April 2025
Issue 88
Grab Your Fishing Gear and Go!
Now is the time to get out and take advantage of some great spring fishing opportunities. But before you head out, be sure you have your 2025 sport fishing license. Visit our online store if you need to purchase one. Or download the ADF&G mobile app and you can store your licenses, tags and permits in your mobile device.
If you have a comment or story ideas for Reel Times, we encourage you to send them our way. You can send comments to ryan.ragan@alaska.gov.
See you on the water.
Spring Fishing in Southeast Alaska: Trout and Dolly Varden
By Daniel Teske (Juneau Area Management Biologist) & Carly Lemieux (Juneau Sport Fish Program Technician)
As temperatures warm up and the ice begins to melt on local watersheds, anglers throughout Southeast Alaska begin to think about fishing for feisty Dolly Varden and trout. Spring is the time when sea-run Dolly Varden and trout begin eating more and preparing for the summer in area salt waters.
During the spring, some of these fish will exit their "over-wintering" sites (lakes and ponds) and head downstream for the ocean. These fish are known to be anadromous, spending a portion of their lives in salt water but returning to the fresh water to spawn. Lake outlets and stream mouths at the confluence of salt water are prime places to target these fish in the spring.
After the outmigration, saltwater shoreline fishing can be very productive as Dolly Varden and coastal cutthroat trout begin to spend most of their time looking for food by cruising the rocky coves and bays. During this time, Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout begin to congregate at the mouths of local creeks to feed on emigrating salmon smolts.
While targeting Dolly Varden and trout, sport anglers find that small spoons and spinners work well, as do smolt and fry imitation flies. There will also be some fish that do not exit their overwintering sites but stay year-round in freshwater. Known as residents, these fish stay in their home lake, pond, or corresponding stream the entire year. While these fish may move around in the system to take advantage of food or environmental conditions, they will be present for your fishing pleasure all year, including fishing through the ice!
How to Tell Them Apart: Trout vs. Char (And Everything In Between)
When you're on the water this spring, take a closer look at the fish you're catching—it's a great opportunity to brush up on species identification. One of the easiest ways to start distinguishing between trout and char is by their spot patterns:
- Trout typically have dark spots on a light background
- Char show light spots on a dark background
And here's a quick reminder: Dolly Varden are not trout – they're actually a species of char.
Rainbow Trout vs. Cutthroat Trout
Cutthroat and rainbow trout are often mistaken for one another, especially when the cutthroat's signature red orange "slash marks" under the jaw are faint or absent—which can happen in sea-run and lake-resident forms. A more reliable way to tell them apart (though it takes a close look) is to check for small, sharp teeth behind the tongue at the base of the gills—a trait unique to cutthroat trout.
Adding to the confusion, rainbow and cutthroat trout often share the same waters and can hybridize, producing fish with features that fall somewhere in between. These hybrids can make field identification tricky, so it's good to be familiar with the subtle details when you're out fishing.
Dolly Varden vs. Arctic Char
Now let's talk char, specifically, Dolly Varden and their lookalike cousin, the Arctic char. While the two are closely related, they occupy very different habitats.
Arctic char predominately use lakes to spawn and overwinter while Dolly Varden are more often associated with riverine habitat. Arctic Char are found in other parts of Alaska, but not in Southeast. So, if you're fishing in Southeast Alaska waters, you're looking at a Dolly Varden.
Still, if you're curious, here are a few traits to help tell them apart:
- Dolly Varden have a greenish body with small pale spots, usually smaller than the pupil of the eye.
- Arctic char have a bronzed or yellowish body with larger, more scattered spots, often larger than the eye's pupil.
- Both Arctic Char and Dolly Varden are known for their brilliant displays of color when they are in spawning colors.
A distinct feature of Dolly Varden in freshwater is the bright white edges on their fins – a beautiful marker when they're swimming in clear stream water.
Ready to Fish?
Whether you're chasing sea-run trout along the saltwater shoreline or spotting white-finned Dolly Varden in the rocky streams, spring is an exciting time to fish in Southeast Alaska. With so many species on the move and feeding actively, it's a great season to sharpen your ID skills, try new gear, and get outside.
Before you head out, don't forget to check the current Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations, which may vary by location and time of year. Be sure to purchase your sport fishing license prior to fishing. Licenses can be purchased and issued via our online store.
If you're planning to fish a specific area, we also recommend reaching out to your local ADFG office for site-specific guidance and updates. Please contact the Division of Sport Fish Southeast Regional Office at 907-465-4270 for more information.
And head on over the WefishAK to get out and fish together with how-to videos, fishing tips, trip planning, and so much more!
Happy fishing – and enjoy the spring season on the water!
2025 Prince William Sound Shrimp Permits Now Available with New Regulations in Effect
Those planning to target shrimp in Prince William Sound (PWS) this year will notice a few changes this season.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) issued an Emergency Order that reduces the number of pots allowed to be used per vessel in the 2025 noncommercial (sport and subsistence) shrimp pot fishery. Additionally, the noncommercial shrimping season in PWS will be open May 1 through July 31.
"We are currently observing a decrease in shrimp productivity and overall biomass which means less shrimp are available to harvest," Area Management Biologist, Brittany Blain-Roth said. "That said, past restrictions limiting the number of allowable pots have not been effective enough to stay within the Guideline Harvest Level (GHL), hence the need for a seasonal restriction in 2025."
The noncommercial shrimp pot fishery is allocated 60% of the total allowable harvest (TAH) limit, while the commercial shrimp pot fishery receives 40%. In 2024, with a noncommercial guideline harvest level (GHL) of 70,214 pounds, the pot limit was reduced to two pots near the Port of Valdez and Whittier and three pots for the outer areas for the entire season and the estimated harvest was 77,832 pounds of shrimp. The 2024 noncommercial fishery harvest was 7,618 pounds (11%) over the GHL. In 2025, the noncommercial GHL is 48,388 pounds of shrimp (60% of the TAH).
The Alaska Board of Fisheries addressed and adopted proposals that:
- Only one additional shrimp pot may be carried onboard a vessel in addition to the number of pots legally allowed.
- Crab pots may not be attached to lines with shrimp pots.
- Clarified that shrimp pots may be longlined (i.e.- more than one pot is allowed on a single buoy line).
The PWS noncommercial shrimp permits are available online and through the ADFG Mobile App now. This year, all permit harvest reports are due by September 1, 2025, regardless of whether you went shrimping or not. All fishery participants are required to have a permit with them while shrimping. Participants may report their harvest online at any time and should note the change in the harvest reporting deadline due to the change in the season closing date. Also, reporting daily is possible online or on the ADF&G Mobile App and is highly encouraged. If shrimpers fail to report their harvest by September 1, they will be ineligible for a permit in 2026.
The commercial shrimp fishery rotates every year between three defined locations in PWS. The 2025 commercial fishery will be in Area 1 which is in the northern area of PWS and includes popular locations such as Unakwik Inlet. For additional information about the commercial shrimp fishery for the PWS area, please see the commercial fisheries advisory announcements page.
For more information, please contact Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth 907-267-2186 or Assistant Area Management Biologist Donald Arthur at 907-267-2225. For additional information about the PWS subsistence and commercial shrimp pot fisheries, please contact Area Management Biologist Martin Schuster in Homer at 907-235-8191.
Youth Angler Lands Two Trophy Fish in One Day
By Tim Mowry, Region III Information Officer, Fairbanks
Ben Britten barely had his ski plane parked on East Twin Lake when his 12-year-old grandson, Bradley Simanski, alerted him that he had a fish on the line.
"I drilled a hole right when we got there and I was still getting stuff out of the airplane and he yelled, 'I got one, and it's a big one!'" Britten said, relaying the story of their March 30 outing.
And while he's only 12, Simanski knows what a big fish feels like. Two years earlier, he caught a 42-inch pike in East Twin Lake, located approximately 95 air miles southwest of Fairbanks.
"I just dropped it down the hole and he picked it right up," said Simanski, who was using a rubber whitefish jig. "He was taking a lot of drag and it was super heavy."
A few minutes later, Simanski and Britten pulled a 38-inch northern pike up out of the hole and onto the ice. They were lucky to have landed it, Britten confided.
"I looked down and he wasn't even using a wire leader," the grandfather said, shaking his head. "I said, 'Boy, you're lucky we landed it and he didn't cut your line.'"
While it wasn't bigger than the pike he landed two years ago, it was big enough to qualify for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Trophy Fish Program. The big northern weighed 15.55 pounds on ADF&G's official scale, just over the 15-pound minimum qualifying weight, earning Simanski another ADF&G trophy certificate to hang on his wall.
But he wasn't done yet. A little later in the day, Simanski caught a 21.5-inch humpback whitefish that weighed in at 3 pounds, 8 ounces, which qualified for a Youth category Trophy Fish certificate. He was using the same rubber whitefish jig he used to catch the big pike.
"It fought like a pike but when it came up I saw the little bump on its head and it's little mouth," Simanski said. "I said, 'Papa, this is not a pike.' "
While he has caught whitefish in East Twin Lake before, Britten said none compared to the one his grandson caught.
"I had no clue they got that big in that lake," said Britten.
While Simanski likes to fish for halibut and Arctic grayling in the summer, he says there's something about fishing through the ice that makes it more exciting than open-water fishing.
"I like ice fishing," he said. "You get to feel more of the tug up and down and then you get to pull that head out of the hole. It's always a mystery how big it is until you get the head out of the hole."
Interior Angler Catches, Releases Trophy Burbot in Birch Lake
By Tim Mowry, Region III Information Officer, Fairbanks
Frank Jiminez was reaching for a Hershey’s candy bar when the big burbot hit.
"I was sitting down, in the middle of grabbing a snack, and I saw my pole bend, said Jiminez, relaying his fish tale from April 4 at Birch Lake. "When I grabbed the line and yanked on it, (the burbot) almost pulled the pole down the hole.
But Jiminez recovered and was able to haul up a 34-inch burbot that was big enough to qualify for an ADF&G catch-and-release trophy certificate. The fish weighed 8 pounds, according to Jiminez’s hand scale.
It was the second big burbot Jiminez has caught in Birch Lake, located approximately 60 miles southeast of Fairbanks. Last year, Jiminez caught a 36-inch burbot.
Jiminez moved to Fairbanks a couple years ago from Anchorage, where burbot fishing opportunities are limited. When he moved to Fairbanks, Jiminez convinced a buddy to give Brich Lake a try for burbot.
"He usually fishes Chena and Quartz Lakes but I convinced him to go to Birch to fish for burbot and we got lucky, Jiminez said. "This year we’re trying for bigger ones. We’ve been trying different spots all winter. We’re still trying to find the hole.
Jiminez was using a glow jig baited with herring when the burbot grabbed his bait.
"I find if you slam the bottom (of the lake) for a couple minutes it gets them going, he said of his strategy.
It also helps to be patient, Jiminez said.
"We were there for six hours before it hit, he said. "We were staying there all night.
Next year, Jiminez said he and his fishing buddy are going to try burbot fishing with set lines on the Tanana River.
"Next year’s goal is to set lines on the Tanana, he said. "We just need to find a good place.
Explore Job Opportunities with ADF&G
Our people make all the difference in the management and continued sustainability of Alaska's fish and wildlife resources. ADF&G employees are a part of a large and diverse family of professionals who are respected around the world. ADF&G's status as an excellent fisheries and wildlife management agency is ensured year after year, because of our staff.
Job opportunities include:
- Permanent: A position in the classified service that is not time-limited.
- Non permanent: An employee in a temporary work assignment of less than 120 days or a work assignment established for a specific program, project or assignment.
- Seasonal: A permanent position established to meet recurring seasonal needs of less than 12 months duration during any calendar year. Please note that seasonal opportunities are frequent and essential in our summer business operations. In fact, our workforce doubles in the summer, so opportunities are readily available.
- Internships.
For more information on job opportunities with ADF&G, please visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game link in Workplace Alaska.
Recipe of the month: Check out our “Beyond the Catch” Playlist on YouTube
If you’re looking for some great fish recipes, check out our "Beyond the Catch" playlist on our YouTube channel. You’ll find recipes and more.
Enjoy!
If you have any questions about the Reel Times newsletter, please contact Ryan Ragan at ryan.ragan@alaska.gov