Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 30, 2015

Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta Area

Week of June 30 to July 6

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

• Shrimp permits are mandatory for all noncommercial fishermen. Permits are available at local Fish and Game offices and at select vendors.
• Lingcod season opens July 1
• Cutthroat and Rainbow/Steelhead trout fishing is open as of Monday June 15th.
• Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.

Emergency Orders:

2-KS-6-33-15 FLEMMING SPIT LAGOON IN THE CORDOVA TERMINAL HARVEST AREA OPENS TO SNAGGING KING SALMON

• Snagging will be permitted in the waters of Flemming Spit Lagoon in the Cordova Terminal Harvest Area beginning at 12:01 a.m., Thursday, June 25, through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 12, 2015.The Flemming Spit Lagoon area includes the lagoon waters east (upstream) of the culverts on Flemming Spit Creek. The marine waters of the Cordova Terminal Harvest Area outside of the lagoon will remain closed to snagging until they open by regulation October 1. The bag limit for king salmon is 2 per day, 4 in possession.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Sockeye are running strong in Eyak River. Dropping water levels are making flossing fishing techniques more effective. Eyak Lake is closed to all salmon fishing.
• Sockeye should be showing up at the mouths of creeks sometime in the next week or two in better numbers… they are trickling in at Coghill and Eshamy. Eshamy sockeye should be showing up any day if not already. Remember, no snagging inside the fresh/salt water markers.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Cutthroat and rainbow/steelhead trout fishing is open. Small spinners, smolt patterns, and flies matching a hatch are your best bet.
• Anglers reminded to check the Prince William Sound regulations on the legal size limit for retained trout.
• 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.

Salt waters

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Halibut fishing in the sound is slowing compared to the last couple of weeks and people are having to go a little further out to get their limit. The ocean entrances are always great places to catch halibut. The west side of Montague Island is seeing a lot of angler traffic for halibut. Success can be found in this area, but hot spots further up in the sound near Green and Night Island are doing better. Latouche and southern and northern ends of Montague are good bets also. The gulf side of Hichinbrook Island is also doing well on halibut and pelagic rockfish. Fishing just off the bottom can decrease the bycatch of rockfish and does not hurt your chances of catching halibut. .
• —What’s deepwater release? (these devices can turn the chance of survival for a rockfish from near zero to near 100%!)  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation  
• AND REMEMBER if you are targeting multiple species, target rockfish last.
• Rockfish targeted angling is quite productive with small jigs near rocky reefs.
• Lingcod season opens July 1 and remains open until December 31. The limit is 1 per day, and 1 in possession, must be at 35 inches long with head attached or 28 inches from tip of tail to front of dorsal fin with head removed.
• Lincod which are gaffed must be retained. A gaff may not be used to puncture and fish intended or required to be released.

Salmon

• Hatchery kings are still showing up at Fleming Spit in good numbers. With recent emergency order allowing snagging in Flemming Spit we anticipate catches increasing. Spoons and spinners are your best bet on the ocean side and something with some scent might work better in the lagoon for those fish off the bite. Trolling outside and trying to find them might be a good bet if you have the equipment.
• Esther Hatchery is also having a good return of chum salmon.
• Kings are still being caught trolling and silvers are showing up early this year, being caught trolling throughout the sound.
• Sockeye fishing out in Main Bay and the rest of the sound is just getting started and should get better and better.
• If you are headed out to Main Bay, please see the new regulations in place on page 83 of the Southcentral Regulations book. Sport fishing from a vessel that is within 60 feet of the Prince William Sound Aquaculture hatchery barrier seine, or from a vessel inside of the barrier seine is prohibited. Signs have been posted accordingly, and the barrier seine has just been set. A marker buoy line has been set at 60 feet from the barrier seine. While it is at the correct distance on the sides of the bay, wind and currents can move it closer than 60 feet from the barrier seine, so just because you are on the seaward side of the buoy line, does not mean you are fishing legally…. Stay vigilant of where you are. Fishing is usually a little better and easier in Main Bay when there aren’t commercial openers happening… check here to get updates on when those are happening http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main  

Shellfish

• Shrimping continues to be productive near Whittier and Valdez, but it’s generally better and better the farther you get away from ports. Start moving those pots out a little deeper as the summer moves on. Once you figure out the depth they are at, start setting parallel sets at that depth and your pots will look a lot better coming up.
• Don’t forget your shrimp permit – everyone needs one.