Area Sport Fishing Reports
Tanana

Archived Sport Fishing Report

May 27, 2021

* Just a reminder to all anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing as well as when shopping for fishing supplies from your local store, and by wearing a face covering when social distancing is not possible.

Local Lakes

Lake fishing has been excellent, and most of the locally stocked lakes are ice-free. The stocking truck has been covering some ground with the big holiday weekend fast approaching, and catchable rainbow trout and Arctic char have been stocked in most local lakes in the drainage. We just finished stocking the ponds and lakes along the Steese Highway and Chena Hot Springs Road this week, and they always make for a great weekend destination. Try fishing small spinners or bait under a bobber to entice a bite out of a fish cruising the freshly open water looking for food.

Freshwater Species

Spring is coming slowly to the Interior. Most rivers are still low, and most boat launches are now ice-free, but some remain soft and muddy. With the delayed spring, the low, clear water is making for some exceptional Arctic grayling fishing. The Chena River and Delta Clearwater Rivers are always predictable options. Northern pike has finished spawning and is now aggressively feeding at mouths of river sloughs or grassy edges of lakes. Reminder: the bag and possession limit in Minto Flats has been changed from 5 fish to 2 and only one of which may be 30 inches or longer – the season opens June 1. Burbot fishing in the Tanana drainage is reported as good; try jigging or placing setlines at the mouths of sloughs, near back eddies, and downstream of tributaries. Herring, whitefish, or lamprey all work well as bait.

Wild Salmon

King salmon are migrating from the Bering Sea to Tanana River tributaries in June, sometimes arriving at the mouths of the Chena and Salcha Rivers by late June.

Emergency Orders

Please review the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip:

• Emergency Order 3-NP-U-01-21 reduces the Minto Flats northern pike bag and possession limit.
• Emergency Order 3-R-U-02-21 restricts Piledriver Slough and Moose Creek to catch-and-release fishing for all fish species

Don’t forget to bring your 2021 sport fishing license. Help maximize social distancing by purchasing your sport fishing license at the ADF&G Online Store. You can print your license from the comfort of your home. Also, be sure to review Emergency Orders and the 2021 Northern Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.

For more information, call the Fairbanks office at (907) 459-7200 or the Delta Junction office at (907) 895-4632.