Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 01, 2017

Week of June 1 to June 7

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

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

• Cordova Terminal Harvest Area is closed to snagging from June 1 through September 30.
• On the Eyak River starting June 1, only single-hook, artificial flies with a hook gap of 3/8 inch or less between point and shank are allowed from a point 200 yards upstream of Eyak Lake dam and to a point 200 yards downstream from the bridge at the outlet of Eyak Lake. No additional weight may be attached to the line when fishing in this area.
• Permits are mandatory for all noncommercial shrimp fisherman. Permits are available online, at local ADF&G offices, and at select vendors.
  • Please note there are no Prince William Sound 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 1 to protect nest-guarding males.
• Cutthroat trout, Rainbow trout, and Steelhead trout fishing opens on June 15.
• 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. No reports yet but that’s not to say one hasn’t been caught!
• Sockeye salmon are coming into Eyak River. No significant catches have been reported but fishing near the weir should start improving over the next couple of weeks.

Trout, Dolly Varden, and Grayling

• Cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and steelhead trout fishing in the Cordova area is still closed. Start getting ready as it will open in just a couple weeks on June 15.
• Dolly Vardens are present in many of the streams throughout Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta. Use fry or smolt imitation flies or small spinners at lake outlets or stream confluences.

Salt waters

Salmon

• Chinook salmon returning to the lagoon at Fleming Spit should start to show up any day now. Trolling outside the lagoon in the saltwater can produces catches of fish this time of year when the fish start to show up and mill around. Remember: the Cordova Terminal Harvest Area is closed to snagging salmon from June 1 through September 30.

Halibut, Lingcod, and Rockfish

• Lingcod is closed until July 1.
• Halibut are federally managed by NOAA. Make sure you know the regulations! Unguided and guided anglers have different rules to follow.
• The Valdez Halibut Derby has had fish just shy of 90 ponds weighed in over the last week. Holiday weekend weather made it difficult to get out. Better weather this coming week means anglers can get closer to ocean entrances and bigger fish!
• Strawberry Channel continues to have small catches of halibut.
• Rockfish can be caught 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.

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

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 webpage for more information.

Shellfish

• Shrimp season opened on April 15. Good catches are still being reported. Targeting depths of 350 to 450 feet have been productive.
• You are encouraged to get your current shrimping 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 15!