Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince of Wales Island

September 20, 2024

Late September is a good time for freshwater coho salmon fishing on Prince of Wales Island. Fresh coho have been entering streams for a couple weeks and the more abundant pink salmon are thining out as they spawn and die. Water levels are currentlly good for stream fishing. Marine fishing is still productive for halibut, rockfish and lingcod.

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!

Chinook (King) Salmon

It was a great year for king fishing around POW but king salmon fishing closed on August 26 due to allocative concerns. King fishing will reopen on October 1, 2024.

Coho (Silver) Salmon

Saltwater coho fishing is slow as the majority have entered fresh water. Fall run coho have been entering freshwater systems since August so there is a good mix of bright and blush fish. Drainages from medium sized creeks to the larger river drainages support fall coho salmon. Fishing remains good in the Klawock River but it has been more crowded with anglers than past years.

Pink and Chum Salmon

Pink and chum salmon are present in freshwaters of POW and are currently spawning.

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 feeding on salmon eggs. 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 fall. 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 during the fall.

• 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.