Bird Creek (Turnagain Arm)

The feel

Bird Creek is a roadside silver run along Turnagain Arm, with a beluga-and-bore-tide backdrop. It is a popular hatchery silver fishery, and the crowds are high enough that anglers call it combat fishing.

You fish from the bank, with spin gear or a fly, and you reach the water from the Bird Creek pullouts and the campground on the Seward Highway. A pedestrian tunnel leads to the mouth.

What to expect

Water and access

A stream on the coastal Turnagain Arm, reached from the Bird Creek pullouts and the campground on the Seward Highway, with a pedestrian tunnel to the mouth.

Species and timing

Coho (silver), 5-9 lb, and pink (humpy), 3-5 lb, both in July and August. The season runs July to September. It fishes on the incoming tide.

Methods and gear

Bank, spin and fly.

License and rules

Check the current hook and bait rules and verify limits. The Sport Fish Information Center in Anchorage is at (907) 267-2218.

Crowds and best time

Crowds are high.

Parking

Pullouts and the campground on the Seward Highway. Watch the parking and the traffic.

Hazards

Seward Highway traffic.

Season and access

July to September.

Mingo says

Time your visit for the incoming tide, when the creek fishes. Plan on July or August, when both coho and pinks are in.

Before you go

• Confirm the current hook and bait rules and the limits before you cast.
• Call the Sport Fish Information Center in Anchorage at (907) 267-2218 with questions.
• Park carefully at the Seward Highway pullouts and watch the traffic.

Written October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.