Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

July 16, 2025

Freshwater Fishing

• Saltery is having a strong sockeye run again and is likely to hit the escapement goal any day. The limit has been increased to 10 per day and fishing has been good, though the water has been high and fish are not holding long in the river.
• Pasagshak is still seeing some sockeye but the weir was out due to high water for more than a week and an unknown number of fish went past the weir. The limit will stay at 2 for now.
• Pinks are starting to show up in most rivers now with lots of bright fish at Buskin, Salonie and in the Chiniak creeks. Lots of folks are commenting that there are a lot of very large pinks.
• Just a very few hatchery kings have been seen on the road system this year. Based on stocking efforts, there will likely only be fish returning to Salonie and Monashka Creeks, though by all accounts the return is very poor.
• Dollies are still being caught off local beaches now with the mouth of the Buskin, Mission Beach and the beaches in Kalsin and Chiniak being the usual hot spots. Some are starting to head into the rivers now with Buskin, Salonie and American as some of the favorites.

Saltwater Fishing

• King salmon fishing has been excellent with fish being found near Long Island Lagoon, Buoy 4 and the Fingers and in the Woody/Long Island channel.
• Silvers are in as well with good success in the Woody/Long channel and at the Fingers. Pink salmon are thick, so most reports are that you must sift through the pinks to find the silvers.
• Halibut are being found in the usual places in Chiniak Bay with fish in the 20-40 lb range being most common. Kodiak Rocks, Buoy 4 and between Woody and Long Islands have been spots with recent success. Some recent reports indicate quite a few small fish (<5 lbs) showing up too.
• Rockfish fishing has been good with most rock piles and reefs in Chiniak Bay producing good catches. Lots of folks are figuring out the new rockfish regulations and having success finding a variety of species after they fill their limit of 2 black rockfish. Duskies can often be found in places that are common for trolling for salmon and are a good option to pursue. They tend to move around more than other species to feed on traveling schools of bait fish.
• Lingcod fishing has been slow as of late but are being picked up while halibut and rockfish fishing as well as while trolling for kings and silvers occasionally.

Local Lakes

If you’re interested in a drive out the road, there’s two lakes in the Pasagshak/Narrow Cape area that are stocked with rainbow trout. Bull Lake is a short drive out the ranch road on Pasagshak Point and East Twin is at the very end of the road at Fossil Beach. If you’re facing the beach, the lake on the left is stocked but the lake on the right is not.

Special Species Information

• New rockfish regulations took effect April 1 for Kodiak and Afognak waters north of Dangerous and Cape Ikolik. This includes all the waters of Afognak, Raspberry and Shuyak Islands as well as Chiniak, Ugak and Marmot Bays and all of Whale Pass, Kupreanof Straight and the Westside of Kodiak Island. It is also in effect for all anglers, both resident and non-resident.
• Anglers fishing in these waters can keep 5 rockfish per day, but only 2 can be of a single species. This is similar to salmon bag limits in the Kodiak Road Zone and an example would be that an angler could harvest 2 black rockfish, 2 dusky rockfish and a yelloweye. Species ID guides are available in the Southwest Alaska Regulation Booklet, on the ADF&G website and in the Kodiak ADF&G office.
• The standard bag limit for yelloweye rockfish is still in effect Island wide, only one fish of your rockfish bag limit may be a yelloweye.
• After similar regulations were implemented last season, many anglers found that shifting their fishing behavior slightly resulted in increased rockfish catches of species other than Black Rockfish, which are typically most commonly caught. Dark Rockfish, Dusky Rockfish and other species can often be found just off the side of a rock pile or reef and in deeper water than black rockfish that typically prefer the top of and middle of these structures.
• Keep an eye out for some of the species you may not have realized we have in Kodiak: Widow, Yellowtail, Canary, Tiger, Northern and Silvergray rockfish are some of these.
• New for Kodiak waters are Emergency Orders restricting saltwater king salmon harvest. The Island-wide king salmon bag limit has been reduced to 1 fish per day, with no annual limit to align with the rest of the Gulf of Alaska for the 2025 season.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• New!! Emergency Order 2-RS-4-37-25 increased the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon in the Saltery Cove Drainage to 10 per day effective July 10, 2025. This is a combined salmon bag limit, of which all 10 may be sockeye salmon, but no more than 5 may be pink, chum or no more than 2 may be coho salmon.
• New!! Emergency Order 2-RS-4-35-25 increased the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon in the Ayakulik River Drainage to 10 per day effective July 7, 2025. This is a combined salmon bag limit, of which all 10 may be sockeye salmon, but no more than 5 may be pink, chum or coho.
• Emergency Order 2-RS-4-31-25 increased the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon in the Buskin River Drainage to 10 per day effective Wednesday July 2, 2025. This is a combined salmon bag limit, of which all 10 may be sockeye salmon, but no more than 5 may be pink, chum or no more than 2 may be coho salmon through September 15.
• Emergency Order 2-RF-4-19-25 reduced the bag and possession limit for a single species of rockfish to 2 per day, 4 in possession north of Outlet Cape and Cape Ikolik. This emergency order is in effect from Tuesday April 1, 2025 through 11:59 pm. Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-4-12-25 closed the Karluk River drainage (including the lagoon and its outlet stream) and the Ayakulik River drainage to king salmon fishing and restricted fishing gear to only one unbaited, single-hook artificial lure through 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 25, 2025.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-4-16-25 reduce the bag and possession limit for king salmon in the Kodiak Area to 1 per day from 12:01am Tuesday, April 1, 2025 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 15, 2025.

Don't forget to purchase your 2025 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2025 Southcentral Alaska 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.