Area Sport Fishing Reports
Yukon

July 8, 2024

Local conditions

• The Dalton Highway begins at MP 73 on the Elliott Highway. A large fire has been burning near the Elliott Highway, although recent rain has helped calm fire activity. The fire is still smoldering and hotter, drier weather is forecasted. Before driving to the Dalton Highway, check the current road conditions at Alaska 511 for updates on road closures on this changing and emerging situation. Dense smoke may be present from this and other potentially emerging wildfires along the Dalton and Steese Highways. Be careful with any fire sources when fishing and camping during hot, dry, and windy conditions. Road conditions along the Taylor Highway are currently good; however, be aware the first 60 miles of the Taylor Highway are paved, and the remaining sections are gravel.

Freshwater Fishing

Arctic grayling

Arctic grayling are fairly ubiquitous throughout the Yukon River drainage.

• Post-spawning Arctic grayling will be at their summer feeding locations where they will remain throughout most of July and August. In general, older and larger adult Arctic grayling will occupy the upper reaches of a river or stream, gradating to smaller adults and juveniles lower in the drainages. Many of the streams accessed from the Steese, Dalton, and Taylor Highways are headwaters.
• Nome Creek and the Ikhèenjik River (Birch Creek), which can be accessed from the Steese Highway, are running low and clear and offer excellent fishing opportunities for Arctic grayling. Only catch-and-release fishing for Arctic grayling is allowed in Nome Creek, which is located within the White Mountains National Recreation Area. NOME CREEK IS RESTRICTED TO CATCH-AND-RELEASE FISHING ONLY FOR ARCTIC GRAYLING. For those planning to float Birch Creek, be aware that during 2023 a potentially hazardous new river channel was discovered a few miles downriver from the Upper Birch Creek Wayside. Before beginning a float trip from the Upper Wayside, contact the Bureau of Land Management Fairbanks District office at 907-474-2200 for current conditions.
• Streams within the Fortymile River drainage and along the Dalton Highway, are also running clear and fishing opportunities for Arctic grayling are good.
• Popular gear used to capture Arctic grayling are shiny spoons when the streams are wide enough and colorful jigs for narrower streams and creeks. Mosquitos, mayflies, and other insects are numerous in interior Alaska and flies mimicking these would also be enticing to a hungry Arctic grayling.
• Watch our video How to Fish for Arctic grayling to learn what you will need to know to successfully target Arctic grayling.

Northern pike

Northern pike, like Arctic grayling, are fairly ubiquitous through the Yukon River drainage.

• Good fishing for northern pike can be found in slower moving waters like the lower portion of the Ikhèenjik River that crosses at mile 147 of the Steese Highway.
• Popular fishing locations for large northern pike are at the mouths of major tributaries that drain into the mainstem Yukon River such as the Dall, Ray, Nowitna, and Innoko Rivers, and Hess Creek. The Yukon River is currently flowing at normal river height and the mouths of these tributaries have lowered and cleared since breakup. As a result, sport fishing has improved for these voracious, visual predators.
• Popular lures that fishers have reported success in capturing northern pike include buzzbait, booyah, jitterbugs, shiny spoons, and shads. Northern pike have rows of sharp teeth, so be sure to bring pliers and a spreader in order to safely remove hooks, especially from larger fish.

Sheefish

• Sheefish continue to migrate upstream to summer feeding areas and sport fishing has improved as the Yukon River flows at normal height and the confluences of major tributaries have cleared. Good fishing opportunities can be found at the mouths of major tributaries such as the Innoko, Koyukuk, Nowitna, and Porcupine Rivers. Large, shiny spoons are popular lures for capturing sheefish such as crocodiles, pixies, and daredevils as well as various shads that mimic juvenile prey.

Salmon

King salmon

• Due to a preseason projection for a below-average king salmon run in the Yukon River, sport fisheries for king salmon closed in the Yukon Management Area on March 21, 2024. This closure prohibits all sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release fishing. In addition, when fishing for other species, anglers may not use bait in Yukon River tributaries.
• Because king salmon runs in the Yukon River continue to experience historically low runs, including those crossing the border into Canada where approximately 40-50% of the salmon spawn, a 7-year agreement has been enacted to close Canadian-origin Yukon River Chinook salmon to all fishing, including subsistence, commercial, personal use, and sport fishing during 2024-2030. This agreement applies only to Canadian-origin king salmon in the mainstem Yukon River. Current run projects for king salmon indicate another poor run and sport fishing will remain closed for the remainder of 2024.

Chum salmon

• For summer chum salmon, current projections are for a run of sufficient size to meet spawning run goals. However, there remains uncertainty about the run strength projection for fall chum salmon, which typically appear in the lower Yukon River during mid-July. So, be sure to check with the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements before fishing for chum salmon in the Yukon River.

Emergency orders

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

• Emergency Order 3-KS-Y-1-2024 closes the Yukon River drainage excluding the Tanana River drainage, to sport fishing for king salmon.

Catch-and-release techniques

• Because fish typically grow and reproduce more slowly at high latitudes and elevations, please use proper catch-and-release techniques to ensure the survival of the released fish such as:
  • Use lures with a single hook and crimp down the barb. Do not use bait.
  • Land the fish with a soft net and keep the fish in the water when removing the hook.
  • To release the fish, hold it gently facing into the current or in water without a current to gently cradle the fish and move it slowly back and forth until it swims away under its own power.

ADF&G News

ADF&G is mobile. You can purchase and display your fishing license, record your annual harvest (where applicable), 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 your fishing license through the ADF&G Online Store and print it off at home. Also, before heading out, be sure to review the Emergency Orders and the 2024 Northern Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing.

For More Information

For more information, please call Yukon Area Management Biologist Lisa Stuby at 907-459-7202.