Area Sport Fishing Reports
Tanana

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 23, 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.

Sport Fishing

Freshwater Fishing

Last weekend (June 20-21) was the first of 4 weekends in a row of the Chena River Youth-Only Fishery for Arctic grayling. Any angler 15 years old or younger, can retain 1 Arctic grayling per day of any size from the lower Chena River (downstream from a regulatory marker 300 ft downstream of the Chena River Flood Control Project) on these days. This coming weekend, June 26-27, as well as the next two weekends, July 3-4 & July 10-11, will also be open to the Youth-Only Fishery. Weather and water levels are expected to be excellent for participants this weekend as well. Please remember Arctic grayling must not be retained in the Chena outside of the Youth-Only Fishery dates by anglers of any age.

Watch the ADF&G video, How to Fish for Arctic Grayling, for helpful tips on technique and gear.

Most area rivers have decreasing water levels and turbidity. The Tanana River is low but will be rising as warm weather intensifies meltwater from glaciers.

Water levels in Minto Flats still remain high. Fishing has been good, but there is still limited to no dry land available for onshore use and/or camping.

Lake Fishing

Spring stocking of 66 different Tanana drainage lakes is now complete. There were 253,404 fish (rainbow trout, Arctic char, and coho salmon) stocked in these lakes between May 13 and June 17. Reports are that fishing in most of these stocked lakes is currently good, with Quartz Lake very good. Try small spinners and spoons for rainbow trout found in these stocked lakes. To get detailed information about stocked lakes in the area, consult the Alaska Lake Database.

The high alpine lakes are ice-free and trails in the area are mostly dry. Lake trout fishing should be great close to shore before the lakes warm and retreat to the cooler deeper waters.

Salmon

King and chum salmon counting towers and sonar projects on the Chena and Salcha Rivers are gearing up. The counting tower on the Chena River is now operational although no salmon have been counted as of yet, and the sonar will be operational by the end of the week. The Salcha River project will begin set up for both the counting tower and the sonar next week, and we are hopeful that counting will start by midweek next week, with the sonar operational shortly after.

By emergency order, the Tanana River drainage will be closed to sport fishing for king salmon, effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, June 24, 2021. This closure prohibits all sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release fishing. All king salmon caught incidentally while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. For more information, see the Emergency Order information below.

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-KS-U-05-21 closes all waters of the Tanana River drainage to sport fishing for king salmon. All king salmon caught incidentally in the Tanana River drainage while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.
• 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.