to Fish for Klutina River Red Salmon.
• It is a good time to target Arctic grayling in the Gulkana River and other small streams in the area. Check out the ADF&G video, How to Fish for Arctic Grayling, for helpful tips on tackle and technique.
• The Klutina River is an option if you are looking for Dolly Varden.
• For a guide to where all the accessible fisheries are, check out Sport Fishing Alaska Rivers and Lakes in the Upper Copper/Upper Susitna River Basin. This guide lists all the fisheries, species available and mile markers along all the major highways crossing the Upper Copper and Upper Susitna Area.

Emergency Orders

Emergency Order 3-RS-I-07-26 opens the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery for a 168-hour period from 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 15 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 21.

Emergency Order 3-RS-I-08-26 opens the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery for a 72-hour period from 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 28.

ADF&G News

Please review the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements listed above in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

Be sure to follow the ADF&G Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Facebook page or ADF&G Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Instagram page for the most up-to-date information about fishing in Interior Alaska. Note: These are good pages to follow to keep track of all information about the Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery.

The Glennallen ADF&G office has fishing rods to loan out as part of the ADF&G Rod Loaner Program. All you need is a current sport fishing license (for resident anglers 18 and older and non-residents 16 or older) to borrow a rod. You’ll have to provide your own tackle but rods are free of charge.

Make sure to review the 2026 Northern Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Glennallen office at (907) 822-3309.