Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

May 20, 2015

Prince William Sound and the
Copper River Delta Area

Week of May 21 to May 27
Issued May 20, 2015

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.
• Lingcod season is closed until July 1 to protect nest-guarding males.
• Cutthroat and Rainbow/Steelhead trout fishing is closed until June 15th.
• Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Fishing for salmon in freshwater is limited this time of year and a late spring. Look for a few early fish to be in rivers over the next couple weeks.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Cutthroat and rainbow/steelhead trout fishing is closed until June 15 to protect spawning adults.
• 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.
• Hooligan should be showing up around the Alaganik within the next week or so if they aren’t there already… Look for gulls and other birds to point them out.

Salt waters

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Halibut angling was a little spotty inside the Sound this past week. A few anglers reported catching their limits near Knowles Head and Naked Island and reports of a few fish around Applegate Island. The ocean entrances continue to be great places to catch halibut.
• 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 

Salmon

• Trolling for kings should be productive near Cordova and near other salmon producing streams. Trolling near shallow rocky reefs and headlands is a good bet this time of year.
• There have been no reports of hatchery king salmon at Flemming Spit but they should start showing up in a couple weeks.
 

Shellfish

• Shrimping continues to be productive near Whittier and Valdez.
• Don’t forget your shrimp permit – everyone needs one.