Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway
Archived Sport Fishing Report
March 03, 2022
Check out the wefishak page on the ADF&G website for the new gofishak interactive map to discover popular fishing locations and information on species run timing, fishing gear selections, and boat and angler access tips!
Salt Water Fishing Opportunities
King salmon
The Haines/Skagway area is open to winter king salmon fishing through March 31. The bag & possession limit for Alaska residents is two kings 28 inches or greater in length. Resident anglers may use two rods when fishing for kings. For non-Alaska residents, the bag & possession limit is one king 28 inches or greater in length, with a non-resident annual limit of 3 kings, and one rod allowed.
Starting April 1, regulations to conserve Chilkat king salmon will resume. Retention of king salmon will be prohibited for all anglers in the Haines/Skagway area through the end of the year.
Shellfish
Pot fishing for shrimp and Dungeness crab is open year-round in the Haines and Skagway area saltwater.
- Non-Alaska residents with a sport fishing license catch shellfish with these bag & possession limits:
- Dungeness crab - 3 legal size males.
- Shrimp - 3 quarts or pounds.
- Alaska residents catch shellfish under subsistence or personal use regulations with more liberal bag & possession limits. See the Southeast Alaska Shellfish Regulation Summary booklet for details.
All shrimp harvesters must print a no-cost permit from the ADF&G online store and record their daily pot fishing effort and harvest on the paper permit. The harvest information must be reported online, or the paper permit must be returned to ADF&G by December 31 each year.
Fresh Water Fishing Opportunities
Char and Trout
Spring appears to have arrived early, and warm weather has opened up mainstem Chilkat River waters for fishing. Chum salmon fry are starting to emerge from the gravel, which brings out feeding Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout.
Mosquito Lake ice is still thick. Weather does change, so always check for adequate ice depth before going out on lakes.
Learn about ice fishing gear, tactics, and tips on Alaska Department of Fish and Game YouTube channel. Techniques specific to trout and char start at 28:20 in the video.
Keep in mind that bait is not allowed when fishing in Mosquito Lake and Chilkat Lake so tip-ups won't be practical in those lakes. This purpose of the no-bait regulation is to conserve cutthroat trout, which tend to swallow bait deeply.
Dolly Varden and Cutthroat Trout spend the winters in lakes or in deep clear waters of the Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers. Chilkat Lake and Mosquito Lake have special regulations to protect cutthroat trout:
- Bait is not allowed.
- Cutthroat and rainbow trout: 2 fish bag and possession limit, with a slot limit of 14-inch minimum to the 22-inch maximum length required to keep a fish.
In the remainder of the Haines and Skagway area fresh and salt waters, bait is allowed, and the regional length limit for cutthroat and rainbow trout is 11-minimum to the 22-inch maximum.
Chilkoot Lake and Chilkoot River have a special Dolly Varden bag limit:
- Dolly Varden: 4 fish bags and possession limit, no size limit.
In the remainder of Haines-Skagway area salt and fresh waters and most of Southeast Alaska, the Dolly Varden bag and possession limit is 10 fish
Sport Fishing Licenses
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.
Residents of Yukon Territory in Canada may purchase an annual Alaska non-resident sport fishing license for the same price that Alaska residents pay. Yukoners are not Alaska residents, so Yukoners must comply with the non-resident regulations such as the 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.
For more information about sport fishing in Haines and Skagway, call Area Biologist Richard Chapell at 907-766-3638.