Area Sport Fishing Reports
Tanana

July 16, 2025

Local Conditions

• Cooler weather and rain returned to the interior this week and has cleared out some of the smoke in certain areas.
• The Tanana River has risen due to glacial melt during last week’s heat wave and remains high.

Arctic grayling

• Arctic grayling are actively foraging while aquatic insect activity has increased during the warm summer days. The cooler clearwater rivers such as the Chatanika, Delta Clearwater, and Tangle River are producing decent catches of fish on small spinners and any number of dry flies.
• From June 1 through March 31, the lower Chena River downstream of the Chena River Dam (located at Chena Lake Recreation Area) has a bag and possession limit of 1 fish any size.
• Try using small spinners (sizes 0-2) and spoons (1/4 to 1/2 oz) if using a spinning rod and small dry flies (sizes 10-16) like caddis, mayflies, midges, mosquitoes, wooly buggers, gnats, etc. for fly fishing.
• Check out the ADF&G “How To Fish For Arctic Grayling” video to learn the ins and outs of Arctic grayling fishing.

Northern pike

• Northern pike fishing is productive at this time of year, and fish may be more active with the cooler weather. Try big, flashy spoons and top-water lures to attract their attention near weedy shorelines and slower sections of sloughs.
• 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 has been reduced by emergency order from 5 fish a day to 2 fish a day, only one of which may be 30 inches or longer.

Burbot

• Burbot fishing in the Tanana River has slowed as the river rises, making fishing more difficult. Try fishing bait (herring, whitefish) on the bottom of the river in back eddy areas and slow-moving waters in the mainstem of the Tanana River. Remember, the emergency order for king salmon restricts the use of bait in tributaries of the Tanana River but not in the mainstem of the river.
• If you get lucky and land a burbot, watch the ADF&G "How to Clean a Burbot" video for a quick tutorial on how to fillet your fish.

Stocked lakes

• The cooler weather may improve fishing in local stocked lakes as fish become more active.
• Stocked rainbows will be hanging near the shallower shoreline weedy patches and Arctic char and lake trout in the cooler deeper sections of the lakes near drop offs, Check the Alaska Lake Database for bathymetric maps of lakes showing the different depths.
• Try fishing small pieces of shrimp or salmon eggs under a bobber or use small, flashy spoons or spinners to entice fish to bite.
• To increase your chances of catching stocked fish, use small hooks. If you're using bait, a size 10 to 12 hook baited with a single salmon egg or a tiny nib of shrimp works well. If you plan to use a lure, a small size 1 spinner or spoon will get you the most action.
• For a complete list of stocked lakes in the Interior and statewide, check out the Alaska Lake Database to see when lakes were stocked, how many fish were stocked and what kind of fish were stocked.
• You can also use the Fish Stocking Search Tool on the ADF&G website for a more detailed search of current stocking information.
• Go the ADF&G website to check out the Tanana River Drainage Stocked Lakes Fishing Guide that has information on all stocked lakes in the Tanana River drainage or pick up a copy at ADF&G offices in Fairbanks and Delta Junction.

Emergency Orders

• Emergency Order 3-CS-U-14-25 closes sport fishing for chum salmon in all flowing waters of the Tanana River drainage. Chum salmon may not be targeted and those caught incidentally while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.
• Emergency Order 3-KS-U-02-25 closes sport fishing for king salmon in all flowing waters of the Tanana River drainage due to a preseason forecast for a below-average Yukon River king salmon run. This closure prohibits all sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release fishing, in all waters of the Tanana River drainage, including the Chena, Goodpaster and Salcha Rivers. In addition, the use of bait is prohibited in all Tanana River tributaries (i.e. rivers and streams) when fishing for other species. Only unbaited, artificial lures may be used. All king salmon caught incidentally while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.
• Emergency Order 3-NP-U-05-25 reduces the bag and possession limit for northern pike in all lakes and flowing waters of the Minto Flats area, including the Chatanika and Tolovana River drainages and Minto Lakes, from five to two fish, only one of which may be 30 inches or longer, from June 1 – October 14, 2025.

ADF&G News

• Both the Delta and Fairbanks offices have 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.
• Check out ADF&G’s public use cabin reservation system to see about renting a free public use cabin on one of six different fishing lakes in the Delta Junction 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 follow the ADFG Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Facebook page or ADFG Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Instagram page for the most up-to-date information about fishing in Interior Alaska. Note: These are good pages to follow to get keep track of all information about the Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Fairbanks or Delta Junction offices at 907-459-7228 or 907-895-4632.