Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak
Archived Sport Fishing Report
July 21, 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 wearing a face-covering when social distancing is not possible, and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store.
Freshwater Fishing
- Pasagshak and Saltery continue to have good sockeye salmon runs and fishing is good at both locations by most reports. A few pink salmon are coming in now and will make fishing more difficult as they fill up the rivers, particularly at Saltery.
- Litnik continues to see some sockeye salmon coming in and fishing has still been good. Sockeyes will continue to trickle in but pinks will be showing up any day and coho salmon in the next 10 days or so.
- There have been just a few reports of king salmon sighted in the American, Olds, or Salonie. These returns seem to be following the last 2-3 years of small returns. ADF&G is on the rivers every day collecting fish for brood stock and aiming to get every fish we can find.
- Pinks are in the Buskin and several others roadside rivers. Bright pinks are fun on spinning rods or with flies and are great to eat despite the bad name they get. Best places to look for pink salmon are near the river mouths and in the saltwaters near river mouths. They are a blast to catch on flies in open water.
Saltwater Fishing
- King salmon fishing continues to be excellent with easy limits being caught near Buoy 4 and the Fingers. Fish are mostly in the 10-20lb. range, but a few have been reported pushing 30lbs. or more.
- Anglers trolling near Buoy 4 and between Woody and Long report some coho and pink salmon in the area too. Doesn’t sound like coho fishing is particularly hot right now but there are some around.
- Halibut fishing continues to be good as well and fish seem relatively easy to find. The most consistent spots are Williams Reef and Kodiak Rocks, Buoy 4 area, and between Woody and Long islands.
- Lingcod are still abundant at most rockpiles in Chiniak Bay and anglers are reporting easy limits of lingcod. Many folks have been reporting catching lots of small lingcod in the 3-7lb. range but are able to pick through them to find larger fish.
Local Lakes
- No new reports of hot rainbow fishing have come in from our stocked lakes, but a great place to fish when its as hot as it has been is Heitman Lake. Even the small amount of elevation change offers a little bit cooler weather and fishing there in mid-summer is usually predictable and productive. Its best to fish with spinning gear from the bank and if you want to fly fish, it’s worth packing an inflatable in for the best opportunities for rainbows.
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-KS-4-41-21 closed sport fishing for king salmon including catch-and-release in the Chignik River drainage downstream to Mensis Point through 11:59 p.m. Monday, August 9, 2021.
- Emergency Order 2-RS-4-27-21 increases the bag limit in the South Olga Lakes drainage (Upper Station) for sockeye salmon to 10 through 11:59 p.m. Friday, December 31, 2021.
- Emergency Order 2-RS-4-26-21 increases the bag limit for sockeye salmon in the Ayakulik River to 10 through 11:59 p.m. Friday, December 31, 2021.
- Emergency Order 2-RS-4-19-21 closed the Buskin River drainage to sockeye salmon fishing through Friday, December 31, 2021.
- Emergency Order 2-KS-4-13-21 closed the Karluk River drainage including the lagoon and its outlet stream to king salmon fishing through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 25, 2021.
- Emergency Order 2-KS-4-12-21 closed the Ayakulik River drainage to king salmon fishing through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 25, 2021.
- Emergency Order 2-RF-4-11-21 reduced the nonresident rockfish bag and possession limits on the eastside of Afognak and Kodiak islands from Big Fort Island near Shuyak Island to Dangerous Cape on Kodiak Island through 11:59 pm. Friday, December 31, 2021.
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 Southwest Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.
For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Kodiak Area Office at (907) 486-1880.