The bag limits for Dolly Varden are two per day and two in possession. But the trout and steelhead fishing is only catch and release. Use small spinners and spoons or popular flies or beads that imitate salmon eggs for best results.
Halibut
Halibut fishing in Lower Cook Inlet continues to be excellent, when the weather permits. A strong blow from the west over the weekend kept many a smaller boat at the dock, but the weather should be good this weekend. Anglers are concentrating their efforts 25 to 30 miles west of Homer Spit in waters 180-250 feet deep and catching halibut in the 20-pound range. The daily bag limit is two halibut with a possession limit of four and herring is the preferred bait.
Marine Waters Salmon
The early-run silver salmon are arriving at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon. Fishing success is improving and should be good for the rest of the month, and into August.
Remember to get your ticket for the Silver Salmon Spitacular beginning Aug. 5. A portion of the proceeds helps keep the lagoon stocked with silvers. The daily bag and possession limit for silver salmon is six in the lagoon area.
The best results come from drifting salmon eggs near the inlet channel of the lagoon on the flooding and ebbing tides.
Fishing for big king salmon spawners in the Anchor Point to Ninilchik marine waters should start to wind down. Anglers are trolling up to one mile from shore, and using cut herring for bait or using spinners. Try fishing one hour before high tide through two hours after high tide.
Bluff Point and Point Pogibshi are the popular spots for trolling for feeder king salmon. Typical size in this area has been 10 to 20 pounds.
The daily bag limit for king salmon is one in Cook Inlet salt waters north of Bluff Point and two south of Bluff Point.
Other salt water fishing
Lingcod anglers have been successful in the vicinity of the Chugach Islands. There is a size limit of 35 inches, and a bag limit of two per day with two in possession.
Shellfish
Good clamming tides run from Aug. 8-12. Remember, the best time is one hour before to two hours after low tide. No permit is required, just a sport fishing license.
Refill the holes you dig in the beach and rebury, neck up, the steamer (littleneck) and butter clams that you don’t take.
Personal Use — Lower Cook Inlet
The personal use dipnet fishery in China Poot Creek upstream of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game markers is open through Aug. 7. No permit is required, but you need a liscense. The personal use bag and possession limit in China Poot Creek is six red (sockeye) salmon per person per day. Only red salmon may be kept and only dipnets may be used.
But make sure to make a lot of noise and keep any backpacks in plain sight. A pair of large brown bears were spotted Tuesday about two miles upriver from the bridge. They scurried off quickly when they noticed humans.
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