Area Sport Fishing Reports
Upper Copper/Upper Susitna

August 27, 2025

Local Conditions

• Water levels on the Copper River at Chitina continue holding steady between 12 and 13 feet since mid-August. You can view the Copper River’s stage gauge in Chitina online at this NOAA website.
• Local Copper River Valley weather this week and next is predicted to remain mild overall (40s-50s) with minimal precipitation overall and high winds dominating near channelized topography.

Chitina Subdistrict Personal Use Dip Net Fishery

• The Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon dipnet fishery will remain open through the end of the season at midnight on Tuesday, September 30.
• The Miles Lake sonar.project concluded for the season on July 28. The cumulative count of salmon past the sonar on July 27 was 889,608. This count is about 291,000 fish greater than the expected cumulative count for this date. A rule of thumb is that salmon take about two or three weeks to swim upstream in the Copper River from Miles Lake sonar to the Chitina area, depending on water levels and velocity.
• King salmon retention has been prohibited in the personal use fishery this season. All king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed.
• Chitina Subdistrict Personal Use permits and State of Alaska Sport Fishing licenses are currently available online at the ADF&G store and will also be available at Fish and Game offices and at vendors in Anchorage, Fairbanks and local communities. Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence permits are also available online and at the Fish and Game offices in Anchorage, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, and Palmer.
• Check the Chitina dipnetting page for more information on the personal use dip net fishery.
• If you haven't tried dipnetting before, or are interested in some helpful tips, be sure to watch the 4-part video series, "How to Dipnet for Salmon at Chitina" at the ADF&G website or on the ADF&G Youtube channel.
• Lastly, it’s always a good idea to make sure fishing is open in Chitina before making the drive. Call the 24-hour hotline for the Chitina Subdistrict personal use fishery at 907-822-5224.

Glennallen Subdistrict Subsistence Fishery

• The Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence salmon fishery is currently open and will remain open through September 30. There are no restrictions in place for king salmon within the Glennallen Subdistrict Subsistence fishery.
• Glennallen Subdistrict Subsistence permits are available online at the ADF&G store and at local ADFG offices in Anchorage, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Glennallen and Palmer.

Sport Fishing

• All king salmon fishing in the Upper Copper River drainage has now closed for the season.
• The sockeye salmon sport fisheries are winding down for the season. The Klutina River sockeye salmon run has wrapped up for the season but anglers are still reporting limited success on the Gulkana River for sockeye salmon in the lower portion of the river. It is anticipated that late run sockeye will continue to enter the Gulkana over the next week, but presumably in smaller numbers each day as the run comes to a end here in the first half of September.
• Lots of opportunity for Arctic grayling, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, and lake trout can be found throughout the management area. For a guide to local area small fisheries, check out ADFG’s website for 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.

Emergency Orders

• Emergency Order 3-RS-I-17-25 opens the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery for the remainder of the season fom 12:01 am Monday, July 28 through 11:59 pm Sunday, August 31.
• Emergency Order 3-RS-I-10-25 closes the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery to the retention of king salmon for the remainder of the season.

ADF&G News

• 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.
• Make sure to review the 2025 Northern Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.
• Be sure to follow the ADFG Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Facebook page or the ADFG Sport Fishing Interior Alaska Instagram page for the most up-to-date information about fishing in Interior Alaska. Note: This is a good page to follow to get keep track of all information about the Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery.

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