Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway

Archived Sport Fishing Report

March 06, 2017

Mid-winter fishing opportunities

ADF&G will host a youth ice fishing day at Mosquito Lake on Saturday, March 11, from 11 am to 2 pm. We will have holes drilled, a dozen rods available, and ice fishing lures. Alaska residents under 18 years old do not need a sport fishing license. Non-Alaska residents under 16 years old do not need a sport fishing license.

The weather has been cold, so there is thick ice on Mosquito Lake and Chilkat Lake, where ice anglers can find overwintering cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden. Be aware that bait is not allowed to be used in these lakes, and the size limit for cutthroat and rainbow trout is minimum 14 inches and maximum 22 inches.

The Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Taiya Rivers have open, flowing waters. Chum salmon fry are starting to emerge from the spawning beds, so Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout are becoming more active. Bait is allowed to be used when fishing in the mainstem Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Taiya Rivers.

Pot fishing for Dungeness crab and shrimp is open year round in the Haines and Skagway area salt water.

Residents of Yukon Territory in Canada may purchase an annual Alaska sport fishing license for the same price that Alaska residents pay. However, Yukoners are not Alaska residents, and they must comply with the non-resident regulations such as number of shellfish pots, shellfish bag limits, and king salmon annual limits. The Yukoner license is available from license vendors in Whitehorse, Haines, and Skagway.

Poor king salmon runs expected in 2017

Starting April 15, sport fishing for king salmon will be closed in Chilkat Inlet, and retention of king salmon will not be allowed in the remainder of Subdistrict 15-A (Haines and Skagway area) for the rest of 2017. Please read the news release for details and a map of the Haines/Skagway area.

The Chilkat king salmon run forecast for 2017 is poor. Other king salmon runs in Southeast Alaska, such as the Unuk, Taku, Alsek, and Situk Rivers, also have a poor outlook for this summer. Sport, commercial, and subsistence fisheries will be restricted in 2017 to attain spawning escapement goals in these southeast Alaska rivers.

For more information about sport fishing in Haines and Skagway, call Area Biologist Richard Chapell at 907-766-3638.