Area Sport Fishing Reports
North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 13, 2014

North Gulf Coast Area

Week of August 12 to August 18
Issued August 12, 2014

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• Resurrection Bay is always closed to lingcod fishing. If you harvest a lingcod outside of Resurrection Bay you cannot fish in the bay on the way back to port.
• It is illegal to use a rockfish for bait while fishing for lingcod. If you catch a rockfish and a big lingcod grabs a hold of it – the lingcod must be released.
• It is also illegal to use a gaff on any fish that is intended to be released.

Halibut

• Looks like the weather should be improving soon. For those who braved the high seas, halibut fishing continued to be fair to good in the North Gulf Coast waters outside of Resurrection Bay.
• Inside Resurrection Bay keep your bait on the bottom and be patient.

Salmon

• The 59th Seward Silver Salmon Derby is just ramping up! – don’t forget to buy your derby ticket.
• Silvers are being caught all over, but not at the head of the Bay just yet. Most fish have come in from Chaval and Canes Head. As of today, the leader is in at 17.41 pounds and you have to beat 14.97 pounds to break the top ten. The average entry this year is around 10 pounds (that’s a big silver!)
• Feeder king salmon should continue to show up in the catch in Resurrection Bay.
• Be sure to ID your salmon and know the difference between a feeder king and a sliver salmon.
Other salt water fishing
• Once the weather clears, lingcod fishing outside of Resurrection Bay is best at the Chiswells or east near Prince William Sound. Try fishing the headlands to the west for lingcod.
• 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. Avoid venting rockfish intended for release. Vented rockfish do not survive as well as those released at capture depth. For details on deepwater release, see the ADF&G Rockfish Conservation webpage at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation
• Study your rockfish identification, so you do not harvest more rockfish than they are allowed. Please read regulations and limits for the area that you are fishing.

Shellfish

• Check out page 63 of the 2013 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary for regulations on this fishery, and page 62 shrimp pot requirements. Permits can be obtained at the Fish House in Seward.

Fresh waters

Salmon

• See sport fishing regulations for details about legal gear and legal area.

Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic Grayling

• Dolly Varden will be following the pinks and chums into local streams.

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

• Hike into Lost Lake this week to fish for rainbow trout.