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Fishing Report July 31 – August 14, 2025

The fishing on the Goodnews has been nothing short of incredible lately. With Silvers coming in hoards, our guests are busy hooking up on dozens of them every day. 

Water temperatures have remained optimal for Salmon fishing, in the mid to low 40’s. We experienced a large rainfall of about 1.5”, bringing the water levels up. This made for a great push of Silvers into the sloughs with great popper fishing. Many of our clients are now landing upwards of 20-30 silvers per day, with some landing 40-50. We are seeing more and more Silvers enter the river, and the fishing keeps getting better and better.  We would like to congratulate the three clients that complete the Grand Slam these weeks! 

With more rain in the forecast, the water levels are expected to rise even higher. This should bring even more Silvers in, and the slough fishing will be world class. We are very excited to enter the peak of the Coho run in the next week or so. Being fully booked for the rest of the season, we are anticipated a lot of fish and a lot of fun!

Tune in bi weekly for fishing reports on the Goodnews River

Fishing Report July 17-31, 2024

The last week of King season brought lots of sunshine and great weather. Water levels decreased, and water temperatures remained in the low to mid 50’s. With the last of the big Kings entering the river, we were able to catch several throughout the week. We have seen huge amounts of Sockeye, Chums and Pinks  continue to enter the river.

The week of July 24-31 was our annual Kids Week. Two of our clients were able to secure a Grand Slam, way to go! Guests enjoyed Dolly fishing, catching endless amounts of Chums and Pinks, as well as a scenic hike to the dredge. We received about an inch of rain mid week, bringing the water levels back up. The water clarity remains good despite the recent rain. We are pleased to announce that the first Silvers were caught this week, bringing on the Silver madness! We are anticipating a great week ahead, with more Silvers and Grand Slams. 

Tune in bi-weekly for our fishing reports, and see what we are up to at the lodge.

Fishing Report July 3-17, 2024

We have reached the peak of our King Season. Consistent rain has caused the water levels to rise, and an abundance of King Salmon to come in. All of our clients were happy hooking up on large fish, as well as many adolescent Chinook. We are continuing to see huge numbers of Chum, Sockeye and Pinks. There were several reports of Dolly Varden caught these weeks as well.  Water temperatures remain in the low to mid 40’s, creating a thriving environment for the fish. We are heading into our last week of King season, followed by our annual “Kids Week”. Many are patiently awaiting the first Silver so Grand Slam season can officially begin! A big thanks to all of you that joined us for 2024 Kings, we are excited to see you again next year.

Fishing Report June 19 – July 3, 2024

We have just completed our first two weeks of the 2024 season! Things have been business as usual on the Goodnews River. Clients report catching several Kings over 30 lbs, with plenty of adolescent Kings around to keep things fun. We experienced a few sunny days the week of June 19-26, followed by much needed rain showers and overcast weather. Water temperatures have been holding steady between 44-48 degrees. We are seeing more and more Kings come into the river every day, including abundant numbers of Sockeye and Chum. Rainbow and Grayling fishing has been exceptional, we have enjoyed fishing for them before our season gets into full swing. 

Tune in throughout the season to catch up on the current fishing report on the Goodnews River. Reports will be posted biweekly.

Fishing Report Aug 16-23, Aug 23-30, and Aug 30-Sept 6 End of Season

Silvers ! Lots and lots and lots of Silvers! A perfect description of the last 3 weeks of the season.  The week of August 16-23 provided some classic late Alaska summer weather. Overcast skies provided great fishing conditions. A few sunny afternoons provided a perfect opportunity for guests to enjoy a hike, or a relaxing afternoon in the boat. All of our guests and guides reported world class Silver fishing throughout the entire week. Most folks filled their fish harvesting quota by day two!

The rest of the season was equally as impressive as the previous week, if not more so. With a mid week storm around Aug 26 came a rise in water levels, and a massive push of big Silvers! With that said, all guests were busily spending their days fighting feisty fish.  

As of Aug 30, Fall was in full effect here on the Goodnews. Despite shorter days and lower water temperatures, and another fall storm starting Aug 31, the Silvers continued to push in by the thousands. Boats were landing upwards of 80+ Silvers per day. We’ve had just an incredible Silver run this year, probably the best since 2019. 

We’re now closed for the season, but are busily accepting reservations for our 2024 season. If you want to get into some of the best freshwater fly fishing in the world,  just fill out the “Contact Us” form to get the ball rolling. Whether you are a returning Guest, or a first timer looking for an outstanding fishing adventure, we’d love to see you at the Goodnews River Lodge in 2024. 

Tight Lines!

Fishing Report Aug 2-9 and Aug 9-16

Silver season is finally here! The week of August 2-9 saw good numbers of Coho start to enter the river system. Fun was had by all, catching and fighting aggressive Silvers on both fly and spin gear. Two more grand slams came to the net this week, making 8 so far in 2023.  We had some very beautiful sunny days at the beginning of the week, but around mid week we experienced a typical August storm, and some clients chose to happily tie flies in the lodge, while others wade-fished close to the lodge with great success. The rest of the week was mostly overcast with light winds, and lots of fish. Water levels have dropped slightly , and water temps remain in the 50-55 degree range.

The week of Aug 9-16 proved to be an outstanding week for Silvers. Most groups were harvesting their daily limit before lunch, and continued to catch and release dozens more. Large pushes of Silvers on incoming tides made for world class fishing. We are seeing substantial amounts of Silvers staging up river as well. The weather was mostly overcast, with some pleasant sunny afternoons. Water levels and temps remain similar to last week, with the water not quite high enough to push the Silvers back into the sloughs, but high enough to create lots of soft pockets. 

With this kind of start to our Silver season, what will the remaining weeks of the season produce? 

Fishing report July 19-26 and July 26 – August 2

The week of July 19-26 was the annual “ Kids Katch and Kast” week. Overcast days resulted in very active fish. There was significantly less rain than weeks past, and water levels continue to drop. Many anglers were successful in catching King salmon. This week we saw our first handful of Silver salmon push into tidewater. We expect them to start coming up river in larger numbers over the coming weeks.  Two guests received the grand slam award , after catching all five species of salmon in a single day! Our guests  had no problem harvesting enough Sockeye to bring home. Guests also enjoyed catching playful Pink salmon on the fly. Despite ADFG Chum salmon closures , we continue to see large numbers of them in holding pools. Several chums were caught and released while fishing for other species. 

The week of July 26-Aug 2 was a very pleasant change in weather, with the second half bringing sunny blue skies. The water temps were sitting around or just under 55 degrees. An additional two anglers completed the grand slam again this week. We are seeing a great push in silvers , with each group catching several per day. Similar to last week, all anglers filled their quota of Sockeye salmon to take home. Pinks are also fishing very similar to last week, there are plenty around to have some fun!  


We have officially concluded our King salmon season, as they take their positions on the flats to spawn. This will allow them to fulfill their circle of life with zero pressure, resulting in great King salmon returns in years to come! And to that , we say “BRING ON THE SILVERS!” We are excited for Silver season to be in full swing shortly. Be sure to come back in a few weeks for the next fishing report. Happy Fishing!

Fishing Report for July 5-12 and July 12-19

It’s been another fantastic two weeks on the Goodnews River!  The water temperatures, as well as ambient temperatures, remained cool and consistent, mostly overcast with scattered rain. The week of July 5-12 continued to provide plentiful numbers of sizable King salmon. As most of our Guests this week were from Great Britain, they enjoyed fly fishing with the 2 hander with great results.  One party reported catching 20 kings , including jacks , to the net in a single day. And despite the closure of all the Rivers on the west coast of Alaska by ADF&G to sport fishing for Chum salmon (including the Goodnews), there were plenty of them hooked and released while fishing for Kings.   


The week of July 12-19  saw a small break in weather , with an afternoon or two with sunny blue skies. With an absence of rain came a decent drop in the water level and an increase in clarity . Lodge owner Mike Gorton and veteran guides describe the past few weeks as “ The best King run they’ve seen in several years” On a sunny afternoon guests had a great chance to head up river to successfully target Grayling and Rainbows , and enjoy a beautiful shore lunch. On overcast days Guests were successful in catching and landing large Kings. One of our junior fishermen managed to land 4 30lb+ Kings in a single day! Chums , Sockeye , as well as Pink Salmon continued to show themself in increasing numbers daily .It was a great week for Guests to harvest Sockeye to take home to their family and friends . 


Next week we are excited for our “Kids Kast and Katch” week hosted at the lodge. We are anticipating a lot of fish and fun for everyone, so be sure to come back here in a few  weeks to read all about it! 

June 21-28 and June 28-July 5

What a difference a year makes! Unlike the past 2 seasons, our Guests arrived at the Lodge to find the river much higher and much colder than it has been in the past few seasons, due to the increased snow melt and constant rains. The water temperature hovered around 45F, and combined with overcast conditions forecasted for the foreseeable future, the King salmon were happy and waiting for our Guests. The first week, June 21-28 saw a build-up of the run with a number of 30+lb fish coming to the fly that first week. The occasional sockeye and mint bright Chum were by-catch as well.

Conditions remained the same throughout the second week of June 28-July 5, and everyone was sore and happy from catching lots of big Kings. There were also numerous Chum and Sockeye landed as well. The downside to the high and cold water was the effect on our Rainbow and Grayling fishing. The rivers and creeks were so swollen that they were not wadeable. Only one boat tested the Trout fishing on Friday, and managed only 1 skinny Trout of 21” to the net. That was enough to keep everyone else salmon fishing for the rest of the week.

The big full moon tides hit us at the end of the week, and brought in another push of big Kings. Despite very difficult wind and weather conditions, the Kings were happy to play with our Anglers. One Guest commented over dinner-“It took me 4 days to figure it all out, but where else can you hook and land 5 30lb+ Kings in a single day”. All in all, a fabulous two weeks at the Goodnews River Lodge.