Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 13, 2014

Prince William Sound and the
Copper River Delta Area

Week of August 12 to August 18
Issued August 12, 2014

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

• Permits are mandatory for all noncommercial shrimp fisherman. Permits are available at local Fish and Game offices and at select vendors.
• Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.

Freshwaters

Salmon

• Salmon fishing in Cordova has switched from sockeye to coho with good numbers showing up in Ibeck and Eyak. Right on time! No fish back yet at hippie cove though.
• Sockeye fishing in the sound is on the tail end. If you are looking for late season sockeye fishing you might try Eshamy as that run of sockeye is fairly late this year. Please observe new freshwater/saltwater snagging boundary signs. Jackpot and Gunboot might also be worth checking out.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Anglers are reminded to check the Prince William Sound regulations on the legal size limit for retained trout.
• Cutthroat trout fishing continues to be good along the Copper River highway and in trout waters throughout PWS. Leech patterns, small spinners, and egg patterns are good options.
• Dolly Varden are present in many of the streams throughout Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta. 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 fish.
• Thompson Lake (lower lake next to Blueberry Lake) and Ruth Pond have been stocked and will provide some great family fishing/camping opportunities. Fishing should be good. Try using small flies, spinners or bait below a bobber. The blueberry picking should be good up there too.

Saltwaters

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Bad weather as of late has not brought in many fish or fishing reports, since many a trip was cancelled this last week. Once the weather improves later this week, your best bet is heading out to the ocean entrances, but if you don’t have the gas, try Blackstone and maybe out by Applegate.
• 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 good year for lingcod fishing in Prince William Sound. Anglers have reported catching large lingcod in the southern parts of the sound. Some folks are even having some luck in Blackstone Bay. Large jigs fished 10 feet off the bottom near and on top of steep rocky ridges and reefs work quite well for lingcod.

Salmon

• Sockeye are tapering off at Main Bay, but there are still a few to be had. For more information, check the commercial fishery announcements for Prince William Sound:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareapws.salmon
• Silvers are looking late at Allison Point. There are some chromers in there if you can get your hooks past the zombie pinks, however. But again…. Numbers are still low from shore… might want to wait another week or two.
• Silvers are still slow out of Whittier as well. Weather should get a little better here soon and allow folks to troll around the Bay and have better luck.

Shellfish

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