Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

July 17, 2025

General Area Description: All waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling, including salt waters within 200 miles of shore.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon continue to enter Coghill River. Fishing has been fair to good, but water has been low. Daily sockeye salmon passage counts are available online.
• Sockeye salmon are present throughout the Eyak River, particularly in the area just below the lake. Fishing has been fair to good, but anglers may need to sort through some blushed fish.
• Sockeye are showing up in Alaganik Slough in Cordova in fishable numbers. Anglers are reporting mixed success throughout the slough, including the upper and lower launches.

Cutthroat Trout/Dolly Varden

• Cutthroat trout fishing has been excellent in lakes of Prince William Sound, including lakes around Cordova.
• Sea-run Dolly Varden are starting to enter creeks throughout Prince William Sound as they follow salmon into the creeks. Try fishing egg-imitations or salmon fry fly patterns to target these fish.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut

• Anglers making it out to the Gulf of Alaska are getting into good catches of large halibut in the Gulf of Alaska near Montague Island and Hinchinbrook Entrance. Try fishing large circle hooks with herring or salmon bellies while anchored up with a chum bag.
• Halibut has been good inside Prince William Sound as halibut are well spread out. Try fishing depths of 200-300 ft on the outer edges of Perry and Naked Islands and the entrance of bays.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing has been decent around rocky pinnacles near Elrington Island, Johnstone Bay, and Hinchinbrook Entrance. Try drifting over rocky structure with a white twister tail on a large jig tipped with herring.

Rockfish

• Large schools of pelagic rockfish can typically be found near the entrances and the coastal outside waters and fishing can be hot. Boats are more consistently finding schools of pelagic rockfish in southwest and eastern Prince William Sound inside waters.
• Don’t forget your deepwater release device to release rockfish. Check out videos on the ADF&G YouTube page on how to properly release rockfish back down to depth.

Other finfish

Fishing for Pacific (gray) cod and other flatfish has been good throughout Prince William Sound and outside waters while targeting other saltwater species. Use small chunks of herring on smaller hooks than you would use for halibut to target these other species.

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon fishing at Main Bay has started to wind down. The barrier seine has been removed and anglers can fish to with 300 feet of the hatchery fish ladder. Fishing will be slow this late into the run. Anglers would be better off exploring other later sockeye runs like Eshamy Creek, which is starting to arrive.
• Large schools of pink and chum salmon are milling around throughout Prince William Sound. Anglers can easily pick up a few pink salmon near Whittier, Valdez, and Cordova if choosing to stay close to the ports.
• Anglers are reporting catches of pink salmon from shore in Valdez. Fishing has been good. Try casting spinners and spoons from Allison Point. Fishing will be hit and miss for pinks from shore as the commercial fishery will be active harvesting on a large return of pink salmon this year.
  • By emergency order, pink salmon bag and possession limit in the salt waters of Port Valdez north of a line from Potato Point to Entrance Point (Valdez Narrows) has been increased to 12 fish per day, 24 in possession.
• Anglers trolling for salmon are still picking up king salmon and starting to catch coho salmon around Cape Cleare, Crafton, Glacier and Naked Islands, and Passage Canal. Reports are that coho salmon are making their way closer to Port Valdez. Coho fishing will continue to improve over the coming weeks.

Local lakes

Thompson Lake, Blueberry Lake, and Ruth Pond have all been stocked recently! These lakes can make for a fun outing to target multiple species including rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, and lake trout.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-KS-6-14-25 reduces the bag and possession limit for king salmon to one fish in the Prince William Sound Management Area salt waters, excluding the Whittier, Cordova, Valdez, and Chenega Terminal Harvest Areas which have a bag limit of two fish and a possession limit of four fish of any size through September 15.
• Emergency Order 2-RF-6-20-25 reduces the number of shrimp pots allowed to harvest shrimp in the Prince William Sound noncommercial (sport and subsistence) shrimp fishery to two pots per person with a maximum of two pots per vessel. Additionally, this emergency order reduces the open season for the Prince William Sound noncommercial shrimp fishery to May 1 – July 31.
• Emergency Order 2-PS-6-40-25 increases the pink salmon bag and possession limit in the salt waters of Port Valdez north of a line from Potato Point to Entrance Point (Valdez Narrows) to 12 fish per day, 24 in possession.

Don't forget to purchase your 2025 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print them off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2025 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the Anchorage Office at 907-267-2218.