Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince of Wales Island

July 22, 2024

A recent stretch of nice weather with little wind has allowed anglers to enjoy the excellent fishing in the marine waters of Prince of Wales. Five species of Pacific salmon are currently available as well as bottomfish such as halibut, rockfish and lingcod. King salmon fishing remains good and coho fishing is currently good and will continue to improve into August. Freshwater fishing options currently include sockeye salmon, summer run silver and chum salmon, trout and Dolly Varden.

Check out the wefishak page on the ADF&G website for the gofishak interactive map to discover fishing locations and information on species run timing, fishing gear selections, and boat and angler access tips!

Guides and Business Owners: don’t forget to register for 2024! You can register online at the ADF&G Store. Southeast saltwater guides are required to use an eLogbook.

Chinook (King) Salmon

King salmon fishing has been good on the west side of POW and fair on the east side with some big fish reported from both areas. The annual limit for nonresidents is 1 fish (see below) as of July 16.

Chinook Salmon Regulations for 2024

• The resident daily bag limit is two fish over 28 inches;
• The nonresident daily bag limit is one fish with an annual harvest limit of three fish over 28 inches through June 30;
• From July 1 through July 15, the nonresident annual harvest limit is two king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length; any king salmon harvested from January 1 through June 30 will apply towards the two fish annual harvest limit;
• From July 16 through December 31, the nonresident annual harvest limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length; any king salmon harvested from January 1 through July 15 will apply towards the one fish annual harvest limit;
• Immediately upon landing and retaining a king salmon, a nonresident must enter the species, date, and location on their sport fishing license or on a nontransferable harvest record.

Sockeye (Red) Salmon

Sockeye salmon are present in several drainages. Most drainages with lakes have sockeye salmon but run timing can vary by drainage. Drainages with sockeye salmon include the Thorne, Sarkar and Karta rivers and Hatchery, Eagle and Ratz creeks.

Coho (Silver) Salmon

Coho are being caught in the marine waters of POW and fishing will improve through July. Some drainages have summer run coho that start entering freshwater in July. Systems with summer run coho includ the Thorne and Karta rivers, Hatchery, 108 and Logjam creeks.

Pink and Chum Salmon

Pink and chum salmon are now present in the marine waters of POW. Their numbers will build throughout July and August and they will start entering freshwater later this month. Summer run chum salmon are now present in several freshwater drainages, such as Staney Creek.

Trout and Dolly Varden

Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and Dolly Varden are available in many of the freshwater drainages of POW. Trout and Dolly Varden are opportunisticaly feeding on salmon fry, insects and sculpins. Productive drainages for trout include Luck, Klawock, and Sarkar lakes and Ratz Creek. Regulations regarding size limits, bag limits, and the use of bait can vary by waterbody, so please check the Southeast Alaska Sport Fish Regulation Summary.

Halibut

Halibut fishing is good and should remain so through the summer. Halibut are managed by NOAA fisheries and the size limit for guided anglers has been reduced from 40 to 36" or greater than 80" as of July 15 with a daily bag limit of 1 fish. In addition, guided anglers may not retain halibut on Fridays beginning July 19 and ending September 13, 2024.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing can be excellent near rocky structure throughout the summer.

• The resident limit for lingcod is one per day, no size restrictions.
• The noresident annual limit for 2024 is one lingcod between 30 and 35 inches and one lingcod over 55 inches.

Rockfish

Rockfish can be caught year-round. There is a section on the Fish and Game website for identifying common rockfish of POW.

All sport fishing vessels are required to have at least one functional deepwater release device (regardless of species targeted), and anglers will be REQUIRED to use a deepwater release device to release rockfish to the depth it was hooked or to a depth of at least 100 feet. Please see the Southeast Alaska Sport Fish Regulation Summary or visit your local ADF&G office to see examples of rockfish release devices and learn about their use.

Demersal Shelf Rockfish

The retention of demersal shelf rockfish is open for residents of Alaska with a daily bag limit of one. Yelloweye remained closed.

Demersal shelf rockfish are closed to harvest for nonresidents.

Demersal shelf rockfish are the following species: quillback, copper, canary, china, tiger, and rosethorn rockfish.

Slope Rockfish

Some slope rockfish are common in marine waters surrounding POW. The most common species are silvergrey and vermilion rockfish.

• One per day; one in possession

Pelagic Rockfish

Pelagic rockfish provide good fishing in the marine waters surrounding POW.

• Season: year-round
• Five per day; ten in possession

For additional information regarding rockfish identification and management, please refer to the rockfish conservation page.

Regulation summaries and copies of the news releases are available at the Craig ADF&G office.

For further information, please contact the Prince of Wales Area Management Biologist: Craig Schwanke (907) 826-2498.