Area Sport Fishing Reports
Petersburg

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 02, 2015

Summer is here! King salmon have arrived, Halibut are coming in and the trout are hungry.

Saltwater fishing

King Salmon

The King salmon season is off to a good start with more fishing opportunity coming over the next month.   The Petersburg King Salmon Derby concluded last Monday with a 50.9lbs winning fish.  The Wrangell King salmon derby is ongoing and concludes on June 7th.  Anglers should be aware that king salmon regulations are different depending on the water body they are fishing in the Petersburg/Wrangell area.  Please see the "Emergency Orders" link at the bottom of this page for current information.  Notably King salmon regulations have been liberalized for marine waters surrounding the mouth of the Stikine River (District 8) and special regulations concerning the Blind Slough terminal harvest area near Petersburg have been announced to allow opportunity to target enhanced king salmon originating from the Crystal Lake Hatchery.  Other areas will fall under the Southeast Alaska King Salmon Sport Fishing Regulations which can also found on the "emergency orders" link at the bottom of this page.

Halibut

Halibut catch rates are begining to increase as they move into local waters.  Halibut are often targeted by fishing the bottom using bait and circle hooks but can also be caught by anglers while trolling for salmon.

Dolly Varden

This time of year Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout and can found cruising along marine shorelines or near stream mouths. Try fishing nearshore areas with small spinners. If you are using a fly rod, herring or smolt imitations tend to work well. To see these species in a chrome bright ocean phase is a great treat.  Popular locations to fish are near Eagles Roost with an incoming tide and along the shoreline of Bananna point.

Freshwater Fishing

Rainbow and Cuthroat trout

There are several great locations for rainbow and cuthroat trout in the Petersburg/Wrangell area.  As waters warm, these species  can provide fast paced action for anglers.  Anglers commonly use spinning rods with small spinners or lead head jigs and fly rods with a variety of wet and dry flys.   When fishing for trout be sure to check the 2015 Southeast Alaska Sport Fish Regulation Summary to understand regulations for the waterbody you intend to fish. Regulations regarding size limits, bag limits and the use of bait can vary by waterbody.  While the spring steelhead season has largely passed anglers may encounter the tail end of the run over the next week.