Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

May 10, 2017

Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta Area

Week of May 10 – May 16
Issued May 10, 2017

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

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

• Prince William Sound non-commercial shrimp fishery opened on April 15th. Permits are mandatory for all non-commercial shrimp fisherman. Permits are available online or at local Fish and Game offices and at select vendors.
  • Please note that there are no Prince William Ssound shrimp permit vendors in Whittier.
• Per Emergency Order No. 2-SHR-6-11-17  the 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, rainbow, and 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 any day now.
• Sockeye will also start heading into Eyak River any day now.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Cutthroat, rainbow, and steelhead trout fishing is closed April 15th through June 14th in the Cordova area.
• Dolly varden are present in many of the streams throughout Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta. Use fry or smolt imitation flies and small spinners at lake outlets or stream confluences.

Salt waters

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Lingcod is closed until July 1st.
• Halibut angling has been spotty. Small catches around the Sound have been reported. The Valdez Halibut Derby will begin May 20th and run through September 3rd.
• Strawberry Channel is producing catches of small halibut.
• Rockfish can be caught easily year round throughout Prince William Sound. Bag limits starting May 1 through September 15 are four per day, eight in possession of which only two may be non-pelagic.

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??? Please visit the ADF&G's Rockfish Conservation and Deepwater Release page for more information.

Fishing Tip: Brush up on your rockfish identification before you head out fishing by looking in your 2017 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet on page 90. 

Shellfish

• Shrimp season opened on April 15th. Around 400 feet has been the magic depth for many but try different depths and locations if you’re new to shrimping. Don’t forget to keep good fresh bait to entice these tasty critters!
• You are encouraged to 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 and remember only four pots are allowed per vessel in 2017.
• Don’t forget to turn in your harvest report after the season closes on September 15th!