Area Sport Fishing Reports
Anchorage

May 5, 2021

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing, and wear a face covering when social distancing is not possible and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store.

Freshwater Fishing

• Hooligan
  • Dipnetting for hooligan (smelt) opened April 1 and will remain open until June 15 in freshwaters. There is no bag or possession limit.
  • This is a personal use fishery and only Alaska residents can participate. No permit is required, but you do need a valid 2021 Alaska resident fishing license or ADF&G Permanent fishing license ID card with you.
  • Hooligan run timing is highly variable. Twentymile River has open water and shoreline to target hooligan. Hooligan are starting to return and being caught. Catches are still reported as slow but could pick up anytime.
    • There is a new parking lot 0.7 miles before the Twentymile River parking lot.
  • For your safety, and for the safety of others, please park well off the highway. Do not trespass on the railroad tracks or the railroad right-of-way. Please be respectful and take all your trash with you, don’t throw it on the ground. Please obey all signs and do not block the boat launch.
  • For additional information on dipnetting for hooligan see page 16 in the 2021 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet.
• Rainbow Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic Char
  • Spawning closures are in place for Campbell and Chester creeks. Both creeks closed to all sport fishing on April 15 and will remain closed through June 14 to protect spawning rainbow trout.
• Salmon
  • Ship Creek is open to king salmon fishing but it’s still a bit too early to catch any kings. It will likely be mid to late May when the first fish is caught.
  • Bird Creek is currently closed to salmon fishing.

Saltwater Fishing

• Hooligan
  • Dipnetting for hooligan opened on April 1 and will remain open until May 31 in saltwaters. A few fish are being caught but fishing has been reported as slow but could pick up anytime.

Local Lakes

• Anchorage Bowl lakes still have some ice on them, but the ice is quickly disappearing. Stocked lakes will be stocked in the coming weeks. As the ice recedes, it is a good time to cast near the ice edge with a slow-moving wet fly or spinner to entice a bite out of a fish cruising the new open water looking for food.
• Cheney Lake had been fishing well. This lake was stocked in January with larger rainbow trout and in October with Chinook salmon. It will be stocked with rainbow trout in early to mid-May.
• Delong and Jewel lakes were both stocked with king salmon in early February. This was the most recent stocking for Anchorage area lakes.
• Local lake stockings will be in the coming weeks of May. Check out the stocking webpage to find out when your favorite lake was last stocked.

Emergency Orders

• Please review the Emergency Orders and News Releases below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.
  • There are currently no Emergency Orders for the Anchorage Management Area.

Don't forget to purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Also, make sure to review Emergency Orders and the 2021 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the Anchorage Area Office at (907) 267-2218.