Area Sport Fishing Reports
Southern Kenai/LCI
The Anchor River king salmon sustainable escapement goal (SEG) was updated to 3,200–6,400 fish starting in 2024. Additionally, the Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) adopted a management plan for the king salmon sport fisheries in the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams. This plan outlines preseason and inseason management actions for the Anchor River based on the preseason forecast and inseason projections.
The 2024 preseason inriver forecast of 2,349 king salmon was below the SEG. With this forecast, the inriver sport fishery was closed preseason based on the management plan. King salmon escapement monitoring transitioned to a new location approximately one mile upstream of the river mouth. This location is just above the intertidal section of the stream and provides for more timely monitoring. Based on inseason projections, it was anticipated that the king salmon run was going to achieve the SEG and the sport fishery was opened on June 15 to catch-and-release fishing for the last four days of the season. The preliminary escapement estimate was 3,331 fish, which met the SEG. The mid-point (June 20) was 14 days early compared to the recent 3-year average mid-point of July 3. The Anchor River king salmon run has met its SEG in two (2021 and 2024) of the last five years.
A preseason emergency order closed the Anchor River and Deep Creek to all sport fishing through July 15.
An inseason emergency order opened the Anchor River to catch and release king salmon fishing on June 15 for the remaining four days of the season. Gear was restricted to single-hook artificial lure.
The Ninilchik River king salmon sustainable escapement goal (SEG) was updated to 900–1,600 wild (naturally-produced) fish starting in 2024 based on counts at the lower (river mile 2) weir. Additionally, the Ninilchik River king salmon run is supplemented with hatchery fish. In 2023, the BOF adopted a management plan for the king salmon sport fisheries in the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams. This plan outlines preseason management actions for the Ninilchik River, based on the Anchor River forecast, and inseason management actions, based on the Ninilchik River wild and hatchery inseason projections. The BOF also restructured the king salmon sport fishery to be hatchery only by closing the harvest of wild king salmon in regulation, increasing the hatchery bag limit from 1 to 2 fish 20 inches or greater, and restricting gear to single hook with bait or single hook lures. Additionally, the area for the youth-only king salmon fishery was expanded to include an additional mile of stream upstream of the Sterling Highway bridge.
No preseason forecast was estimated for the 2024 wild Ninilchik River king salmon run. The three 3-day weekend fishery occurred as outlined in the management plan. Effort and success generally increased over the weekends. The youth-only fishery was well attended and many youth anglers caught king salmon. At the start of the continuous fishery on June 16, the catch rates declined, which corresponded with a reduction in the daily passage of king salmon at the lower weir. With this, an emergency order was issued on June 19 to restrict the use of bait for the remainder of king salmon season. Effort tapered off through the remainder of June and success was poor to fair.
The 2024 Ninilchik River wild king salmon escapement was 676 (after broodstock removals), which was below the lower end of the SEG and was the third consecutive year that the run did not achieve the SEG. The hatchery king salmon count upstream of the sport fishery was 1,298 fish, and after removals for broodstock, the hatchery escapement was 896 fish.
Broodstock collection at the Ninilchik River fell short of both the naturally-produced and hatchery-reared collection goals. Enough naturally-produced fish were collected to continue stocking the Ninilchik River in 2025 at a reduced level. The hatchery-reared collections also fell short at the other broodstock collection locations in Cook Inlet, so reduced numbers of smolt will be available for stocking at locations like Seldovia and the Homer Spit in 2025.
A preseason emergency order restricted the harvest of wild fish and increased the bag and possession limits of hatchery king salmon, 20 inches or greater in length, from one to two fish. The use of multiple hooks and treble hooks was also prohibited.
An inseason emergency order was issued to restrict the use of bait in the continuous fishery from June 19 through July 15.
The sport fishery was closed with preseason restrictions based on management actions outlined in the management plan based on the Anchor River management actions. Deep Creek has a SEG of 350 king salmon and is assessed postseason via a single aerial survey. No survey was conducted in 2024 due to a lack of funding.
A preseason emergency order closed the Anchor River and Deep Creek to all sport fishing through July 15.
Sport fishing for king salmon in Cook Inlet is structured into the Winter (September 1–March 31) and the Summer (April 1–August 31) Fisheries. The Summer Fishery is separated into two fisheries with the Lower Cook Inlet fishery occurring south of the Bluff Point latitude (lat 59°40.00′ N) and the Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) fishery occurring north. The BOF added some preseason and inseason management actions to the Upper Cook Inlet Summer Fishery management plan based on forecasts and inseason projections for early-run stocks (Deshka, Kenai, and Anchor Rivers). For early-run stocks, the effective dates for the management actions are May 1 through July 15. The BOF also included this fishery into the Kenai River Late Run King Salmon Recovery Plan. In the recovery plan, the Upper Cook Inlet Summer Fishery is closed in regulation from June 20 through August 15. With these changes and the restrictions and closures to freshwater sport fisheries throughout Cook Inlet drainages, sport fishing for king salmon was closed in UCI from May 1 through August 15. For the Lower Cook Inlet (LCI) Summer Fishery, the BOF adopted a management plan and established a Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) of 8,500 fish. No management actions were outlined in the plan. The bag limit was reduced from two to one king salmon any size in LCI from May through August 15, based on the closure in UCI and freshwater restrictions.
The performance of these fisheries is only assessed postseason with the Statewide Harvest Survey and charter logbook data, and harvest estimates for 2024 will not be available until 2025. For 2023, the SWHS estimates of king salmon harvest for the Summer and Winter Fisheries were all below their respective averages for the past three years. The winter fishery harvest was 3,936 king salmon, which was below the guideline harvest level for the first time since 2013. In 2024, during the winter fishery, anglers found good success in January, but fishing success was lower in February and March. The summer fisheries had poor success from April through mid-May but improved in June and remained fair to good for the remainder of the summer. Anglers consistently found success in the Bluff Point area. At the start of the winter fishery season in September, anglers had good catches throughout Kachemak Bay.
A preseason emergency order effective May 1 closed king salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet salt waters north of the latitude of Bluff Point (lat 59°40.00′ N) through August 15.
A preseason emergency order effective May 1 reduced the king salmon bag and possession limits from two to one fish any size in the Cook Inlet salt waters south of the latitude of Bluff Point (lat 59°40.00′ N) through July 31.
There are no preseason forecasts and no escapement goals for any coho salmon stocks in the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams (Anchor and Ninilchik Rivers, Deep and Stariski Creeks). A video weir was operated on the Anchor River to enumerate coho salmon escapement. The preliminary escapement count was 2,100 fish, which was well below the historical average. Based on below-average inseason counts and fishery performance indicators, most freshwater sport fisheries on the Kenai Peninsula and West Cook Inlet area were restricted. For the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams, the coho salmon bag limit was reduced from two to one fish and the use of bait and treble hooks was prohibited starting August 24 and continuing for the remainder of the season.
Sport fishing effort was low throughout August on all lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams and was further reduced towards the end of August with the emergency order restrictions. The Statewide Harvest Survey estimates of harvest for these fisheries will not be available until 2025.
Sport fishing for coho salmon in Cook Inlet was poor, and anglers struggled to find concentrations of coho salmon. Most charters reported king salmon were more prevalent than coho salmon throughout July and August. Based on these fisheries performance indicators and the below average coho salmon run to the Anchor River, the coho salmon bag limit was restricted from three to one fish on August 24 through the remainder of the season for Cook Inlet salt waters, excluding the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon. The Statewide Harvest Survey estimates for this fishery will not be available until 2025.
Coho salmon bag and possession limits were reduced by emergency order in Kenai Peninsula fresh waters, West Cook Inlet fresh waters, and Cook Inlet salt waters. Additionally, the use of bait and treble hooks was prohibited in Kenai Peninsula fresh waters. The effective date for these restrictions was from August 24 through the remainder of the season.
Salmon Fisheries
In 2024, the stocking goals were met for Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon (NDFL) on the Homer Spit with approximately 315,000 king salmon smolt and 120,000 coho salmon smolt. The Statewide Harvest Survey estimates harvest for these fisheries will not be available until 2025. Overall, the king and coho salmon fisheries were likely below recent average harvests in 2024. Snagging was not opened for either species in 2024 because there was not a sufficient buildup of fish at the end of the run.
No management actions occurred in 2024.
The BOF made a couple of regulation changes for the Seldovia king salmon terminal fishery starting in 2024. The waters of the fishery were defined in regulation and were closed to snagging and spear fishing from January 1 through June 23. Generally, the king salmon fishing success in Seldovia was similar to the NDFL and below the recent year’s average performance.
No management actions occurred in 2024.
The BOF extended the season dates to start June 15 and continue through August 15 in the China Poot Creek personal use dip net fishery. This fishery does not require a permit for participation; harvest data are now available from the SWHS starting in 2022. The annual harvest estimates ranged from 11,000 fish in 2023 to 25,000 fish in 2022. The harvest estimate for 2024 is not yet available. The Division of Commercial Fisheries conducts weekly foot surveys to count sockeye and pink salmon. Success was fair at the start of the season and water conditions were high in the creek. Success was good for the remainder of the season with most participants easily obtaining limits. The success in this fishery is most likely attributed to changes in commercial fishing and cost recovery operations associated with the stocking.
No management actions occurred in 2024.
The harvest of rockfish has increased steadily since 2013, and sustainable levels of rockfish harvest are currently unknown. The sport fishery is monitored with harvest data from the SWHS and Charter Logbook program, and biological data is monitored from the port sampling program in the Homer Harbor. Preliminary stock assessment work was reviewed in spring 2023 and changes in the biological data along with the increased harvest are indicators of a possible change in the population structure of rockfish in this area. Based on these conditions, the BOF reduced the rockfish bag and possession limits to 3 per day and 6 in possession starting in 2024. No harvest has been estimated for 2024 yet. The 2023 rockfish harvest was just over 41,000 fish, which was a 35% reduction from 2022. This reduction was attributed to the emergency order to reduce the bag limit from 5 to 3 fish.
No management actions occurred in 2024.
All East Cook Inlet beaches remained closed to sport and personal use clamming for the start of 2024 until abundance surveys could be conducted in the spring. Surveys were conducted in April and May at both Clam Gulch and Ninilchik area beaches. Abundances of adult-sized razor clams at both beaches were below the threshold outlined in the management plan to open the fishery. Additionally, the abundance of juvenile clams at both beaches was below average and not sufficient to improve adult abundances over the next couple of seasons.
No management actions occurred in 2024.
The West Cook Inlet beaches remained open to sport and personal use clamming in 2024. Harvest estimates for the sport fishery are not available yet, but clammers report good success at Polly Creek and Crescent River Bar areas, with larger clams found at Crescent River Bar. Based on department hand dug samples, the percentage of large size clams in the harvest is continuing to improve in West Cook Inlet.
No management actions occurred in 2024.
No trawl surveys were conducted in 2023 or 2024, so the limited fishery was implemented for both seasons. Just over 2,100 permits were issued for the 2023–2024 season. Of these, 78% reported participating in the fishery and approximately 6% failed to report and will be denied a permit for the 2024–2025 season. For the 2023–2024 season, the harvest was 6,437 male Tanner crabs, which was slightly below the recent year’s average. Permits are only available through ADF&G’s online store for the 2024–2025 season.
No management actions were implemented for the 2023–2024 fishery season.