Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway
Archived Sport Fishing Report
May 27, 2015
Summer 2015 fishing opportunities
King salmon
In the second week of the department creel survey at the Haines small boat harbor, king salmon sport fishing effort was light. The surveyor saw 1 king harvested from 35 rod-hours of effort.
Chilkat Inlet is closed to king salmon sport fishing through July 15. In 2015 we expect a weak Chilkat River king salmon run, so ADF&G is managing sport, commercial, and subsistence fisheries conservatively to meet the Chilkat king salmon escapement goal.
In the remainder of the Haines and Skagway area, the bag & possession limit is 1 king salmon 28 inches or longer. This area includes Taiya Inlet near Skagway, Lutak and Chilkoot Inlets near Haines, and Lynn Canal as far south as the latitude of Little Island Light. Non-Alaska residents must record each harvested king salmon on the back of their fishing license to comply with the non-resident annual limit of 6 king salmon.
About 250,000 hatchery-reared smolt will be released in Pullen Pond in June 2015. These fish will return to the Skagway and Haines area as legal size kings in years 2017 through 2019.
Char and Trout
Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout can be caught in clear water streams and lakes through the summer. The Chilkoot River water is high but remains clear. The Chilkat River is high and will be silty for the summer. Bait is prohibited when fishing in Chilkat Lake or Mosquito Lake and their inlet and outlet streams.
Sea-run Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout are feeding in salt water. They can be caught near shore through the summer in the Haines and Skagway area.