Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

August 25, 2026

Freshwater Fishing

• Silvers are starting to be caught around the road system with Pasagshak likely being the best fishing. The large pink runs everywhere else have made silver fishing a little tougher, but some fish are being caught at the Buskin and Olds.
• The Buskin is up to 440 silvers so far, which is similar to last year. It’s too early in the run to make any predictions about how the run will shape up.
• Pinks continue to be thick in most local rivers except the American and Salonie. An unusually large, even year run has showed up in the Buskin, Olds, Pillar, Monashka, and in Chiniak. There are still a lot of bright pinks around now, but they are turning fast.
• Dolly fishing has been excellent in most areas, with lots of folks continuing to find very large fish and an abundance of Dollies. Salonie and the American are probably the best spots right now due to smaller pink runs.
• There are also a lot of chum salmon around this year with large runs in the American and Salonie creeks.

Saltwater Fishing

• King salmon fishing has been steady, with decent catches - including several 20+ pound fish in the last week. The go-to spots have been the Fingers and Inner Humpback rock area. Ugak Island has also been good with kings mixed in with silvers.
• Silvers are being caught regularly too, with decent catches lately around the Fingers and between Woody and Long if you can get through the pinks. Ugak Island continues to be the hot spot.
• Halibut fishing has been good with some fish found around Buoys 3 and 4 and all around Long Island. Some folks have been finding fish around Afognak as well.
• Lingcod fishing has continued to be hot with most effort looking towards the outer reefs as folks look for larger fish.
• Rockfish are being caught in all the regular spots. With new restrictions for black rockfish effective June 1, look to deeper water on the edges of rockpiles and reefs to find dark and dusky rockfish over black rockfish. Widow and yellowtail rockfish are also around but often in discreet schools separate from other species. See Special Species Information and Emergency Orders below for more about rockfish.

Local Lakes

Not a ton of new information has come in for lake fishing - with most effort focusing on salmon in the rivers, but late summer can be good in most of our stocked lakes. With the temperatures at about the peak for the summer, look for the best fishing in deeper, cooler water.

Special Species Information

• New rockfish regulations took effect June 1 for Kodiak and Afognak waters north of Dangerous and Cape Ikolik. This includes all the waters of Afognak, Raspberry and Shuyak Islands as well as Chiniak, Ugak and Marmot Bays and all of Whale Pass, Kupreanof Straight and the Westside of Kodiak Island. It is also in effect for all anglers, both resident and non-resident.
• Anglers fishing in these waters can keep 5 rockfish per day, but for only 2 can be of a single species and only 1 may be a black rockfish and 1 may be a yelloweye. This is similar to salmon bag limits in the Kodiak Road Zone and an example would be that an angler could harvest 1 black rockfish, 2 dusky rockfish and 2 dark rockfish. Species ID guides are available in the Southwest Alaska Regulation Booklet, on the ADF&G website and in the Kodiak ADF&G office.
• After similar regulations were implemented last season, many anglers found that shifting their fishing behavior slightly resulted in increased rockfish catches of species other than black rockfish, which are typically the most common catch. Dark rockfish, dusky rockfish and other species can often be found just off the side of a rock pile or reef and in deeper water than black rockfish that typically prefer the top of and middle of these structures.
• Keep an eye out for some of the species you may not have realized we have in Kodiak: widow, yellowtail, canary, tiger, northern and silvergray rockfish are some examples.
• Additional restrictions are in place for Northern Afognak and Shuyak Islands for rockfish and lingcod north of Black Cape and Tonki Cape; see Emergency Orders online for more details.
• Similar to last year, there are Emergency Orders restricting saltwater king salmon harvest. The Island-wide king salmon bag limit has been reduced to 1 fish per day, with no annual limit – in alignment with the rest of the Gulf of Alaska for the 2026 season.

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-RS-4-46-26 restored the bag limit for sockeye salmon in the Saltery Cove drainage to 5 per day.
• Emergency Order 2-RS-4-30-26 increased the Ayakulik River drainage bag limit for sockeye salmon to 10 fish, effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026.
• Emergency Order 2-RF-4-23-26 reduced the bag and possession limit for a single species of rockfish to 2 per day, 4 in possession north of Outlet Cape and Cape Ikolik. Only 1 rockfish of the 5 fish total limit may be a yelloweye and only 1 may be a black rockfish. This emergency order is in effect from Monday June 1, 2026 through 11:59 pm. Thursday, December 31, 2026.
  • Additionally, in waters north of Tonki Cape and Black Cape, to include the waters of Northern Afognak and Shuyak Islands, the bag limit for rockfish is 3 rockfish, of which no more than one of a single species.
• Emergency Order 2-LC-4-22-26 reduced the bag and possession limit lingcod north of Tonki Cape and Black Cape. The bag limit is 1 lingcod per day, 2 in possession, 35” or greater in length. This emergency order is in effect from Wednesday July 1, 2026 through 11:59 pm. Thursday, December 31, 2026.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-4-17-26 reduced the bag and possession limit for king salmon in the Kodiak Area to 1 per day from 12:01am Wednesday, April 1, 2026 through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

Don't forget to purchase your 2026 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home.

Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2026 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Kodiak Area Office at (907) 486-1880.