Area Sport Fishing Reports
Anchorage

September 11, 2020

Fall Fishing Report 2020

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by following and reviewing the current State of Alaska Health Mandates in effect. This includes practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing and wearing a face covering when fishing and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store as indicated in Health Alert 010.

* The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted two proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for the Anchorage Management Area at its Anchorage February 2020 meeting. Please see the 2020 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet for a complete summary of the Anchorage sport fisheries regulations.

Freshwater Fishing

Hooligan

• Dipnetting for hooligan is closed.

Rainbow Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic Char

• Fishing for Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden on many parts of the Campbell Creek and Chester Creek drainages has been slow. Salmon are moving through these drainages and fishing for trout and dollies can be good for anglers casting small spinners and spoons through deep pools or drifting egg imitation fly patterns and beads behind spawning salmon.

Salmon

• Ship Creek is currently open to salmon fishing, except kings, from the mouth to a cable 100 feet below the Chugach Power Plant Dam. The remainder of the creek, including 300 feet above the Elmendorf Power Plant Dam, near the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery, is CLOSED YEAR-ROUND to ALL fishing.
  • • Effective July 14, Ship Creek can be fished 24 hours a day, but king salmon may NOT be retained. Please immediately release king salmon, while not removing them from the water. King salmon fishing is only open on Ship Creek from January 1 - July 13.
    • Coho salmon fishing has pretty much wrapped up on Ship Creek. Anglers may catch a few late fish using bait and casting spinners on the incoming and outgoing tides. Try drifting salmon roe under a bobber.
      • Please make sure to keep any unwanted salmon in the water until you can safely remove the hook and release them. If you remove a coho salmon from the water it counts as part of your bag limit even if you release it.
• Bird Creek (lower portion) opened to fishing (except king salmon) on July 14. Both bait and spinners are good for catching coho salmon in this system.
  • Coho salmon fishing has slowed on Bird Creek, but a few fish are still getting pickup up by patient anglers.
  • Bird Creek is highly tidally influenced, super muddy, and there is private land prior to and after the ADF&G markers! The private land starts approximately 100 yards before the ADF&G markers on both sides of the creek. In order to access upstream of the private property sign, anglers must remain in the streambed. Access in this section of the creek is limited to the streambed only and the surrounding land is private. Above the ADF&G marker is closed to salmon fishing. Please be respectful of the private property in this area.
• Chester Creek is closed to salmon fishing.
• Portions of Campbell Creek opened to coho salmon fishing on July 14 and remain open until Wednesday, September 30. No other salmon species may be targeted or retained on Campbell Creek.
  • Coho salmon fishing on Campbell Creek has slowed. Fish are still in the creek, but majority of the fish are in their spawning colors. Bait tends to work best when water is higher and turbid. Try drifting roe or casting spinners in deep holes along the creek.

Saltwater Fishing

Hooligan

• Dipnetting for hooligan is closed.

Local Lakes

• Cheney, Delong, Campbell Point, Jewel, and Sand lakes were all just stocked with some nice sized rainbow trout this week!
• Catchable sized rainbow trout were stocked throughout the Anchorage area lakes as well as Alder and Tangle ponds.
• Anchorage Bowl lakes continue to fish well! Not familiar with all the stocked lakes? Check out our handy brochure with locations, access, and other valuable information on our Anchorage area lakes.
  • Try casting small spinners or fishing a single egg or worm under a bobber. The recent weather has cooled off the local lakes and should increase stocked trout feeding activity.
  • Check out the stocking webpage to find out where fish have been stocked.
• Symphony Lake is currently open to fishing. This is a fantastic destination for a day hike or an overnight trip to catch some Arctic grayling. Small hardware, like spinners and spoons, and both dry and wet flies work well for these fish.
• If you are looking for Arctic grayling fishing that is a little closer to home, try checking out some of our stocked Arctic grayling lakes. They might be on the smaller side, but they are such a treat for the kids to catch. Launch a canoe or raft into Taku/Campbell or Delong lakes in Anchorage or Alder Pond in Portage Valley. Small nymphs have been working well to catch these fish.
• Lakes on JBER have been stocked catchable rainbow trout. Just a reminder, you need to register with iSportsman and check with base personnel prior to fishing on JBER.
• Northern pike are not native to Anchorage area lakes but there are some in Lower Fire Lake. If you catch a pike in any Anchorage area lake, please do not release it.

Emergency Orders

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

• Emergency Order 2-SS-2-51-20 increases the bag and possession limit for coho salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, to six fish in Ship Creek drainage from its mouth upstream to a cable 100 feet downstream of the Chugach Power Plant Dam effective through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2020.

This is the last fishing report for the 2020 fishing season. This fishing report will be updated when additional information is available. For current seasonal information, please contact the ADF&G Anchorage Area Office at (907) 267-2218.