5 AAC 70.015. Seasons, bag, possession, and size limits, and methods and means in the Tanana River Management Area

(a) Except as otherwise specified in this section or through an emergency order issued under AS 16.05.060 , sport fishing is permitted year round in the waters of the Tanana River Management Area.

(b) Except as otherwise specified in (c) and (d) of this section, the following are the general bag, possession, and size limits, and methods and means for finfish in the waters of the Tanana River Management Area:

(1) king salmon 20 inches or greater in length: the bag and possession limit is one fish;

(2) salmon, other than king salmon: the bag and possession limit is three fish, with no size limit;

(3) Arctic char/Dolly Varden: the bag and possession limit is 10 fish, with no size limit;

(4) lake trout: the bag and possession limit is two fish, with no size limit;

(5) rainbow trout: the bag and possession limit is 10 fish, with no size limit;

(6) Arctic grayling: the bag and possession limit is five fish, with no size limit;

(7) whitefish: the bag and possession limit is 15 fish, with no size limit;

(8) sheefish: the bag and possession limit is two fish, with no size limit;

(9) northern pike: the bag and possession limit is five fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(10) burbot: the bag and possession limit is 15 fish, with no size limit; the total aggregate number of hooks used on set lines, sport fishing gear, and ice fishing gear, as defined in 5 AAC 75.020 and 5 AAC 75.021, may not exceed 15 or the daily bag limit for burbot in the waters being fished, whichever is less;

(11) finfish species that are not specified in this section: there are no bag, possession, or size limits;

(12) from October 1 through April 30, a person using an ice house that is not removed from the ice daily must register that ice house with, and receive a permit from, the department; an ice house registered under this paragraph must have its permit number displayed on its side and roof in numbers that are plainly visible and that are at least 12 inches high and one inch wide in a color that contrasts with the background; an ice house must be removed from the ice by April 30, however, the department may designate other conditions on the permit, including other time and area restrictions.

(c) The following are the exceptions to the general bag, possession, and size limits, and fishing seasons specified in (a) and (b) of this section for the Tanana River Management Area:

(1) in all lakes of the Tanana River drainage, except those stocked lakes listed under (29) of this subsection, and unless otherwise specified in this subsection, the following exceptions apply:

(A) northern pike: may be taken only from June 1 through April 20;

(B) burbot: the bag and possession limit is five fish, with no size limit;

(2) in the Chatanika River and its tributaries,

(A) sport fishing for salmon is closed upstream from an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately one mile upstream from the Elliott Highway Bridge;

(B) Arctic grayling may be taken from

(i) June 1 through March 31, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, 12 inches or greater in length; all Arctic grayling caught that are less than 12 inches in length must be released immediately;

(ii) April 1 through May 31, by catch-and-release fishing only;

(i) May 1 through August 31, throughout the entire Chatanika River drainage, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, with no size limit;

(ii) May 1 through September 30, downstream from an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately one mile upstream from the Elliott Highway Bridge, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, with no size limit;

(D) northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through October 14, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(3) in the Chena River and its tributaries,

(A) sport fishing for salmon is closed upstream from an ADF&G regulatory marker located 300 feet downstream from the Chena River flood control structure;

(B) Arctic grayling may be taken by catch-and-release fishing only;

(4) in the Chisana River drainage upstream of the Northway Bridge,

(A) in all lakes, northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through April 20, with a bag and possession limit of two fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(B) in all flowing waters, the bag and possession limit for northern pike is two fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(5) in the Delta Clearwater River drainage, including the Clearwater Lake drainage, Arctic grayling may be taken by catch-and-release fishing only, except that from July 10 through August 9, a person may retain Arctic grayling, with a bag and possession limit of one fish, 12 inches or less in length; all Arctic grayling caught that are greater than 12 inches in length must be released immediately;

(6) in the Delta River and its tributaries,

(A) sport fishing for salmon is closed;

(B) all sport fishing is closed in that portion of the Delta River between its mouth and an ADF&G regulatory marker located two miles upstream;

(7) in Donnelly Lake, the bag and possession limit for rainbow trout, landlocked salmon, Arctic char/Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling, combined, is one fish, which must be 18 inches or greater in length; all fish less than 18 inches in length must be released immediately;

(8) in Dune Lake, the bag and possession limit for rainbow trout, landlocked salmon, Arctic char/Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling, combined, is five fish, of which only one fish may be 18 inches or greater in length;

(9) in Fielding Lake,

(A) sport fishing for salmon is closed;

(B) lake trout may be taken only from October 1 through August 31, with a bag and possession limit of one fish, which must be 26 inches or greater in length; all lake trout caught that are less than 26 inches in length must be released immediately;

(C) burbot may be taken only from October 1 through August 31, with a bag and possession limit of one fish, with no size limit;

(10) in Five Mile Clearwater Creek, the bag and possession limit for Arctic grayling is two fish, of which only one fish may be 12 inches or greater in length;

(11) in George Lake, including the George Lake outlet stream, northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through March 31, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(12) the Goodpaster River drainage is closed to sport fishing for salmon;

(13) in Harding Lake,

(A) sport fishing for northern pike is closed;

(B) the bag and possession limit for burbot is two fish, with no size limit;

(C) the bag and possession limit for lake trout is one fish, 26 inches in length; all lake trout caught that are less than 26 inches in length must be released immediately;

(14) in the Kantishna River drainage downstream from the mouth of the Tokiat River, sport fishing for chum salmon is closed from August 15 through December 31;

(15) in Little Harding Lake, rainbow trout may be taken only from May 15 through September 30, with a bag and possession limit of one fish, which must be 18 inches or greater in length;

(16) in Monte Lake, the bag and possession limit for rainbow trout, landlocked salmon, Arctic char/Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling combined is one fish, which must be 18 inches or greater in length; all fish less than 18 inches in length must be released immediately;

(17) in Piledriver Slough and its tributaries, upstream from its confluence with Moose Creek, Arctic grayling may be taken only by catch-and-release fishing;

(18) in Rainbow Lake, the bag and possession limit for rainbow trout, landlocked salmon, Arctic char/Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling, combined is one fish, which must be 18 inches or greater in length; all fish less than 18 inches in length must be released immediately;

(19) in the Richardson Clearwater River drainage, Arctic grayling may be taken from

(A) April 1 through May 31, by catch-and-release fishing only;

(B) June 1 through March 31, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, 12 inches or greater in length; all Arctic grayling caught that are less than 12 inches in length must be released immediately;

(20) in the Salcha River and its tributaries,

(A) sport fishing for salmon is closed upstream from an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately two and one-half miles upstream from the Richardson Highway Bridge;

(B) Arctic grayling may be taken from

(i) April 1 through May 31, by catch-and-release fishing only;

(ii) June 1 through March 31, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, 12 inches or greater in length; all Arctic grayling caught that are less than 12 inches in length must be released immediately;

(21) in the Shaw Creek drainage and its tributaries, Arctic grayling may be taken from

(A) April 1 through May 31, by catch-and-release fishing only;

(22) in "T" Lake, the bag and possession limit for burbot is two fish, with no size limit;

(23) in the Tanana River and its tributaries within a two-mile radius of its confluence with Shaw Creek, Arctic grayling may be taken from

(A) April 1 through May 31, by catch-and-release fishing only;

(24) in the Tangle Lake system, including all waters of the Delta River drainage upstream from Wild Horse Creek,

(A) sport fishing for salmon is closed;

(B) the bag and possession limit for lake trout is one fish, 18 inches or greater in length; all lake trout caught that are less than 18 inches in length must be released immediately;

(25) the Toklat River drainage is closed to sport fishing from August 15 through May 15;

(26) in the Tok River drainage,

(A) Arctic char/Dolly Varden may be taken by catch-and-release fishing only;

(B) Arctic grayling may be taken from May 15 through October 31, with a bag and possession limit of two fish, with no size limit;

(27) in the Tolovana River drainage, excluding the Chatanika River drainage, northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through October 14, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(28) in Volkmar Lake, northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through March 31, with a bag and possession limit of five fish, of which only one fish may be 30 inches or greater in length;

(29) in stocked lakes, the bag, possession, and size limit for rainbow trout, Arctic char/Dolly Varden, landlocked salmon, and Arctic grayling is 10 of all species combined, of which no more than one fish may be 18 inches or greater in length; for the purposes of this paragraph "stocked lakes" include Backdown Lake, Ballaine Lake, Bathing Beauty Pond, Bear Lake, Big "D" Pond, Birch Lake, Bluff Cabin Lake, Bolio Lake, Brodie Lake, Bullwinkle Lake, Chena Lake, Chet Lake, CHSR 25.0 Mile Pit, CHSR 30.0 Mile Pit, CHSR 45.5 Mile Pit, CHSR 47.9 Mile Pit, Coal Mine Road #5, Craig Lake, Dick's Pond, Doc Lake, Donna Lake, Firebreak Lake, Forest Lake, Four Mile Lake, Fourteen Mile Lake, Geskakmina Lake, Ghost Lake, Grayling Lake, Hidden Lake (Eielsen Air Force Base), Hidden Lake (Tetlin NWR.), "J" Lake, Jan Lake, Johnson R. #1 Pit, Ken's Pond, Koole Lake, Last Lake, Les' Lake, Lisa Lake, Little Donna Lake, Little Lost Lake, Long Pond, Lost Lake, Luke Lake, Lundgren Pond, Manchu Lake, Mark Lake, Monterey Lake, Moose Lake, Mullins Pit, Nenana City Pond, Nickel Lake, No Mercy Lake, North Chena Pond, North Pole Pond, North Twin Lake, Olnes Pond, Otto Lake, Outboard Pit, Parks 209 Pond, Parks 261 Pond, Paul's Pond, Polaris Lake, Quartz Lake, Rangeview Lake, Rapids Lake, Richardson Hwy. 28 M. Pit, Richardson Hwy. 31 M. Pit, Richardson Hwy. 81 Mile Pit, Robertson Lake #2, Rockhound Lake, Round Pond, Shaw Pond, Sheefish Lake, Sirlin Drive Pond, South Johnson Lake, South Twin Lake, Square Lake, Steese Hwy. 29.5 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 31.6 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 33.0 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 33.5 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 34.6 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 35.8 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 36.6 Mile Pit, Triangle Lake, Tschute Lake, Wainwright #6, Weasel Lake, Weigh Station Pond # 1, Weigh Station Pond # 2, Z Pit (Chena Floodway).

(d) In the Tanana River Management Area, the following special provisions to methods and means apply:

(1) from October 15 through May 15, set lines may be used to take burbot in all lakes in the Tanana River drainage, except

(A) Clearwater Lake;

(B) Fielding Lake;

(D) "T" Lake; and

(E) the Tangle Lake system;

(2) from April 1 through May 31, in the Chatanika River and its tributaries upstream from an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately one mile upstream from the Elliott Highway Bridge, only unbaited single-hook, artificial lures may be used;

(3) in the Chatanika River drainage upstream from the confluence of the Chatanika River and Goldstream Creek to an ADF&G regulatory marker located at the boundary of the Fairbanks nonsubsistence area, which is located approximately one mile downstream from the Murphy Dome Road, only single-hooks may be used;

(4) in the Chatanika River, whitefish may not be taken with

(A) spear; or

(B) bow and arrow;

(5) in the Chena River and its tributaries,

(A) downstream from the Chena River dam, bait may be used only on single hooks with a gap size larger than three-quarters of an inch;

(B) upstream from the Chena River dam, only unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures may be used;

(6) in the Delta Clearwater River drainage, including the Clearwater Lake drainage, from

(A) January 1 through August 31, only unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures may be used;

(B) September 1 through December 31, only unbaited, artificial lures may be used;

(7) in Fielding Lake,

(A) the use of set lines is prohibited;

(B) when fishing for burbot or lake trout, only one single hook with bait, may be used;

(8) in Five-Mile Clearwater Creek, from

(A) January 1 through August 31, only unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures may be used;

(B) September 1 through December 31, only unbaited, artificial lures may be used;

(9) in George Lake, including the George Lake outlet stream, from October 15 through May 15, set lines may be used only to take burbot;

(10) Harding Lake is closed to the taking of northern pike by spear or bow and arrow;

(11) in Harding Lake, the use of set lines is prohibited;

(12) in Little Harding Lake, only unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures may be used;

(13) in Piledriver Slough upstream of its confluence with Moose Creek, only unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures may be used;

(14) in the Richardson Clearwater River drainage only unbaited, artificial lures may be used;

(15) in the Salcha River and its tributaries only unbaited, artificial lures may be used, except that bait may be used only on hooks with a gap size larger than three-quarters of an inch throughout the Salcha River drainage;

(16) in Shaw Creek,

(A) upstream from the Richardson Highway Bridge, only unbaited, artificial lures may be used;

(B) downstream from the Richardson Highway Bridge, bait may be used only on single hooks with a gap size larger than three-quarters of an inch;

(17) in "T" Lake, the use of set lines is prohibited;

(18) in the Tanana River and its tributaries within a two-mile radius of Shaw Creek, bait may be used only on single hooks with a gap size larger than three-quarters of an inch;

(19) in the Tangle Lake system, the use of set lines is prohibited.

History: Eff. 5/19/2004, Register 170

Authority: AS 16.05.251

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