5/8/2025 Fishing Report

There is still time to get out and get your steelhead for the year! Conditions proved a little tough last week with the high water, but for anglers who braved the weather there were some beautiful chromers that came to the net. With the weather improving this week the water should keep dropping and fishing will remain good. Focus on deeper pools and structure where you are less likely to hook spawning fish. We are late enough in the run that fish are going to be laying eggs, and it is imperative that anglers leave paired fish alone. Ripping fish off redds is bad fishing karma and bad for the years to come.

Remember, Peterson Creek, the salt chuck and the saltwater within 200 yards of the mouth are closed to all fishing. That means absolutely no flies or lures in the water for any species of fish. This closure lasts through the month of June to protect a struggling run of steelhead. Please respect the closure and do not fish out here.

With the weather and water conditions last week being challenging in the stream's anglers wanting a break from the freshwater started venturing into the salt for Dollies. It is still early, but last week was the first time we heard about folks consistently getting into fish. Sheep Creek and Echo Cove are the two spots that had the best reports. The Dolly fishing should keep heating up through this week as more fish leave the lakes and head out to the salt. Try using smaller fry patterns right now. If natural colors aren't working switch to pink or chartreuse.

Mark your calendar for the annual Trout Unlimited/AFFG Community Casting Night on Thursday May 15th 6pm at Twin Lakes. This is next Thursday, and we will have some of our flagship rods and lines out for people that don't need a casting lesson but want to demo some of the finest rods that Sage and Winston have to offer.

As always, we love featuring your photos for our fishing reports. If you have a great fish, scenery, or action photo that has to do with fishing around town send it our way! You can email photos or videos to cory@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com. Please remember to handle fish with care, especially if you are practicing catch and release. Consider getting a net with a rubber basket to help land fish quickly, pinch your barbs and keep them in the water until you are ready to snap a quick photo.

See you on the water!

The Crew at AFFG

Listed below are the hot patterns of the week. Fisheries change here through-out the season and so do the best patterns to use. Below are some of the recommended flies for the current fisheries. Happy fishing!