Late breakup delays Chitina dipnet season; salmon run expected late

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that the Chitina Personal Use dip net fishery is tentatively scheduled to open at noon on June 10, 2026. The actual opening will be based on Miles Lake sonar passage and will be announced by Emergency Order in early June, according to Tracy Hansen, area management biologist for the Upper Copper and Upper Susitna region.

Salmon passage at the Miles Lake sonar is expected to be later than average based on temperatures, Hansen stated in the May 18 fishing report. Sonar counts will begin as soon as river and ice conditions are suitable.

A later-than-average breakup occurred throughout the management area following average low elevation snow levels this past winter. However, above-average snowfall was received in the Wrangell-St. Elias portion of the Copper River drainage.

All rivers are now open and flowing. The Gulkana River has average flow, while the Klutina and Copper Rivers are low for this time of year. Smaller lakes are beginning to open along the shoreline, but most are not ice-free along the Glenn, Richardson, and Edgerton Highways. Large lakes, including Lake Louise, Paxson, and Summit Lakes, still have ice remaining.

The Chitina fishery, which operates below the bridge, allows Alaska residents to harvest salmon using dip nets. The department is encouraging prospective dipnetters to watch a four-part video series, "How to Dipnet for Salmon at Chitina," to prepare for the season. The videos cover tackle, technique, and safety considerations for the fishery.

The Glennallen Subdistrict Subsistence Fishery will open June 1 in accordance with regulation, providing an earlier opportunity for subsistence users in that area.

Fish stocking efforts are anticipated to begin later this month. Now is a good time to target Arctic grayling in smaller streams crossing area highways, according to the report. For an adventure, anglers can try heading up the Klutina Lake Road to just below the lake to target Dolly Varden and the occasional rainbow trout.

Chinook salmon typically arrive in the Gulkana River in early June, with the run peaking in the lower river downstream of the pipeline crossing around the Fourth of July. The lower Klutina River Chinook salmon fishery starts in mid to late June and peaks the second or third week of July.

The Glennallen office has fishing rods to loan out as part of the Rod Loaner Program. All that is required is a current sport fishing license for resident anglers 18 and older and nonresidents 16 or older to borrow a rod. Anglers must provide their own tackle, but rods are free of charge.

For additional information, the public can contact the Glennallen office at 907-822-3309. Recorded fishing information for Interior Alaska and the Upper Copper and Upper Susitna area is available by phone at 907-459-7385 for callers in Fairbanks or 907-267-2218 for callers in Anchorage.