Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway
Archived Sport Fishing Report
August 03, 2015
Summer 2015 fishing opportunities
Sockeye salmon
The Chilkoot River sockeye salmon run is at the mid-summer peak, with 1,000 or 2,000 fish passing upstream through the weir each day. A total of 39,000 sockeye salmon have been counted at the weir through August 2. The trend is toward an average escapement of more than 65,000 fish.
An article on succesful fly patterns for sockeye fishing is available here. A video on another succesful sockeye fishing technique is available here.
Sockeye salmon counts at the Chilkat River fish wheels have been very strong so far this year. The Chilkat run typically continues steadily through mid-September.
Pink salmon
The pink salmon run is peaking at the Chilkoot River weir, with 6,000 pinks upstream through the weir over the weekend. This run is strongest in August.
Pink salmon counts at the Chilkat River fish wheels have been very strong so far this year. You can catch pinks at several clearwater tributaries along the Haines Highway, or from the shoreline in Lutak Inlet, Chilkoot Inlet, and Chilkat Inlet salt water.
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 fairly clear. The Chilkat River is high and very silty in the summer, but some clearwater tributaries are fishable. 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.
King salmon
King salmon fishing catches will pick up as feeders return to Lynn Canal and Taiya Inlet in August.
In District 15, the bag & possession limit is 1 king salmon 28 inches or longer. This area includes Lynn Canal north of the latitude of Little Island Light, Chilkat Inlet, Chilkoot Inlet, and Lutak Inlet near Haines, and Taiya Inlet near Skagway. District 15 also includes the waters of Berners Bay along the Juneau road system.
Non-Alaska residents must record each harvested king salmon immediately on the back of their fishing license to comply with the non-resident annual limit of 3 king salmon.
The early results from the department's Chilkat River king salmon monitoring project near 9 Mile Haines Highway is that a weak run entered the river, but we expect to meet the lower end of the escapement goal range. Surveys on the king salmon spawning grounds will continue through August.
About 200,000 hatchery-reared smolt were 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.