Legendary Species · Southern Region

Arctic char in Southern Region

Salvelinus alpinus[1]

5 Southern Region waters whose agency species list names arctic char. Each links to its water page (gauge, regulations, access map, guides and shops) and to the agency list it comes from.

5waters list it
0destination hubs

Waters
Status and rules
Sources

A smiling woman stands on a gravel river bar holding up a silvery Arctic char, with tundra hills behind her — An angler's first Arctic char on a fly, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wilderness, Alaska (photographer Jeffrey Brooks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Alaska), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Southern Region waters

Most fished first. A species missing from an agency list does not mean it is absent; this page lists only waters whose list names it (at least 5 are needed for a page).

SogAgency list: Hafrannsóknastofnun (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
ÞingvallavatnAgency list: Þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum (Þingvellir National Park)
GeirlandsáAgency list: Hafrannsóknastofnun (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
Hlíðarvatn í SelvogiAgency list: Hafrannsóknastofnun (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
VeiðivötnAgency list: Hafrannsóknastofnun (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)

All Southern Region waters Arctic char: every state

Identification

Like other char, Arctic char have light spots on a dark background, which sets char apart from other salmon and trout.[1]
What the source says
“Char are generally distinguished from other salmonid fishes by having light spots on a dark background”
Compared with Dolly Varden, Arctic char tend to have fewer, larger spots, a more deeply forked tail and a narrower tail wrist (caudal peduncle).[1]
What the source says
“Arctic char tend to have fewer and larger spots, a more deeply-forked tail, and a narrower caudal peduncle”
Spawning Arctic char are usually gold, orange, yellow or rose, and only rarely red.[1]
What the source says
“Spawning Arctic char are usually gold, orange, yellow or rose and only infrequently red”

Status, protections and rules

As each agency stated them on the date read; a rule applies only where its agency says so. Check the current regulations for the water before you fish.

ADF&G considers Alaska's Arctic char populations relatively stable throughout their Alaskan range.[1]
What the source says
“Populations of Arctic char in Alaska are considered to be relatively stable throughout their range in Alaska”

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

Arctic Char Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.