Section 5.74.010. Seasons, bag, possession, and size limits, and methods and means for the Tanana River 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 Area.  
	(b)  Except as otherwise specified in (c) and (d) of this section, the following are the general bag, possession, and size limits and means for finfish in the waters of the Tanana River 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;  
		(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 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) repealed 4/13/2013;  
			(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 of the upstream edge of the Elliott Highway Bridge;  
			(B) repealed 5/19/2010;  
			(C) repealed 5/19/2010;  
			(D) northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through October 14;  
		(3) in the Chena River and its tributaries, including Chena Slough (Badger Slough),  
			(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, the bag and possession limit for northern pike is 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 June 1 through December 31, 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) repealed 4/13/2013;  
		(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) repealed 4/13/2013;  
			(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) repealed 5/19/2010;  
		(12) the Goodpaster River drainage is closed to sport fishing for salmon, except that downstream from ADF&G regulatory markers located approximately 25 miles upstream from the confluence with the Tanana River, catch-and-release fishing for king salmon is allowed; king salmon may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately without further harm;  
		(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, 30 inches or greater in length; all lake trout caught that are less than 30 inches in length must be released immediately;  
			(D) the bag and possession limit for Arctic char/Dolly Varden is 10 fish, of which only one fish may be 18 inches or greater in length;  
		(14) in the Kantishna River drainage downstream from the mouth of the Toklat River, sport fishing for chum salmon is closed from August 15 through December 31;  
		(15) in Little Harding Lake, sport fishing for northern pike is closed;  
		(16) repealed 4/13/2013;  
		(17) in Piledriver Slough and its tributaries, upstream from its confluence with Moose Creek, Arctic grayling may be taken by catch-and-release fishing only;  
		(18) in Rainbow 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;  
		(19) repealed 5/19/2010;  
		(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) repealed 5/19/2010;  
			(C) sport fishing is prohibited from the Richardson Highway Bridge over the Salcha River;  
		(21) in the Shaw Creek drainage and its tributaries, Arctic grayling may be taken from 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 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) repealed 2/23/2014;  
			(B) the bag and possession limit for lake trout is one fish, with no size limit;  
			(C) the bag and possession limit for burbot is two fish, with no size limit;  
		(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;  
			(C) sport fishing for salmon is closed;  
		(27) in the Tolovana River drainage, northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through October 14;  
		(28) in Volkmar Lake, 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;  
		(29) in stocked waters, the bag, possession, and size limit for rainbow trout, Arctic char/Dolly Varden, landlocked salmon, and Arctic grayling is 10 of all stocked species combined, of which no more than one fish may be 18 inches or greater in length; for the purposes of this paragraph, "stocked waters" include Backdown Lake, Ballaine Lake, Bathing Beauty Pond, Bear Lake (Eielson Air Force Base), 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, Cushman Lake, Dick's Pond, Doc Lake, Donna Lake, Donnelly Lake, Forrest Lake, Four Mile Lake, Fourteen Mile Lake, Geskakmina Lake, Ghost Lake, Grayling Lake (Eielson Air Force Base), Hidden Lake (Eielson Air Force Base), Hidden Lake (Tetlin NWR), "J" Lake, Jan Lake, Johnson Pit #2, Ken's Pond, Kids Fishing Pond, Last Lake, Lisa Lake, Little Donna Lake, Little Lost Lake, Lost Lake, Lundgren Pond, Manchu Lake, Mark Lake, Monte Lake, Monterey Lake, Moose Lake (Eielson Air Force Base), Mosquito Creek Lake, Mullins Pit, Nenana City Pond, Nickel Lake, Nordale #2, North Chena Pond, North Pole Pond, North Twin Lake, Olnes Pond, Otto Lake, Parks 261 Pond, Paul's Pond, Polaris Lake, Quartz Lake, Rangeview Lake, Rapids Lake, Richardson Hwy. 28 Mile Pit, Richardson Hwy. 31 Mile Pit, Richardson Hwy. 81 Mile Pit, Shaw Pond, Sheefish Lake, Sirlin Drive Pond, South Twin Lake, Steese Hwy. 28.8 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 29.5 Mile Pit, Steese Hwy. 31.6 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, Stringer Rd. Pond, Triangle Lake, Wainwright #6, Weasel Lake, West Iksgiza Lake, Z Pit (Chena Floodway);  
		(30) in Koole Lake, the bag and possession for all finfish species combined is five fish, of which only one fish may be 18 inches or greater in length;  
		(31) repealed 4/13/2013;  
		(32) in George Lake, northern pike may be taken only from June 1 through April 20.  
	(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;  
			(C) Grizzly Lake;  
			(D) Harding Lake;  
			(E) Jack Lake;  
			(F) "T" Lake; and;  
			(G) the Tangle Lake system;  
		(2) in the Chatanika 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;  
		(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, including Chena Slough (Badger Slough),  
			(A) only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure may be used, except that a treble hook with a gap between hook and shank greater than one-half inch may be used when taking fish other than salmon;  
			(B) bait may be used only on a single hook with a gap size larger than three-quarters of an inch;  
		(6) in the Delta Clearwater River drainage, including the Clearwater Lake drainage, from  
			(A) January 1 through August 31, only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure 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) only unbaited single-hook, artificial lures may be used;  
		(8) in Five-Mile Clearwater Creek, from  
			(A) January 1 through August 31, only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure 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,  
			(A) the use of set lines is prohibited;  
			(B) only one single hook or one single-hook artificial lure may be used;  
		(12) repealed 4/13/2013;  
		(13) in Piledriver Slough upstream of its confluence with Moose Creek, only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure 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) only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure 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;  
		(20) in the Goodpaster River drainage, from June 1 through August 31, only one unbaited single-hook, artificial lure may be used;  
		(21) in the Tok River drainage, only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure may be used;  
		(22) in Clearwater Lake, the use of set lines is prohibited.  

Authorities

16.05.060;16.05.251

Notes

Reference

5 AAC 74.030

Authority

AS 16.05.060 AS 16.05.251

History

Eff. 3/14/2009, Register 189; am 6/7/2009, Register 190; am 11/28/2009, Register 192; am 5/19/2010, Register 194; am 4/13/2013, Register 206; am 2/23/2014, Register 209; am 5/22/2016, Register 218