Area Sport Fishing Reports
Anchorage

September 14, 2023

Fall Fishing Report-Final

This is the last fishing report for the 2023 fishing season. This fishing report will be updated when additional information is available. For current seasonal information, please contact the Anchorage office at (907) 267-2218.

Freshwater Fishing

Rainbow Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic Char

• Portions of Campbell and Chester creeks opened on June 15 to fishing for rainbow trout and Dolly Varden.
• Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden fishing will be good for the remainder of the fall as coho salmon begin spawning. Fishing small spinners or egg imitations such as beads are effective ways to target trout in Campbell Creek.

Salmon

• Coho salmon fishing on Ship and Bird Creeks has come to an end.
• On July 14, portions of Campbell Creek opened to coho (silver) salmon fishing. Anglers may not target or retain other salmon species including king salmon.
  • Coho (silver) salmon fishing has been slow and anglers have reported only catching blushed coho salmon. Coho salmon fishing closes on September 30.

Local Lakes

• Stocked lakes will be the best bet for fishing in Anchorage this fall until ice-up. Stocked fish that have made it through the summer will become very active with cooling temperatures. The hatchery has completed its fall stocking of rainbow trout and will shift to stocked king salmon in late September or early October.
• Rainbow trout fishing has been excellent at Campbell Point, Cheney, Delong and Taku-Campbell Lakes. Stripping small streamers or nymphs is a great approach for fly anglers, while casting spinners or fishing bait under a bobber has been successful for anglers using spinning rods. Anglers that can access these lakes with a float tube or canoe will have improved success.
• Looking for information on Anchorage stocked lakes? Check out the Anchorage Stocked Lakes publication with bathymetric maps and how to access locations.
• Fishing on the military base? Just a reminder, you need to register with isportsman and check with base personnel prior to fishing on JBER.

Northern Pike

• Northern pike are not native to Anchorage area. Lower Fire Lake was treated for pike in the fall of 2022, and all pike were eradicated. Lower Fire Lake was stocked with around 3,000 catchable rainbow trout in the Spring and Summer of 2023. These newly stocked rainbow trout will become very active as the lake begins to cool.
• If you catch a pike in any Anchorage area lake, do not release it and immediately report it here.

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-2-61-23 increases the bag and possession limit for coho salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, in the Ship Creek drainage from its mouth upstream to a cable 100 feet downstream of the Chugach Power Plant dam, to six fish.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2023 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase your 2023 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, advisory announcements, and the 2023 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.

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