Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound
Archived Sport Fishing Report
May 04, 2017
Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta Area
Week of May 3 – May 9
Issued May 4, 2017
General Area Description: includes all waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling.
Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders
- PWS non-commercial shrimp fishery opened on April 15th. 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.
- Please note that there are no PWS shrimp permit vendors in Whittier
- Emergency Order No. 2-SHR-6-11-17: Number of shrimp pots allowed to harvest shrimp in Prince William Sound was reduced from five pots per person with a maximum of five pots per vessel, to four pots per person with a maximum of four pots per vessel.
- Lingcod season is closed until July 1st to protect nest-guarding males.
- Cutthroat and Rainbow/Steelhead trout fishing opens on June 15th.
- Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.
Fresh waters
Salmon
- Chinook salmon returning to the lagoon at Fleming Spit should start to show up later this month.
Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling
- Cutthroat and rainbow/steelhead trout fishing is closed April 15th - June 14th in the Cordova area.
Salt waters
Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish
- Lingcod is closed until July 1st.
- Halibut angling should start to picking up this month. Small catches around the Sound have been reported. The Valdez Halibut Derby will begin May 20th and run through September 3rd.
- Rockfish can be caught easily year round throughout PWS. Check the regulations as bag limits change next month.
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%!)
Never heard of deepwater release for rockfish??? Check this page to learn more
Fishing Tip: Brush up on your rockfish identification before you head out fishing by clicking on the link below or looking in your Southcentral regulation summary booklet.
Shellfish
- Shrimp season opened on April 15th. Try out your favorite spot or give a new location a try! Successful sets have been reported to be set in the 400’ – 500’ range.
- You may get your permit online but you must have a printed and signed copy with you while fishing. Permit needs to be in possession as you are shrimping and harvest needs to be reported before your catch is concealed.
- Don’t forget to record when you drop your pots in the water the first trip out and remember only 4 pots are allowed per vessel in 2017.
- Don’t forget to turn in your harvest report after the season closes on September 15th!