Area Sport Fishing Reports
Juneau

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 04, 2016

Sport Fishing in the Juneau Area

In brief, sportfishing in the Juneau area during July 25-31 was still slow for feeder king salmon, but not unusual compared to the past 5 years. Outer coast catches for coho in Sitka and Craig remain high, but fewer coho appear to moving through Icy Straits during the past few weeks with resultant lower catches in Elfin Cove and Gustavus. Those that have already moved into inside waters appear to have boosted catches in the Juneau area to more than double that of last week, and just below the seasonal 5-year average. Only time will tell if escapements into the creeks will be normal. The lack of pink salmon in area waters around Juneau remains a mystery.  Few have been seen in the index survey streams, few were sampled last week during marine creel interviews, and returns to the Auke Creek weir are shaping up to be the lowest on record. Halibut harvest is similar to previous weeks, and only slightly below the five year average for the Juneau area.  Few lingcod were reported, but this is not uncommon for the Juneau area. A few quillback, dusky and Pacific Ocean Perch were reported.

King Salmon Fishing - Marine and Roadside

More king salmon were reported to creel technicians and reported in charter logbooks for the Juneau area from July 25-31. Those that were sampled came from Auke Bay, the backside of Douglas, and the waters near Hoonah. Catches were similar to previous weeks for the outside coast, based on creel interviews from Gustavus and Efin Cove. On the Juneau road system, very few hatchery kings were caught at Fish Creek Pond on Douglas Island. Snagging is allowed in the pond, but not in the creek or at the mouth of the creek for a 200-yard radius out into saltwater. Since all king salmon found in freshwaters along the Juneau road system are likely from the hatchery, all anglers fishing Juneau freshwaters may keep 4 king salmon, with 4 in possession with no annual limits. Targeting king salmon and all snagging within a 200-yard radius of the Macaulay Hatchery Wayside Park Fishing Dock is prohibited to allow more king salmon to be recovered for broodstock needs. This closure is in effect because hatchery returns are the lowest on record. All snagging is prohibited and king salmon may not be snagged, targeted, retained or possessed. If caught, king salmon must be released immediately.

King Salmon Regulations

To allow anglers access to hatchery king salmon, the area north of the Juneau Douglas Bridge to a line from Outer Point to the Portland Island navigational aid and then to Point Louisa has liberalized bag and possession limits of 4 king salmon of any size within this area. These fish do not count towards nonresident annual limits.

Juneau roadside freshwaters also have liberalized bag and possession limits for hatchery king salmon of 4 king salmon of any size and any harvested king salmon do not count towards nonresident's annual limit.

The regional bag limits outside of those areas listed above are: the king salmon bag and possession limit is three king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length for Alaskan Residents, and one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length for nonresidents, with a nonresident annual limit of six king salmon.

Anglers should consult the Sport Fishing Emergency Orders and News Releases for relevant maps and bag and possession limits at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/EONR/index.cfm. The maps provided with the News Releases are especially helpful in describing the hatchery harvest area, the closure area around the Wayside Park fishing dock, and for the general Southeast Alaska king salmon regulatory boundaries.

Public boat anglers and charter captains are reminded to please allow marine creel samplers access to their salmon catch, so that samplers can look for adipose-clipped fish that carry coded-wire-tags in their noses, and to take genetics samples and length measurements. This data collection is vital to the management and longterm conservation of the stocks that all anglers rely on for recreational harvest.

Other salmon

Coho salmon are being caught in increasing numbers, with more than twice the number sampled than in the previous sampling week. Although coho from the outer coast have arrived, it is unsure if catch rates will be sustained with lower numbers reported last week in Icy Straits and off Elfin Cove.  Pink salmon catches have dropped off and no chum salmon were reported to creel samplers.  Most salmon came from North Shelter and the backside of Douglas.

Halibut and Rockfish

Halibut harvests continued to be similar to previous weeks. Boat anglers fishing near Juneau reported catching halibut and rockfish from a variety of areas from Vanderbilt reef to Point Louisa. Anglers continue to have succes west of Pt Retreat and around Shelter Island. Rockfish species harvested included Quillback, Dusky, and Pacific Ocean Perch.

Anglers are reminded that halibut limits for unguided anglers are 2 fish per day, any size with 4 in possession. Charter anglers may keep 1 fish daily, which must be less than or equal to 43 inches or greater than or equal to 80 inches in length.

All non-pelagic rockfish caught must be retained until the anglers bag limit is reached. These include ALL species other than Dark, Dusky, Widow, Black, Blue, and Yellowtail. For the Southeast Inside Waters around Juneau, Alaska residents may keep 3 non-pelagic rockfish daily of any size, of which only 1 may be a yelloweye. Two daily limits may be in possession. Nonresidents may keep 2 daily of any size, only 1 of which may be yelloweye, with 4 in possession, of which no more than 2 may be in possession. All yelloweye must be recorded in ink on the back of the angler's sport fishing license, or onto a harvest record card. Charter anglers are reminded that nonpelagic rockfish and halibut must not be filleted or deheaded prior to docking so that ADF&G sampling technicians can get length measurements.

Anglers should consult the Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary, page 36 for identification of pelagic species and some non-pelagic species. Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Bulletin No. 25, "Guide to Northeast Pacific Rockfishes" is also an excellent reference for rockfish identification, available from the Alaska Sea Grant Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Lingcod

Very few lingcod were landed at Juneau docks this past week; all were from boats returning from the outer coast. Alaskan residents may keep 1 lingcod daily with 2 in possession, no size limits. Nonresidents may keep 1 lingcod daily with 1 in possession, annual limit of 2 of which on may be 30-35 inches and one may be 55 inches or greater. Nonresidents must record all lingcod harvested on the back of their sport fish license or on a harvest record.

Please consult the 2016 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations to identify pelagic and non-pelagic rockfish and for daily bag and possession limits for lingcod and rockfish.

Sport Fishing in the Freshwaters of the Juneau Area

Dolly Varden char, Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout fishing

Rainfall last week has attracted what salmon are near the estuaries to move upstream, attracting egg predators such as Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout. Fly fishermen should have increasing success with egg patterns and should target lake outlets, streams and rivers connecting to salt waters. The mouth of Montana creek above Brotherhood Bridge, and Peterson Creek and Salt Chuck might be a good area to try casting. The saltwater shoreline around Point Louisa and the estuary at Fish Creek on Douglas could also produce dollies. Spoons and spinners work well, as do smolt and fry imitations.

Anglers should check the 2016 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations for trout and Dolly Varden regulations. Juneau Area Freshwater Special Regulations for local lakes, creeks, rivers, and drainages can be found on pages 18-21. Unless otherwise specified, cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination) on the Juneau Road System are 2 daily and 2 in possession, 14 inch minimum and 22 inch maximum. Dolly Varden limits are 2 daily, 2 in possession, no size limit.