Area Sport Fishing Reports
Northern Kenai

Archived Sport Fishing Report

May 05, 2022

Upcoming ADF&G Events

  • The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will be selling fishing, hunting, trapping licenses, and Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permits at the upcoming Kenai Peninsula Sport, Rec and Trade Show, this weekend May 6-8, 2022, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. Additionally, ADF&G will have informational/educational publications and a youth-only rainbow trout fishing pond. The youth fishing pond is a great time for young anglers! Bring your child down to catch a rainbow trout! These fish are from the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery in Anchorage and fish not caught at the show will be stocked into Sport Lake on May 8.
  • The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, will be hosting the 21st Annual “Salmon Celebration” for Kenai Peninsula Borough School District elementary classes at Johnson Lake on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. This event will have 31 educational activities including the opportunity for students to stock rainbow trout into Johnson Lake. For more information, please call Fishery Biologist Lucas Stumpf at (907) 260-2919.

Kenai Peninsula Access Sites

  • These public access sites are now open: Crooked Creek, Kasilof River (boat launch), Bing’s Landing (day use, campground, boat launch), Johnson Lake (west loop campground), Deep Creek, Clam Gulch, all Anchor River (all), Stariski and Captain Cook (May 6) recreation sites are open. For more information, please call Alaska State Parks at (907) 262-5581.
  • City of Soldotna Centennial Park campground and walking trail as well as Swiftwater Campground is closed from May 1 through approximately May 20 to all users for spruce tree removal.

Freshwater Fishing

  • The flowing waters of the Kenai River mainstem upstream of the Lower Killey River marker and all Kenai River tributary streams are closed to fishing from May 1 through June 10 to protect spawning rainbow trout.
  • Kasilof River steelhead fishing is good. All rainbow/steelhead trout caught may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. See page 70 of the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for more information. Please refer to the emergency orders below for more info.
  • Hooligan (eulachon) fishing is just starting and will continue to improve over the next couple of weeks.

Saltwater Fishing

Local Lakes

  • Local lakes will be free of ice soon and lake fishing should be good to excellent. Lake fishing for rainbow trout, Arctic char, Arctic grayling, and land locked salmon will improve with warming water temperatures. Try fishing with dry or wet flies such as an egg sucking leech, bead head nymph, or mosquito pattern; small spoons and spinners size #0 or #2; or small bait under a bobber.
  • Sport Lake will be stocked with approximately 450 rainbow trout catchables on May 8.
  • Johnson Lake will be stocked with approximately 7,500 rainbow trout catchables on May 11.

Emergency Orders

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

Kasilof River

  • Emergency Order 2-KS-1-20-22 prohibits the retention of naturally-produced king salmon effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday, May 1 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 30, 2022. In addition, the use of bait in the Kasilof River downstream of the Sterling Highway Bridge is not allowed until May 16 when bait is allowed by regulation. Effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, May 16 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 30 only one single-hook, artificial lure or fly may be used, and bait is allowed in the Kasilof River. The bag and possession limit for king salmon 20 inches or greater in length is two hatchery-produced fish.
  • Emergency Order 2-KS-1-08-22 prohibits the retention of naturally-produced king salmon while sport fishing in the Kasilof River downstream of the Sterling Highway Bridge. Only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure may be used when sport fishing in these waters. This regulation restriction is effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 1 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022.

Kenai River

  • Emergency Order 2-KS-1-09-22 restricts the king salmon fishery on the Kenai River drainage to catch-and-release only effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 1 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022. Only one unbaited, single-hook may be used, and retention of king salmon is prohibited while sport fishing on the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to an ADF&G regulatory marker at the outlet of Skilak Lake.

Local Lakes

  • Emergency Order 2-NP-1-04-22 prohibits the retention of any species of fish in East Mackey, West Mackey, Sevena, Union, and Derks lakes for the 2022 season.
  • Emergency Order 2-DV-1-03-22 establishes a bag and possession limit of Arctic char/Dolly Varden in Stormy Lake of one fish, less than 16 inches in length for the 2022 season.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2022 sport fishing license and king stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2022 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 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Soldotna Area Office at (907) 262-9368.