Area Sport Fishing Reports
Upper Copper/Upper Susitna

July 26, 2024

Local Conditions

• The Copper River flow has slightly increased over the last few days but is not expected to continue to do so.
• The Copper River flow gauge in Chitina is online and accessible at the NOAA website.
• The Gulkana River is currently flowing at slightly below average flows and the water is clear.

Sonar

• Daily counts should continue to trend downward through the rest of the sonar operation but should remain at or above expected daily counts.
• Check on the numbers at the ADF&G Fish Count web page.

Chitina Personal Use Fishery

• The Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery will be open continuously from 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 29 through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, August 31. Retention of king salmon is prohibited for the remainder of the season. The fishery will then remain open by regulation from September 1–30.
  • The annual limit is 25 salmon for the head of the household and 10 salmon for each dependent of the permit holder.
  • Personal use fishers must possess both their Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery Permit and a valid resident sport fishing license when fishing.
  • King salmon and steelhead cannot be kept and must be returned to the water unharmed.
  • You must record your harvest on the permit immediately.
  • Both tips of the tail fin of personal use caught fish must be clipped immediately upon landing a fish. Immediately is defined as before concealing the salmon from plain view or transporting the salmon from the fishing site. Fishing site means the location where the fish was removed from the water and became part of the permit holder’s bag limit.
• The department urges dipnetters to respect the rights of private landowners in the area and familiarize themselves with the land ownership in the area before fishing. For information on access across private lands contact Chitina Native Corporation at (907) 823-2223 or Ahtna, Inc. at (907) 822-3476.
• Access between O’Brien Creek and Haley Creek is open. Go the Alaska Department of Transportation's Copper River Public Access web page for more information.
• McCarthy Road is open. Check Alaska 511 for current road status and updates.
• Edgerton HWY: Maintenance/ road work- MP 24-29 RESURFACING: Watch for flaggers daily from 7AM to 7PM. Be alert to cones and signs during the night. For more information: https://arcg.is/0DuCSP0
• Detailed information about this fishery can be found on the Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery section of the ADF&G website.
• Information hotline for Chitina personal use fishery: 907-822-5224.
• If you haven't participated in this fishery before, be sure to watch the 4-part video series How to Dipnet for Salmon at Chitina on the ADF&G website or on the ADF&G Youtube channel.

Glennallen Subdistrict Subsistence Fishery

• The Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence salmon fishery is currently open and will remain open through September 30th.
• King salmon retention is prohibited in this fishery until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. After this date, king salmon may be kept.
• Fish wheels must be closely attended while spinning until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 31.

Online Harvest Reporting

• Harvest information must be reported online. If you got your permit online, the system will recognize you once you enter your permit number. If you got a paper permit at a vendor or an ADF&G office, you may still report your harvest online, but you will have to enter your name, address, and sport fish license number.
• You may also log and report your personal use harvest through the ADF&G mobile app. If you take this route, make sure you open the app when you have service for your logged harvest to upload to the reporting database.

Sport Fishing

• Lake trout and burbot may be found in shallower waters as the lakes cool. Lake Louise and Susitna Lake and Paxson and Summit Lakes on the Richardson Highway are all good choices for these species.
• Arctic grayling: Try fishing some smaller lakes and their outlets or closer to shore in larger lakes. If stream fishing, try upper stream sections where the water is coldest to find bigger fish. Paxson Lake near the BLM campground is usually a productive spot for Arctic grayling. Be sure to watch the How to Fish for Arctic Grayling video on the ADF&G Youtube channel for helpful tips.
• Dolly Varden: The Little Tonsina River and the upper Klutina River are always a good choice for Dollies. You can also fish along the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads. For smaller Dollies, you can have a great time fishing the Tiekel River, which runs along Richardson Highway on the way to Valdez.
• For information about stocked lakes in the Upper Copper River drainage visit the Alaska Lake Database.
• For a guide to local area small fisheries, check out Sport fishing Alaska rivers and lakes in the Upper Copper/Upper Susitna River Basin. This guide lists all the fisheries, species available and mile markers along all the major highways crossing the Upper Copper and Upper Susitna Area.

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon: Sockeye are abundant in the Klutina River as well as the Tonsina River, providing an excellent opportunity for salmon fishing. If you've never fished the Klutina River before, watch the How to Fish for Klutina River Red Salmon video on the ADF&G Youtube channel. Sockeye salmon are between runs on the Gulkana River but look to this river for great sockeye fishing in mid-August through mid-September.
• King salmon: ALL WATERS of the Upper Copper River drainage are closed to king salmon fishing. King salmon may not be targeted and must be released immediately if incidentally caught. Additionally, all flowing water in the Upper Copper River drainage are restricted to no bait, single hook artificial lures.

Emergency Orders

• Emergency Order 3-KS-I-9-24 closes the Upper Copper River drainage upstream of the south bank of Haley Creek to all sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release fishing. All king salmon incidentally caught while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. In addition, the use of bait is still prohibited and anglers may only use unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures in all flowing waters of the Upper Copper River drainage through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, August 10.
• Emergency Order 3-KS-I-10-24 closes the Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence salmon fishery to the retention of king salmon. Any king salmon incidentally taken may not be retained and must be released immediately. Fish wheels must be closely attended while spinning and any kings caught must be released immediately, even if the fish wheel is equipped with a live box.
• Emergency Order 3-RS-I-16-24 amends the schedule for the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery for July 29 – August 31, 2024. The Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery will be open continuously from 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 29 through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, August 31. Retention of king salmon is prohibited for the remainder of the season. The fishery will then remain open by regulation from September 1–30.

ADF&G News

• Fish remains attract bears — Remember to Stop, chop and throw.
  • When possible, clean fish at a designated fish cleaning station, or at home.
  • Cut filleted fish carcasses into smaller pieces that can be easily carried away in the current.
  • Toss all fish waste into deep, fast-moving currents — not in dumpsters! Do not leave entrails or other fish waste on the bank or in shallow water.
  • If you clean your fish at home, place entrails and fish waste into the freezer until the morning of garbage day. Do not leave fish waste outside in garbage cans for multiple days, as bears will be attracted to the smell, even in town. A benefit of filleting at home is that it yields cleaner meat than filleting in the field.
  • For more information on how to live, travel, hunt and fish in bear country (most of Alaska), visit the State Parks website Bears and You.
• Don't forget to purchase your 2024 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 2024 Northern Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.
• The Glennallen ADF&G office has fishing rods to loan out as part of the ADF&G Rod Loaner Program. All you need is a current sport fishing license (for resident anglers 18 and older and non-residents 16 or older) to borrow a rod. You’ll have to provide your own tackle but rods are free of charge.
• Be sure to check out the ADF&G Youtube channel for a wide variety of how-to videos, as well as videos that highlight the research projects undertaken by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Glennallen office at (907) 822-3309.