Sport Fishing
RSSSport, charter, and personal-use fishing: derby culture, dipnetting, guide operations, sport regulation changes, angler community
On the Kasilof, Alaska is opening the sockeye floodgates and holding the line on kings
On the Kasilof, Alaska is opening the sockeye floodgates and rationing the kings on the same water — a tidy snapshot of where the salmon stand. Grab a dipnet.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Kodiak Anglers Can Now Keep 10 Sockeye at South Olga Lakes
Kodiak anglers can keep 10 sockeye per day at South Olga Lakes starting Friday, June 26, through July 15, after the run exceeded its escapement goal.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kenai, Russian River Sockeye Bag Limit Jumps to 6 Fish Thursday
Red fish, blue fish, me fish, you fish
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Copper River Kings Hit a Record Low — and Limits Drop
The Copper River's king run is the worst on record, so Alaska is cutting anglers from four fish to one — betting this summer's catch against next year's spawn.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak River closes to sockeye fishing
Alaska closes Buskin River sockeye sport fishing from June 24 through year-end after only 916 fish passed the weir by mid-June, versus a typical 3,200 at this date.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kasilof River guide cited for fishing in prohibited People's Hole
A fishing guide was cited for fishing at People's Hole on the Kasilof River, where guides are prohibited but their clients are allowed.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Wisconsin man cited for lifting king salmon on Anchor River
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited a 19-year-old Wisconsin man for lifting a king salmon from the Anchor River and releasing it, violating an active Emergency Order requiring all kings to stay in the water.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Russian River Sanctuary opens Thursday as sockeye goal met
Russian River Sanctuary opens for sport fishing Thursday after Alaska Fish and Game confirmed early-run sockeye escapement goal will be met, with 7,512 fish counted at the weir through June 16.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
On one of the world's great king rivers, a 'poor' rating is partly the plan
Fish go bye bye? Oh no0ooo
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Russian River Sanctuary opens early June 18 for sockeye season
Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset. Quickly - swim the fish.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G opens youth-only fishing events across Southcentral, Southwest Alaska
ADF&G is reserving specific Southcentral and Southwest salmon waters for youth anglers this summer. • Kids 15 and under can fish without a license during these designated event windows. • Events run from June through August at locations like Ship Creek and Homer Spit.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sockeye fishing at Resurrection River mouth swings day-to-day
Sockeye fishing at Resurrection River mouth is unpredictable right now because a hatchery cost-recovery vessel is harvesting from the same run, so the daily bite depends on where the boat is working.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
The Eklutna Tailrace is the only open king salmon fishery in the Mat-Su
King salmon fishing is closed across the Mat-Su except for the Eklutna Tailrace, a hatchery fishery open year-round with bait and multiple hooks allowed.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Anchor River opens catch-and-release king salmon fishing June 13-17
Anchor River opens catch-and-release king salmon fishing June 13-17, the only Cook Inlet king opportunity all summer. • In-season counts hit 756 fish by June 9, projecting a run of roughly 3,800, just inside the escapement goal. • Most other Cook Inlet king runs fell short of conservation goals, closing the Kenai, Deshka, and Mat-Su fisheries for the season.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Don't eat the clams: ADF&G can't tell Juneau harvesters which beaches are safe — because nobody's regularly testing
Don't clam up
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Alaska sport fishing rules frozen despite new booklets
Alaska anglers should follow 2025 fishing rules, not the new 2026 booklet, because several regulations printed there haven't received final legal approval yet and remain unenforceable.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Halibut anglers on Alaska charters now pay $20 a day — and the money is funding a decades-old battle over who gets to catch the fish
Alaska charter anglers now pay $20 per day to keep halibut in Southeast and Southcentral waters, a federal fee that funds the charter sector's purchase of commercial fishing quota to expand their halibut allocation.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Hatchery groups cite NOAA Chinook decision as validation
NOAA found Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon do not warrant endangered-species protection, a decision hatchery operators cite as validation of their management but that critics say masks weaker local populations.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Norton Sound king salmon fishing closed for the season
Alaska closed sport king salmon fishing in all Norton Sound rivers from Bald Head to Point Romanof through August 15 due to a below-average forecast for the spring run.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Yukon River sport fishing closed for kings and chums through 2026 as seven-year rebuilding effort continues
Alaska closed all sport fishing for king and chum salmon in the Yukon River drainage through 2026 under emergency orders due to weak run forecasts and a U.S.-Canada treaty requiring seven years of rebuilding closures.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G closes Tanana king salmon sport fishing through September
Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 2026 because Yukon River king salmon runs are forecast below average, the second consecutive year of this closure.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Aniak River closed to all king salmon fishing, including catch-and-release
Alaska closed the Aniak River to all king salmon fishing, including catch-and-release, from June 5 to July 25 to protect spawning numbers despite overall Kuskokwim escapement meeting targets.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The Mat-Su Valley's king salmon fisheries are closed — Anchorage's closest king water joins the Kenai on the bench
Alaska closed all king salmon fishing in Mat-Su Valley drainages, shutting down Anchorage's closest king fishery as the first fish arrived. • The closures follow four years of declining runs and emergency restrictions nearly every season since 2022. • Mat-Su and Kenai rivers, Southcentral's two main king fisheries, are now both closed for 2026.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Kenai's kings are closed again — another summer without Alaska's most iconic salmon
Another year with King closures and no easy answer in sight
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G extends yelloweye rockfish closure in Resurrection Bay through June
Second year in a row Yelloweye Rockfish are down. Don't catch em
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay's ice is starting to break — and it's about to set off a cascade of fish and fishermen
Lake Aleknagik's ice is breaking in southwest Alaska, triggering young salmon migration and opening the first fishing window of the season at stream outlets where trout and char gather to feed.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G closes Eagle River to king salmon fishing
Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed king salmon sport fishing in Eagle River from May 1 through July 13 to protect returning fish, part of a broader pattern of emergency closures across Southcentral Alaska as king runs decline.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchor River, Deep Creek closed through mid-July as king salmon returns fall short
Alaska closed Anchor River and Deep Creek to all fishing through July 15 due to weak king salmon returns on the Lower Kenai Peninsula, with gear restrictions continuing through July 31.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kodiak king salmon bag limit cut to one fish as Karluk runs collapse
Alaska cut Kodiak king salmon bag limit to one fish per day and closed west side salt waters through June after only 93 kings returned to Karluk River in 2025, far below recovery targets.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
ADF&G opens youth-only king salmon fisheries on Kenai Peninsula
ADF&G opens youth-only king salmon fisheries at Ninilchik River on June 3 and Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on June 6, with loaner rods and staff support, while broader Kenai Peninsula king fishing remains closed to protect wild stocks.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G opens Juneau hatchery area to king salmon retention June 1
Alaska Fish and Game opens a saltwater hatchery area near Juneau to king salmon fishing June 1 through August 31, allowing anglers four fish per day while the rest of the region stays closed until June 15.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
King salmon sportfishing slows in Yakutat marine waters after strong week
King salmon fishing slowed in Yakutat marine waters over Memorial Day weekend after a strong week earlier in May, though residents can keep two fish and nonresidents one under 2026 rules.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
King salmon closures spread across Mat-Su and West Cook Inlet as runs remain weak
Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Susitna drainage and West Cook Inlet
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay lakes still ice-covered as May ends, compressing early-season fishing window
Bristol Bay lakes remain ice-covered as of late May, delaying salmon fishing until mid-June on the Naknek and late June on the Alagnak, though resident fish like rainbow trout are biting well where access exists.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Eagle River king salmon fishing closed; Campbell Creek youth fishery catch-and-release only
Eagle River king salmon fishing is closed entirely and Campbell Creek's youth fishery will be catch-and-release only this June under emergency conservation orders for weak Southcentral Alaska runs.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
ADF&G closes Tanana River drainage to king salmon sport fishing through September 2026
Alaska Fish and Game closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 2026 due to a weak forecast for the Yukon River run, marking the second consecutive year of the ban.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Chitina dipnet fishery tentatively set for June 10; low rivers and ice flows could delay opening
Alaska Department of Fish and Game tentatively set the Chitina Personal Use dipnet fishery to open June 10, but low river levels and ice flows from Miles Lake could delay the opening pending sonar salmon counts in early June.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
ADF&G launches three 24-hour fishing challenges for multi-species catches
ADF&G has launched three new fishing challenges for anglers who think catching one fish is too relaxing. Now you can spend 24 hours chasing trout, burbot, pike, halibut, lingcod, and the quiet approval of a commemorative sticker.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Kenai River king salmon fishery closed through mid-August 2026
Kenai River king salmon fishing closed May 1 through August 15, 2026 under emergency order. Third consecutive year of full closure due to conservation concerns. Other species fishing allowed with single-hook lures only. Nearby Kasilof River open to limited hatchery king salmon fishing.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Eagle River king salmon fishery closed for 2026 season
Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in Eagle River through July 13, 2026 due to weak fish populations and unmet escapement goals.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
