Area Sport Fishing Reports
North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay
Archived Sport Fishing Report
May 14, 2014
North Gulf Coast Area
Week of May 13 to May 19
Issued May 13, 2014
Emergency Orders and regulation reminders
• The personal use season for shrimp fishing with pot gear in North Gulf Coast area waters opened on April 15.
• Lingcod fishing remains closed until July 1.
• The First Lake “Youth Only Fishery” for stocked rainbow trout in Seward starts this Thursday and goes through Sunday.
Halibut
• Halibut fishing is good right now, better than last year at this time. The water temperature in Resurrection Bay is warming far more rapidly than last year and is already in the mid-forties. This appears to be moving halibut into shallower water more quickly than last year.
• Fish as close to the Gulf as you can for these tasty flat fish.
Salmon
• The king salmon limit in Resurrection Bay is now two per day, any size. Anglers willing to put in some time are catching these feeder kings every day. Try trolling with a small- to medium-sized herring and an oversized flasher.
• Anglers continue to catch king salmon in the bay, and halibut fishermen are picking them up off Montague, too.
• It is still too early to see king salmon returning to the Lagoon.
• Local anglers are also seeing some nice bright salmon jumping in Resurrection Bay. This is early for both sockeye and the early chum run, so the debate on what they are continues.
Other salt water fishing
• Lingcod fishing remains closed until July 1 to protect nest guarding males.
• Rockfish are easy to catch and have a fairly conservative bag limit, so target your rockfish last.
• The rockfish daily bag limit is 4 per day, of which only 1 may be a non-pelagic (demersal) rockfish.
• Use deepwater release methods to release incidentally caught rockfish. For details, see the ADF&G Rockfish Conservation webpage at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation
• Pacific cod fishing has been picking up this past week and it is expect to get better as the water warms.
• Hooligans have not shown up yet, but the bay has a lot of bait fish in it right now.
Shellfish
• There have been no reports from the personal-use shrimp pot fishery. This fishery is now open in the entire North Gulf Coast area from Cape Fairfield to Gore Point. To participate in the fishery you must be an Alaska resident with a current sport fishing license or ADF&G Permanent ID card, and a North Gulf Coast shrimp pot fishery permit. Permits can be obtained at the Anchorage, Homer, or Soldotna ADF&G offices. They can also be obtained at The Fish House in Seward.
• Check out page 63 of the 2013 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary for regulations on this fishery, and page 62 shrimp pot requirements.
Fresh waters
Salmon
• There are no freshwater drainages in Resurrection Bay open to salmon fishing at this time of year.
Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic Grayling
• Fish for Dolly Varden around creek mouths, especially creeks where pink and chum salmon spawn.
• Try casting small spinners and spoons off the beach for some sea run Dolly Varden action.
Northern Pike
• Northern pike are not native to Southcentral Alaska. Please report the capture of any pike in unconfirmed waters to ADF&G. Do not release any pike you have caught.
Lake Fishing
• Area lakes will soon be stocked, so check the ADF&G Sport Fish website for stocking updates.
• Lakes are ice free, try strolling into Troop Lake for some stocked lake fishing action.