Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway
Archived Sport Fishing Report
May 11, 2017
Summer fishing opportunities
The water in the Chilkat River, Taiya River, and other glacial-sourced streams is rising quickly and the water is cloudy with glacial silt. The Chilkoot River water remains clear.
Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout are still actively feeding on emigrating salmon fry. Bait is allowed when fishing in most waters in the Haines/Skagway area, but not in Chilkat Lake, Mosquito Lake, or their inlet and outlet streams.
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, so they must comply with the non-resident regulations such as number of shellfish pots, shellfish bag limits, and king salmon bag and annual limits. The Yukoner license is available from license vendors in Whitehorse, Haines, and Skagway.
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 Southeast Alaska red and blue king crab personal use fishery, allowed for Alaska residents only, is open July 1 through March 31. In the Haines/Skagway area, the bag and possession limit is 1 legal size male crab.
Poor king salmon runs in 2017
The 2017 king salmon run forecast is poor for the Chilkat River, and also for most other Southeast Alaska rivers, such as the Unuk, Taku, Alsek, and Situk Rivers. Sport, commercial, and subsistence fisheries will be restricted in 2017 to attain spawning escapement goals in these southeast Alaska rivers.
King salmon sport fishing is closed in Chilkat Inlet now through July 15. Retention of king salmon will not be allowed in the remainder of Subdistrict 15-A (Haines and Skagway area) now through December 31, 2017. Please read the news release for details and a map of the Haines/Skagway area.
For more information about sport fishing in Haines and Skagway, call Area Biologist Richard Chapell at 907-766-3638.