Area Sport Fishing Reports
Northwest

July 8, 2024

This report is intended for both the Northwest and the North Slope Management Areas.

Local Conditions

• Due to recent rains, rivers are running high throughout the Northwest/North Slope Management Areas but the forecast is for drier weather this week, which should bring them back down. Most salmon counting projects in Norton Sound are coming on-line. Projects on the Nome, Eldorado, Ungalik, Kwiniuk, Shaktoolik, Unalakleet, and North Rivers are fully operational, as is the sockeye smolt counting project on the Pilgrim River. Projects on the Snake and Niukluk Rivers should be up by the weekend unless the water comes up dramatically.

Sport Fishing

Resident Species

• Anglers are targeting Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling on the Snake, Pilgrim, and Sinuk Rivers as they feed on the remaining outmigrating salmon fry. Smolt imitation flies work best, but small jigs and spoons can work, too. Now is a great time to catch large Arctic grayling on topwater flies, before eggs from spawning salmon become their food of choice. Elk-hair caddis, blue duns, mosquito patterns should all work well.
• Fishing for Arctic char, lake trout, and Arctic grayling in North Slope lakes can be good along the shore while the water is still cold, but lake trout and Arctic char will move into deeper water as the temperatures rise later in the summer.
• Northern pike fishing is really good now as fish disperse to summer feeding areas. The Kuzitrin and Pilgrim Rivers near Nome are good spots, as are the many sloughs and off-channel oxbow lakes of the larger Kobuk, Selawik, and Noatak Rivers.
• Sheefish have been caught in the Kobuk River near the villages of Kiana and Noorvik. It will be a couple of weeks before they reach the village of Kobuk. Fishing should continue to improve.
• No reports for the Noatak River but the residents of Kivalina are catching Dolly Varden in the Wulik River. Fishing will slow dramatically as the overwintering fish leave and will pick up again in August. In the Noatak, spawners will begin to arrive in spawning tributaries of the Kelly, Kugururok, and Nimiuktuk next week.

Salmon

• Large numbers of pink salmon have been observed in the lower Unalakleet River and in the nearshore marine waters in front of town. The SEG of 25,000 fish at the North River tower was surpassed on July 2 and 120,000 fish have passed the tower as of July 8. The bag and possession limit for pink salmon was increased from 10 to 20 fish in the Unalakleet River drainage, effective July 3. It should be a good year for pink salmon throughout Norton Sound.
• Counts of Chinook and chum salmon have been low, but it’s early for chums and counts are near historical averages. Chinook salmon fishing will remain closed for the season, and coho salmon should start showing up in about two weeks.

Emergency Orders

Please review the Emergency Orders and Advisory Announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip:

• Emergency Order 3-KS-W-03-24 issued on March 19 closed sport fishing for king salmon in all fresh waters from Bald Head to Point Romanof. This closure includes, but is not limited to, the Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Koyuk, Ungalik, Inglutalik, and Golsovia river drainages. In addition, only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure may be used in these drainages. All king salmon caught incidentally in the waters described above while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.
• Emergency Order 3-PS-W-012-24 issued on July 1 increases the sport fish bag and possession limit for pink salmon from 10 to 20 fish in the Unalakleet River drainage in Northwest Alaska.

Additional Tips

• Because fish typically grow and reproduce more slowly at high latitudes and elevations, please use proper techniques when engaging in catch-and-release in order to ensure the survival of the released fish such as:
  • Use lures with a single hook and crimp down the barb. Do not use bait.
  • Land the fish with a soft net and keep the fish in the water when removing the hook.
  • To release the fish, hold it gently facing into the current or in water without a current gently cradle the fish and move it slowly back and forth until it swims away under its own power.

ADF&G News

Don't forget to purchase your 2024 sport fishing license! Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and much more on your mobile device. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print it off at home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2024 Northern Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For More Information

Call Northwest and North Slope Area Management Biologist Brendan Scanlon at (907) 459-7268.