Kodiak Island fishing report

Kodiak Combos
Jeff Peterson
Old Harbor
June 2, 2016

We started the season off right here in Kodiak out of Old Harbor. We were trolling kings with whole herring rigged on Gamakatsu hooks on a Seeker Hercules rod with 30-pound Fluorocarbon line.

Fish Alaska’s 2016 Fishing Report
for Kodiak Island

Check back for updates from around the state all summer! Submit your local fishing reports here, be sure to include all pertinent information.


Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Kodiak Area
August 22, 2016

Week of August 22 to August 28
Issued August 22, 2016

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

  • Marine boat anglers returning to any port on the Kodiak road system from May 31 – August 31 may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head king salmon until they have been brought to shore and offloaded, unless the fish have been consumed or preserved on board.
  • Effective June 4, the bag limit for sockeye in the Afognak River (Litnik) is increased from 5 to 10 fish per day.
  • Effective June 9, the bag limit for sockeye in the Buskin River is increased from 2 to 5 fish per day.
  • Effective July 6, the bag limit for sockeye in the Saltery River is increased from 5 to 10 fish per day.
  • Effective July 14, sportfishing for sockeye salmon is re-opened in the Pasagshak River drainage.
  • Drainages flowing into Chiniak Bay except Buskin and Kalsin Pond are closed above the highway bridges to salmon fishing beginning August 1st through September 15th.

Fresh waters

Salmon

  • Department of Fish and Game counting weirs on the Karluk and Olga rivers continue to operate to count returns of late sockeye salmon. Sockeye runs elsewhere are nearing their end for the season and most weirs have been pulled. Returns of coho salmon to the Buskin River are counted at the lower, floating weir near Bridge 2. The goal for this run is 4,700 to 8,700 fish.
  • About 180 coho have been counted through the Buskin weir. This is lower than average, but the run is still building.
  • Coho are starting to trickle in to other road-side rivers. The American, Olds and Pasagshak rivers have silvers coming in with each tide. Look to river mouths on incoming tides to spot early coho.
  • Anglers are reminded that the limit for coho on the road system is 2 per day, this includes Saltery, Miam and Sacramento rivers.
  • Pink salmon are in at local rivers but numbers are lower than the last several years. By most accounts there are fewer fish this year but they are much bigger. Recent reports indicate pink runs are stronger at the Olds and Russian rivers than most other areas.
  • After Kodiak salmon counting weirs begin operating anglers can find daily updated counts athttp://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/ .

Dolly Varden

  • Dolly Varden are prevalent in most of the road side creeks. Popular places to fish dollies are the American River, Salonie Creek, Buskin River, and the near-shore or intertidal areas of Myrtle and Roslyn creeks. Dollies can be found in any of Kodiak’s streams into the fall. Streams flowing into Chiniak Bay are open to fishing for Dolly Varden above the highway bridges.

Lake Fishing

  • August can be an excellent time to fish rainbow trout in the stocked lakes along the Kodiak road zone, as most of the lakes are warm and the fish are actively feeding. Although ADF&G currently stocks only sterile juvenile trout, some lakes with a stocking history dating to the 1950s may also contain spawning populations of adult fish. Be sure to check the local sport fishing regulations for a current list of stocked lakes as harvest of rainbow trout is only allowed in lakes that are currently stocked.

Salt waters

Halibut

  • Halibut fishing has been good by most reports and may be past the peak fishing time now. There have been many reports of anglers catching halibut while trolling for king salmon in Chiniak and Marmot bays. Popular places to fish halibut are Whale Pass, Cape Chiniak and Williams Reef. Reports have been coming in that many fish are larger than the last several years, averaging between 30 and 40 pounds and larger.

Salmon

  • Trolling for Chinook (king) salmon in Kodiak’s marine waters has become very popular in recent years. Kings can be fished successfully year-round, though fishing can be difficult to predict.
  • Recent reports indicate that trolling has been excellent in some areas but slow in others. Popular places to troll include Buoy #4, Whale Pass, Cape Chiniak and between Woody and Long islands. Kodiak king salmon average 20 pounds, but fish up to 70 pounds are occasionally caught.
  • Silver salmon are often caught just off-shore in places like Buoy 4, and near Woody Island. Reports indicate fishing for silvers has been slower than in previous years.
  • They are also prevalent near rivers mouths and in bays on Afognak Island, though fishing appears to be spotty this year. With the early rain the last 2 weeks many fish may already be entering the rivers.
  • Many rivers around the Island have large numbers of coho but saltwater fishing appears to be slow in general. Look to near shore areas by larger rivers for the best fishing.
  • The annual Kodiak King Salmon Derby sponsored by the Kodiak Association of Charter Operators (http://www.kodiakkingsalmonderby.com ) is ongoing.

Other salt water fishing

  •  Black rockfish are able to be caught near rock-pinnacles and many other sub-surface structures and fishing can be good year round. They can also be caught from shore, with likely places including some of the points in Monashka Bay and the breakwaters at Dog Bay harbor.
  •  Lingcod season opened July 1 and there are some reports that fishing has been good and the abundance of lingcod has been high.