ADF&G - Sport Fishing Southcentral Alaska

09/04/2026

Alpine anglers- consider Symphony Lake for a chance at Arctic grayling. Can't wait 3 days for Rabbit rainbow? We get it! Try the challenging but scenic approach from McHugh trailhead - You may have the lake to yourself...

⚠️ Attention Sunnyside Trail and Rabbit Lakes Users!

Alaska State Parks will conduct road maintenance on Canyon Road from Tuesday, September 8, through Thursday evening, September 10. The gate at the park boundary will be closed while crews patch sections of the road and improve drainage up to the trailhead.

These improvements will provide better access to the trailhead in the future.

We recommend avoiding Canyon Road during this time. Great alternatives include Prospect Heights, Glen Alps, and trails along Turnagain Arm! 😁

09/02/2026

Feeling sporting? Sport Lake in Soldotna is a great destination for anglers, families, and paddlers/boaters!

Recent upgrades, made possible through the ADF&G Boating and Angler Access Program and Kenai River Sportfishing Association, have made this spot even better. With new picnic tables, improved walking paths, expanded fishing platforms, a sandy play area for the kiddos, a recently regraded boat launch, and an upgraded Kids Don’t Float station and kiosk to help keep everyone safe on the water.

Whether you’re casting for rainbows and cohos, enjoying a peaceful paddle, or settling in for a family picnic, Sport Lake is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy Soldotna’s natural beauty.

And when winter rolls around, Sport Lake transforms into a go‑to ice fishing spot for locals and visitors alike.

Sports Lake is maintained and operated by ADF&G.

What are you hoping to reel in at Sports Lake? Let us know in the comments.

Have questions about fishing in the area? Check the comments.

09/02/2026

Is your streambank in some desperate need of some TLC in terms of stabilizing it and you’re not sure where to start or even who to talk to? Did you know that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has a program that can help answer all your questions and them some?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cooperatively administer a Habitat Rehabilitation & Protection Cost-Share Program on the Kenai Peninsula and in the Mat-Su Valley. This program provides private landowners and public land managers with technical expertise and Funding for rehabilitation and protection projects along salmon streams. Time is running low to get your proposals in to be considered for 2027 funding.

See comments for contact information!

09/01/2026

‼ Twentymile River anglers and boaters:

Please be advised of the temporary closures upstream of the railroad bridge on Twentymile River, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 2, to Friday, Sept. 4 while ENSTAR removes a defunct pipeline. Consider these delays in your boating plans.

Temporary closures on Twentymile River Sept. 2–3

ENSTAR and diving contractors will remove an abandoned, exposed pipeline from Twentymile River on Wednesday, Sept. 2, potentially through Friday, Sept. 4.

The main channel will temporarily close while divers are working and pipeline sections are being removed. Each closure may last about one hour. When conditions allow, boaters can navigate through the slough behind the island.

Please plan for delays, follow posted signs and directions from crews, and watch for equipment and lines in the water. An ENSTAR representative will be stationed at the boat launch during operations.

Thank you for helping us complete this work safely.

08/20/2026

Attention Salmon Dipnet Permit Holders! It’s time to report
your harvest from 2026.

All Upper Cook Inlet (Kenai, Kasilof,
Susitna, and Fish Creek) dipnet fisheries have closed as of August 8th,
2026.

To be eligible for a permit for these
fisheries in 2027, you must report your harvest online by August 31st
in one of three ways:

1) By scanning the QR code on your permit –
Scanning the QR code on your paper permit with your mobile device brings you
directly to the ADF&G harvest reporting website. It even fills in your
permit information so you don’t have to! Report your harvest from there, even
if you went fishing but did not catch anything, or if you did not fish at all
(mark permit as not fished).

2) On the ADF&G Mobile App – if you
reported on the app and did not receive a confirmation email, that means your
harvest was not recorded. Make sure to refresh the app or try submitting your
harvest again. The app can only submit harvest records when your mobile device
is in service, and there is often spotty cell service where these fisheries
occur.

3) By visiting the ADF&G harvest reporting website and enter your
personal information or permit number to find your permit and report your
harvest (See link in comments).

With all these reporting methods, you should receive
an email from ADF&G confirming your harvest report. Keep this email for
your records and reach out to your local ADF&G office if you have
difficulty reporting your harvest.
Thank you for helping us monitor and maintain these
fisheries by submitting your harvest records. We can’t do it without you!

08/06/2026

Looking for a beautiful, accessible spot to fish for grayling or rainbows? Check out Bonnie Lake in Chickaloon, Alaska!

Bonnie Lake offers ample parking, a hardened-gravel boat ramp, and a vault toilet, perfect for year-round fishing and outdoor fun. Please note: day use only, camping is not permitted, and access with RVs or trailers exceeding 26ft in length is not advised.

Big improvements are on the way! Surveying begins this fall, with upgrades expected to break ground in Spring/Summer 2027.

Planned improvements include:
• Safer road access and improved drainage
• A new extended aluminum dock with stairs for safer access
• Parking lot grading and bumper replacement
• Vault toilet improvements

Bonnie Lake is already a great place to fish and recreate and it's only getting better!
The facility is operated and maintained by ADF&G.

What are you hoping to reel in at Bonnie Lake? Let us know in the comments.

Have questions about fishing in the area? Check the comments.

08/06/2026

Ship Creek Anglers -
Effective 12:01am Friday, August 7th, bag and possession limits for salmon (other than king salmon) 16 inches or greater in length, increase to six fish per day and six fish in possession in the Ship Creek drainage from its mouth upstream to a cable 100 feet downstream of the Chugach Power Plant dam.

See the announcement in comments for more info:

07/23/2026

Improving boating access, one site at a time!

Did you know…the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Recreational Boating and Angler Access Program began operating in 1981, when the Division of Sport Fish started receiving and using Sport Fish Restoration (Dingell-Johnson) funds to build and maintain boat ramps and related facilities across the state.

The program’s funding comes from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, first passed in 1950, but Alaska started using funds towards boating access decades later. Since 1981, the state has completed over 180 boating access projects statewide, using federal excise tax revenue on sport fishing equipment, recreational powerboats, and gasoline, with a minimum of 15% of Alaska’s allocation required to go toward recreational boating access.

Want to learn more about the program? Visit the link in the comments.

What is your favorite Boating Access Site? Let us know in the comments!