Sport Fish Area Fishing Report
Prince William Sound

Current Report

Current Sport Fish Area Fishing Report

August 28, 2013

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

• Permits are mandatory for all noncommercial shrimp fisherman. Permits are available at local Fish and Game offices and at participating vendors.
• Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.
• On the Copper River Delta, any silver salmon removed from the water must be retained and becomes part of the bag limit of the angler who originally hooked the fish.
• All silver salmon destined to be released must remain the water.
• See page 61 of the 2013 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulation summary for more information.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Silver salmon have arrived in the Eyak River and Ibeck Creek and fishermen are catching limits with ease. Rain is in the forecast for the next few days.
• Silvers are just making their way into the Alaganik slough system.

**PLEASE NOTICE SIGNS MARKING WHERE FRESH WATER BEGINS NEAR CREEK OUTLETS IN THE SOUND… SNAGGING IS NOT PERMITTED IN FRESH WATER**

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Cutthroat trout fishing is good along the Copper River highway. Leech patterns, small spinners, and egg patterns are good options.
• Anglers are reminded to check the Prince William Sound regulations on the legal size limit for retained trout.
• Anadromous Dolly Varden char are making their way back to spawning and over wintering areas. These fish can be found in streams and creeks in schools of more than 1,000 fish. Use fry/smolt imitation flies or small spinners at lake outlets or stream confluences. Egg patterns fished behind pink and chum salmon is a great approach to catching these fun fish.

Salt waters

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Halibut, while slowing down, continue to be caught most commonly in the southern reaches of the sound near ocean entrances.
• Rockfish angling is quite productive with small jigs near rocky reefs.
• AND REMEMBER if you are targeting multiple species, target rockfish last, and use a deepwater release mechanism on all released rockfish (these devices can turn the chance of survival for a rockfish from near zero to near 100%!)
• What’s deepwater release?
• http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation
• It has been a great year for Lingcod fishing in Prince William Sound. Anglers are still catching large lingcod near Montague. Large jigs fished 10 feet off the bottom near and on top of steep rocky ridges and reefs work quite well for lingcod.

Salmon

• Silvers are picking up at Flemming Spit and the lagoon near Cordova.
• Silvers are not so hot in Whittier, but are still gangbusters in Valdez. It’s shaping up to be a very good silver year for the Prince William Sound.
• The Valdez Silver Salmon derby is having a good year, and this derby runs through September 1st. Look on the derby website to see pictures of all the daily winners.
• The pink salmon fishery is winding down, but the silver salmon action is in full swing. Here is a link to the commercial fishery announcements for Prince William Sound:
• http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareapws.salmon

Shellfish

• Shrimping continues to be productive throughout the Sound with anglers reporting better catches with deeper sets; 350 - 600 ft.
• Don’t forget your shrimp permit – everyone needs one.