February 2026

Now is the Time to Get Out and Go Ice Fishing!

Winter fishing is delivering across Alaska. From rare ice on Prince of Wales Island to trophy burbot in the Interior, anglers are making the most of the season. Grab your auger, check the ice, and see what opportunities are waiting.

If you have any questions about fishing and hunting licenses in Alaska, please visit our General License Information page.

Visit our online store if you need to purchase a license. Or download the ADF&G mobile app and you can store your licenses, tags and permits in your mobile device.

If you have a comment or story ideas for "Reel Times", we encourage you to send them our way. You can send comments to ryan.ragan@alaska.gov.

See you on the water.

A Rare Opportunity: Ice Fishing Prince of Wales

By Craig Schwanke, Division of Sport Fish Area Management Biologist, Prince of Wales Island

Ice fishing is a common winter angler activity in most of Alaska but not on Prince of Wales Island (POW) of Southeast Alaska where the ratio of ice augers to anglers is certainly very low. Unlike most of Alaska where ice fishing occurs, winters in Southeast generally consist of mild weather and fishing in open water. Recent winters have been mild but there generally is a cold spell or two that creates ice cover on POW lakes. Due to the mild climate anglers must be very cautious and test ice thickness for safety. Unlike most of Southeast, POW has an extensive road system between communities providing access to numerous ponds and lakes, many of which have coastal cutthroat trout and are documented on the department's GoFishAK map resource.

During a cold spell last winter, I received a call at the department office in Craig from an angler reporting two tagged cutthroat trout caught from Luck Lake. It's always great when an angler reports a tagged fish, but it was unusual that these fish were caught ice fishing. The fish were tagged during a study we conducted the previous summer documenting the size composition of cutthroat trout in the lake. The angler provided tag numbers, date of catch and approximate length which I added to the studies database. The study is part of a Southeast wide effort to document size composition of cutthroat trout in lakes. The data will be used to evaluate current Southeast Alaska trout regulations where there has been a decrease in trout catch, which appears to be correlated with fewer anglers targeting trout and not due to declines in trout populations. The reason for the decline is speculative, but restrictive trout regulations may be partially responsible.

Cutthroat trout are present throughout Southeast Alaska, especially in drainages with a lake system. Coastal cutthroat trout can be anadromous, which means they spend some time in salt water, but many populations that have drainages connected to saltwater are a mix of sea run and resident fish. Lakes isolated from the ocean by natural barriers such as waterfalls, which are common in Southeast Alaska, often have remnant populations of cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and possibly kokanee.

In my experience ice fishing for cutthroat trout, I've found that they can be caught in shallow water between 3 to 10 feet of depth. Bait is not legal gear in most freshwaters of POW, which definitely creates a disadvantage for ice fishing since anglers do not have the benefit of scent attracting fish to their location. Luckily, cutthroat trout are generally aggressive and will take actively jigged presentations. Small spoons such as Swedish pimples and small marabou or rubber jigs work well. It's important to keep the presentation moving as a visual attractant since scent can't be used to attract fish. I also suggest using multiple holes to allow anglers to "hole hop" and find active fish. Fish are generally between 8-14 inches, with a chance for fish up to 20 inches. Some lakes connected to river systems may have winter steelhead which tend to spend time in lakes during the low stream flows of winter providing the potential to hook a 10lb steelhead while ice fishing.

Regulations for trout (combination of cutthroat and rainbow trout) in Southeast Alaska are conservative with low bag limits, bait restrictions and size limits which are based on department cutthroat trout research and public input. The general regulation for trout (cutthroat and rainbow combined) in Southeast Alaska is a bag limit of two, an 11-inch minimum and 22-inch maximum size limit and bait allowed September 15 to November 15. Special regulations vary by drainage, or lake, based on angling pressure and trout size. If you hook and land a steelhead through the ice it will have to be at least 36 inches to keep, with many drainages closed to steelhead retention. An angler is allowed two closely attended rods while ice fishing.

The department has numerous resources available for ice fishing anglers including the popular Fishing Forum series of videos on YouTube created to assist anglers. Ice fishing is a unique cold weather opportunity for POW but if winter remains mild and lakes don't freeze anglers can always fish open water for winter steelhead.

A Burbot Bonanza in Fairbanks

By Tim Mowry, Region III Information Officer

It's been a big month for burbot in the Interior - literally.

In the past month, three Fairbanks-area anglers brought trophy burbot into the ADF&G office in Fairbanks to be weighed and measured for ADF&G's Trophy Fish Program.

If you're interested in targeting burbot through the ice, check out this great video.

A Family Affair

First up was Chad Bear, who pulled a 12.2-pound burbot out of Birch Lake southeast of Fairbanks on January 19. The fish measured 39 inches.

It was a family affair. Bear rigged the set line used to catch the burbot with his son, Jaden, and his girlfriend's two daughters, Lyla and Mira Galbicsek. A set line is a baited line that is lowered to the bottom of a river or lake and is anchored in a way so it can be pulled up and checked. Set lines must be checked at least every 24 hours.

"It was a team effort," Chad Bear said. "They helped me drill the holes, bait the hooks and clean the holes."

While the three youngsters weren't there to help pull the fish up out of the hole because they had to go back to school the next day, they did help catch the bait - rainbow trout heads from fish caught on a previous ice fishing outing at Birch Lake - used to hook the burbot on the set line. Bear's 77-year-old father, Tom, was the one who pulled the fish out of the hole, making it entirely a family affair.

An Assist From Hubby

Next up was Silke Wandling, who with a helping hand - literally - from her fishing-guide-husband, Jesse, reeled up a 10.65-pound burbot on Jan. 18, also from Birch Lake. The fish measured 36 inches.

"I could tell that it was a big fish," Silke wrote in an email, recounting the catch. "It gave a pretty good tug when I hooked it, and the more I started to reel it in the more it came alive.

"It gave several good runs and it took a bit to get it close to the ice opening and get it positioned right to be able to land it," she said. "Jesse made sure the line didn't get frayed by the ice edge and that the burbot was aligned correctly. It was about halfway out of the ice hole when it finally managed to spit out the hook/lure but Jesse was quick to grab and secure it. It sure pays off to have an excellent guide! And it's even nicer when it's your husband!"

The Wandlings brought the fish into the ADF&G office in Fairbanks to have it officially weighed and measured for a trophy certificate.

It was the second trophy burbot the couple landed from Birch Lake in the past year. Jesse, who works on and off as an ice fishing guide, caught a 9-pound, 4-ounce burbot that measured 32 inches on Jan. 5, 2025. The fact that Silke's fish was more than a pound heavier than Jesse's was not lost on Silke, or Jesse.

"I had to help get that sucker out of the ice hole," Jesse said of Silke's fish. "As soon as I grabbed it under the gill I told her, 'Yours is bigger.' We got it flopped out on the ice and I said, 'Oh yeah, a lot bigger.' "

Silke was using a 2-inch brown and chartreuse beaver tail lure made by Hooks of Alaska tipped with a small piece of raw shrimp. The Wandlings were jigging in about 20 feet of water.

Silke said she relies on Jesse's expertise when it comes to ice fishing and he has developed a specific technique for targeting burbot in Birch Lake.

"He loves what he is doing and spends a lot of time furthering his knowledge and scouting out new places or new approaches to fishing," she said. "He is always happy to share his knowledge and fishing techniques and to get people excited about this sport. And for me there is nothing better than fishing with my better half! Or to talk him into putting the stinky bait on the hook because I don't feel like messing with it."

As to who will catch the next big burbot, Silke said she is hoping it's their teenage daughter, Miriam.

"I would love for our teenage daughter to get the next big one," Silke said. "She was kind of bummed that she had decided not to go fishing that day."

The Wandlings cooked up the big burbot with salt, lime and lemon pepper with melted butter on the side.

"It was delicious," Silke said. "Burbot is our favorite fish to eat."

Trapper Turned Burboteer

Last up was Jarrett Hendrickson, who caught an 8.35-pound, 35.5-inch burbot from the Tanana River on Feb. 2. It was just big enough to make the 8-pound qualifying weight for burbot in ADF&G's Trophy Fish Program.

It was Hendrickson's first-ever burbot and he caught it on a set line near the confluence of the Tanana River and Piledriver Slough about 25 miles southeast of Fairbanks. At first, Hendrickson wasn't sure if he had a fish on his line or not.

"I couldn't get it out of the hole; I thought I was snagged on the bottom, or the hook was stuck on the edge of the ice hole," Hendrickson said of his line. "Then I saw this giant mouth."

"As soon as we got the head out of the hole everybody was freaking out," Hendrickson said of his fishing companions, friend Paul Fisher and fiancée Rebecca Nelson.

Hendrickson had prepped by watching ADF&G's "How to Set Line for Burbot" video.

"That's what we based all our sets off," Hendrickson said of the video, adding that they were using cut herring for bait.

Setlining for burbot is similar to trapping, said Hendrickson, who has been trapping since he was 8-years-old.

"Doing that with fish is kind of neat," said Hendrickson, a 24-year-old heavy equipment operator. "You have one big set up to bait the line and then you go out each night and you're wondering 'What have we got? What have we got?' It's like Christmas every day. I'm definitely hooked."

Hendrickson has already figured out a tasty way to cook burbot.

"I boil them in Sprite and dip them in butter," he said, though he planned to try beer-battered burbot nuggets with the big fish he caught.

Learn more about the ADF&G Trophy Fish Program.

ADF&G Video Shows You How to Clean a Burbot

After you have successfully caught a burbot or two, you will want to prepare them for eating. The "How to Clean Burbot" video shows the technique for cleaning and filleting your catch.

ADF&G Recognizes Angling Accomplishments

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Division of Sport Fish offers three angler recognition programs where anglers can be recognized for their fishing accomplishments

Trophy Fish Program

Your next big catch might qualify as a trophy fish. Check out the Trophy Fish Program to find minimum qualifications for catch-and-release or catch and keep. We even have a Youth category.

Five Salmon Family Challenge

Have you caught all five species of Pacific salmon native to the freshwaters of Alaska? If so, submit your photos and application for a certificate of recognition. This program is open to families and individuals.

Stocked Waters Challenge

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game "Stocked Waters Challenges" awards a certificate of recognition to individual or groups who successfully complete one or more of the angling challenges - all based around fishing at stocked waters.

Reminder: Purchase Your 2026 Sport Fishing License!

Hey anglers. Don't forget to purchase your 2026 sport fishing license and king salmon stamp before your next fishing adventure this season.

Purchasing a license is easy. Visit our online store or purchase your license through the ADF&G Mobile app.

Happy fishing!

Recipe of the month: Salmon Sandwich Supreme

Enjoy your next meal with this recipe for a : Salmon Sandwich Supreme from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions about the Reel Times newsletter, please contact Ryan Ragan at ryan.ragan@alaska.gov