Area Sport Fishing Reports
North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 03, 2014

North Gulf Coast Area

Week of June 3 to June 9
Issued June 3, 2014

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• Lingcod fishing remains closed until July 1.

Halibut

• Halibut fishing continues to be good in North Gulf Coast waters.
• Anglers having the best success are heading east out of Resurrection Bay and fishing off the headlands, or traveling to Montague Island.

Salmon

• The big pod of orca has left the bay and with that departure the king salmon fishing has improved. Feeder kings are once again being caught every day by anglers trolling in the Bay.
• The first confirmed catch of a king salmon off the Seward Beaches happened yesterday. It was caught on a big blue Vibrax. These fish are caught in the bay just off the creek that drains the Seward Lagoon.
• The snag fishery off the mouth of Resurrection River/Salmon Creek is doing well. Anglers are picking up limits of sockeye regularly.
• Remember, you must be in salt water to snag fish. Snagging is illegal in freshwater.

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 slow.
• Dolly Varden are being picked up by spin fishermen off Lowell Point.
• The hooligan have started to show at the head of Resurrection Bay.

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.
• Dolly Varden will be feeding on salmon fry heading to the ocean. The best time to fish is before high slack tide and through the beginning of the falling tide. Use small silver spoons or spinners or, if you are fly-fishing, try a pattern that imitates salmon fry.
• The Dolly Varden fishery has picked up this past week.

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 in mid-May. Also try Troop Lake located about 12 miles north of Seward.