Area Sport Fishing Reports
Tanana

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 22, 2023

ADF&G News

The Fairbanks and Delta ADF&G offices offer a free fishing rod loaner program. Each office has rods suitable for fishing stocked lakes and resident species such as Arctic grayling, northern pike and salmon. Resident anglers 18 and older and non-resident anglers 16 and older must have a current Alaska sportfishing license to sign out a rod. This is a first-come, first-served program and fishing rods cannot be reserved. For more information, check out the Rod Loaner Program webpage at or call the Fairbanks ADF&G office at 907-459-7228 or the Delta Junction office 907-895-4632.

Sport Fishing

• The special youth fishery in the lower Chena River, downstream Chena River flood control project, will continue this weekend for four sequential weekends. Only anglers 15 years of age or younger may fish for and retain 1 Arctic grayling of any size per day on the following dates: June 17-18, June 24-25, July 1-2, July 8-9. All anglers may fish for and retain 1 Arctic grayling in the lower Chena River between June 1 and March 31 except during the youth only fishery.
• Most high alpine lakes are now open. Fishing is usually quite good along shoreline areas just after ice-out before water temps warm.
• Most local rivers are clear and river fishing will be very good as Arctic grayling are set up in their summer feeding habitats.
• Spring stocking of Tanana drainage lakes has concluded. A total of 297,627 fish were stocked in 71 lakes, which includes 109,355 catchable rainbow trout, 62,629 fingerling rainbow trout, 114,288 fingerling coho salmon, and 10,355 Arctic char. Try fishing small pieces of shrimp under a bobber, flashy spoons, or spinners to entice fish to bite. Tangentially, many stocked lakes also have great camp sites and a few have ADF&G cabins that can be reserved for free. For more information, go to the ADF&G public-use cabin webpage.
• Northern pike fishing in the Tolovana River drainage, including Minto Flats, Minto Lakes and the Chatanika River, opened June 1. The bag and possession limit for northern pike in those waters has been reduced from 5 fish a day to 2 fish a day, only one of which may be 30 inches or longer. The water levels in Minto Flats are high and there is limited dry land available for onshore use and/or camping.
• Northern pike fishing in waters that are open to fishing can be productive at this time of year. Try big, flashy spoons to attract their attention. Minto Flats remains inundated with water although it is incrementally dropping.
• Bait is currently not allowed in any tributaries of the Tanana River due to the closure of the king salmon fishery this summer. Bait may be used in the Tanana River and burbot fishing downstream from the mouths of tributaries in the Tanana remains good this time of year, although will slow down as temperature and water levels rise. Try fishing bait on the bottom of the river in back eddy areas and slow-moving waters in the mainstem of the Tanana River.

Emergency Orders

Please review the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip:

• Emergency orders 3-KS-U-6-23 and 3-CS-U-7-23 issued March 29^th closed the sport fishery for king and chum salmon in all flowing waters of the Tanana River drainage effective April 5th. In addition, the use of bait is prohibited in all Tanana River tributaries through September 30.
• Emergency order 3-R-U-08-23 issued April 24 restricts Kimberly Lake to catch-and-release fishing only for all fish species due to PFAS contamination. Any fish caught while sport fishing in Kimberly Lake must be released immediately.
• Emergency order 3-NP-U-10-23 issued May 1 reduces the bag and possession limit for northern pike in all lakes and flowing waters of the Minto Flats area to two fish, only one of which may be 30 inches or longer, effective from June 1 – October 14.

Additional info

• Be sure to follow the ADF&G Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Facebook and Instagram pages to get the most current information about fishing in the area.
• The Tanana Valley Fisheries Center in the Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery at 1150 Wilbur Street in Fairbanks is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop in to say hi and see what’s growing in the hatchery.
• Be sure to review the 2023 Northern Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.

For More Information

Call the Fairbanks office at (907) 459-7228 or the Delta Junction office at (907) 895-4632.