Area Sport Fishing Reports
Northwest
Archived Sport Fishing Report
July 07, 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.
Please see the 2020 Northern Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for a complete summary of the sport fisheries regulations for the Northwestern and North Slope Management Areas (NW/NSMA).
Emergency Orders
Please review the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.
- There are currently no Emergency Orders for the NW/NSMA. However, due to the potential for COVID-19 transmission most villages in the NW/NSMA have placed restrictions on travel, and most village travel is limited to those providing essential services and critical infrastructure. Please contact the Emergency Services office or City Council of the village you wish to visit prior to arranging travel.
Sport Fishing
Reports from the village of Unalakleet indicate that fishing for king salmon has been very good until recently when heavy rains brought high, murky water. Soon, chum and pink salmon will enter the river in large numbers, with the run of pink salmon expected to exceed the 2018 run of over 1 million fish. Due to travel restrictions, the two fishing lodges on the Unalakleet River are closed for the season.
In northern Norton Sound, adult salmon counting projects have begun. However with high water in most areas, few fish have been counted. Very few king salmon enter the streams near Nome , but a good number of pink and chum salmon, and later in the summer, coho salmon, are popular targets for anglers, particularly in rivers along the Nome are road system.
Fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling should be good throughout the Northwestern Management Area, particularly with smolt-imitation flies and lures. Arctic grayling also aggressively attack topwater flies as well. Watch the ADF&G video, "How to Fish for Arctic Grayling" for helpful tips on technique and gear.
Sheefish should be entering the lower Kobuk and Selawik river soon on their way to spawning areas upstream. Sheefish spawn in late-September, and upon completion travel back down to Hotham Inlet to overwinter. Chum salmon will enter the Noatak and Kobuk rivers in large numbers starting in mid-July. Dolly Varden fishing in the Noatak River tributaries will be good throughout the summer, while fishing for very large Dolly Varden on the Wulik River does not pick up until mid-August, when they begin to enter the Wulik to overwinter. Peak fishing for Dolly Varden in the Wulik River is usually mid-September.
On the North Slope, popular lakes such as Galbraith, Toolik, and Chandler lakes are all ice-free. Good fishing for lake trout, Arctic char, and Arctic grayling can be found before the water warms up. Fishing for Dolly Varden will start to pick up in mid-July when spawning fish enter the rivers to spawn, and spawning generally does not begin until late-August. The largest populations of Dolly Varden are found in the Anaktuvuk, Ivishak, Canning, Hulahula, and Kongakut rivers. All but the Ivishak are fly-in only, and the Ivishak access is by boat from the Sagavanirktok River along the Dalton Highway.
Don’t forget to bring your 2020 sport fishing license and king 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 Northern Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.
For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Fairbanks Office at (907) 459-7200.