Area Sport Fishing Reports
Kodiak

June 2, 2025

Freshwater Fishing

• Sockeye fishing in the Buskin was good over the weekend with some decent numbers holding in the river. Incoming tides in the lower river still sound most productive but there are some fish in the Pumphouse Hole and other holding areas.
• Litnik is getting some sockeye as well with around 1,000 counted through the weir.
• Dollies are being caught off local beaches now with the mouth of the Buskin, Mission Beach and the beaches in Kalsin and Chiniak being the usual hot spots.

Saltwater Fishing

• King salmon fishing was good over the weekend with fish being found between Woody and Long Islands and in Whale Pass. Sounds like an occasional fish being caught in the Woody/Near Island channel too.
• Remember that there are two emergency orders changing regulations for saltwater king salmon fishing in the Kodiak Area in effect this season. See below.
• Haven’t heard much about halibut fishing in the last week, but word is that they are being caught in the usual spots: Triple Lumps, Kodiak Rocks, Chiniak.
• Cod are still around with folks catching a lot in Kalsin Bay and near Kalsin Reef.
• Rockfish are also being found at most reefs and rock structures in Chiniak Bay. Black rockfish are found at nearly every rock and reef, but other species such as dark, dusky, yellow tail and widow rockfish can often be found by fishing just a little bit deeper and to the sides of the same rocks and reefs. See Special Species Information and Emergency Orders below for more about rockfish.
• Don’t forget that lingcod season doesn’t open until July 1! There are already lots of reports of anglers catching lingcod, so plan ahead to release them unharmed.

Local Lakes

There are two stocked lakes in the Narrow Cape/Pasagshak area: Bull and East Twin. Both can have very productive fishing and East Twin often gets credit for producing the largest fish from our stocking program. Bull is a short drive out the cattle ranch road on Pasagshak Point and is easily fishable from shore, however it is quite shallow near shore and spin fishing is best for reaching deeper water. East Twin is at the very end of the road at Fossil Beach and the stocked lake is on the east side of the rode vs. the smaller shallower lake on the west side that is not stocked with rainbows.

Special Species Information

• New rockfish regulations took effect April 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. This is similar to salmon bag limits in the Kodiak Road Zone and an example would be that an angler could harvest 2 black rockfish, 2 dusky rockfish and a yelloweye. Species ID guides are available in the Southwest Alaska Regulation Booklet, on the ADF&G website and in the Kodiak ADF&G office.
• The standard bag limit for yelloweye rockfish is still in effect Island wide, only one fish of your rockfish bag limit may be a yelloweye.
• 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 most commonly caught. 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 of these.
• New for Kodiak waters 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 to align with the rest of the Gulf of Alaska for the 2025 season.
• In addition to this, the Westside of Kodiak has been closed to saltwater king salmon fishing through June 30 to protect king salmon returning to Karluk and Ayakulik Rivers. Only 76 king salmon were counted in the Karluk River last season which was by far the lowest count on record.

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-RF-4-19-25 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. This emergency order is in effect from Tuesday April 1, 2025 through 11:59 pm. Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-4-12-25 closed the Karluk River drainage (including the lagoon and its outlet stream) and the Ayakulik River drainage to king salmon fishing and restricted fishing gear to only one unbaited, single-hook artificial lure through 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 25, 2025.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-4-16-25 reduce the bag and possession limit for king salmon in the Kodiak Area to 1 per day from 12:01am Tuesday, April 1, 2025 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, September 15, 2025.
• Emergency Order 2-KS-4-18-25 closed the saltwaters of the Westside of Kodiak Island from Outlet Cape to Cape Ikolik to king salmon fishing from 12:01am Thursday, May 1, 2025 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, June 30, 2025.

Don't forget to purchase your 2025 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 2025 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.