Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 16, 2016

General Area Description: includes all waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling.

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

• Permits are mandatory for all non-commercial shrimp fisherman. Permits are available online or available at local Fish and Game offices and at select vendors.
• Cordova Terminal Harvest Area is closed to snagging salmon from June 1 – September 30.
• In Main Bay, 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. The signs posted on either bank show the 60 foot line. Marker buoys may or may not be set 60 feet from the barrier seine.
• Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.
• CORDOVA STREAMS crossing the Copper River Highway from Eyak River to the Million Dollar Bridge: Once you reach your daily limit of coho salmon (3 fish), you may not fish with bait in any of these streams for the remainder of the day. A coho salmon that is removed from the water must be retained and becomes part of the daily bag limit of the person who originally hooked the fish. A person may not remove a coho (silvers) salmon from the water before releasing it.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• A few fish have been reported at Flemming Spit. Extra effort is needed fishing around the high tide.
• Remember: a coho salmon that is removed from the water must be retained and becomes part of the daily bag limit of the person who originally hooked the fish. A person may not remove a coho (silvers) salmon from the water before releasing it.
• Fishing in Ibeck Creek has picked up. High water is making anglers have to work harder for their coho.
• Fishing in Eyak River proved difficult last week with the high water, but some anglers reported catching limits downstream. Remember: salmon fishing is not allowed in Eyak Lake.
• Reminder: Power Creek in Cordova is closed to salmon fishing year-round.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Cutthroat and rainbow/steelhead trout fishing opened on June 15th. Try small spinners or nymph type flies.
• 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. Anglers are reminded to check the Prince William Sound regulations on the legal size limit for retained trout in the area they are fishing.
• Ruth Pond and Blueberry Lake are stocked with catchable size rainbow trout. Fishing at both locations has been great and fun for kids!

Salt waters

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Weather was pretty rough over the weekend inhibiting travel to ocean entrances for most anglers. Smaller halibut were reported caught over the weekend. Bigger fish were caught during the week before the weather set in.
• Last week’s top fish in the Valdez halibut derby were just over the 100lb mark.
• Lingcod fishing has been slow. If you start getting into too many rockfish while targeting lingcod move to a new location and use a deepwater release mechanism once you have reached your bag limit of rockfish.
• 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

• Pink salmon are still being picked up around Valdez.
• Coho fishing is still slow, but anglers are picking up larger fish from boat and shore. The leader of the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby and winner of the Women’s Silver Salmon Derby landed a 15.9 lb coho over the weekend!
• A few coho were reported to be picked up outside of Main Bay and near Crafton Island earlier in the week, but fishing has been slow and difficult over the weekend.

Fishing Tip: Brush up on your fish identification before you head out fishing. Test your knowledge with the new Pacific Salmon ID quiz.

Shellfish

Shrimping continues to be productive throughout the Sound. Look for good habitat and depths in the 500-600’ range to set pots. Deeper waters are still proving more productive. Rocky terrain with steep drop offs are variables to look for on charts. Don’t forget your shrimp permit. Permit needs to be in possession as you are shrimping. Also, remember that each vessel can only fish 4 pots.