Area Sport Fishing Reports
Southern Kenai/LCI
Archived Sport Fishing Report
August 18, 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 several proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for the Lower Cook Inlet Management Area at its Seward December 2019 and Anchorage February 2020 meetings. Please see the 2020 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet for a complete summary of the Lower Cook Inlet sport fisheries regulations.
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-RCL-7-03-20 and 2-RCL-7-04-20 closed all EASTSIDE Cook Inlet beaches to clamming for all species from the mouth of the Kenai River to the southernmost tip of the Homer Spit in 2020.
Freshwater Fishing
Salmon
- Coho salmon fishing has been improving. Try fishing early morning with salmon egg clusters suspended under a bobber. Spinners can work well too. Anchor River coho salmon counts are now on the Fish Counts website.
Dolly Varden
- Dolly fishing on the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams including the Anchor River has been poor to fair. Expect success to fluctuate with stream levels. Beads should work best, but it is worth trying different tackle including small spinners and spoons, and flies.
Saltwater Fishing
Halibut
- Halibut fishing has been consistently good in offshore locations and there was plenty of good-sized fish caught over last week. If you don’t have a boat, there’s lots of charters available in Homer, Anchor Point, and Ninilchik.
Salmon
- Trolling for coho salmon remains slow in Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet. The best coho salmon fishing has been at the mouth of Cook Inlet near Point Adam and along the Chugach Islands.
- Coho salmon run in the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon should be wrapping up but there may be a few late arrivers showing up.
- King salmon have been scattered throughout Kachemak Bay, including north of Bluff Point and Point Pogibshi.
- Most anglers use downriggers and fish with troll sized herring or spoons behind flashers.
Shellfish
- Good clamming tides are occurring this week and there are good numbers of razor clams in the Polly Creek and Crescent River Bar area in West Cook Inlet. Access is difficult but there are charters available in Deep Creek. Remember all EASTSIDE Cook Inlet beaches are CLOSED to clamming. See Emergency Orders 2-RCL-7-03-20 and 2-RCL-7-04-20.
Don’t forget to bring your 2020 sport fishing license and king salmon stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2020 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 2020 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.
For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Homer office at (907) 235-8191.