Area Sport Fishing Reports
North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay

Archived Sport Fishing Report

May 21, 2014

North Gulf Coast Area

Week of May 20 to May 26
Issued May 20, 2014

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• Lingcod fishing remains closed until July 1.

Halibut

• Halibut fishing remains good in the North Gulf Coast.

Salmon

• The king salmon limit in Resurrection Bay is now two per day, any size.
• Anglers able to avoid the Killer Whales in the bay are catching feeder kings. Try trolling with a small- to medium-sized herring and an oversized flasher.
• It is still too early to see king salmon return to the Lagoon, but it is never too early to try.
• One sockeye has been counted through the weir, and this is an early run of sockeye.

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 was pretty good this past week.
• The birds are massing at the head of the bay, this usually means the hooligan are starting to show.

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.
• Use small silver spoons or spinners or, if you are fly-fishing, try a pattern that imitates salmon fry.

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.
• First Lake was stocked past week with some nice catchable-sized rainbow trout.