Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway

Archived Sport Fishing Report

March 17, 2017

Late winter fishing opportunities

The cold weather continues, so there is thick ice on Mosquito Lake and Chilkat Lake, where ice anglers can find overwintering cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden. The ice was 3 feet thick on March 11 when ADF&G hosted a kids' ice fishing day at Mosquito Lake. Be aware that bait is not allowed when fishing in these lakes, and the size limit for cutthroat and rainbow trout is minimum 14 inches and maximum 22 inches.

Alaska residents under 18 years old do not need a sport fishing license. Non-Alaska residents under 16 years old do not need a sport fishing license.

Chum salmon fry are starting to emerge from the spawning beds, so Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout are becoming more active. The Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Taiya Rivers have some open, flowing waters. Bait is allowed when fishing in the mainstem Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Taiya Rivers.

Pot fishing for Dungeness crab and shrimp is open year round in the Haines and Skagway area salt water.

Residents of Yukon Territory in Canada may purchase an annual Alaska sport fishing license for the same price that Alaska residents pay. However, Yukoners are not Alaska residents, and they must comply with the non-resident regulations such as number of shellfish pots, shellfish bag limits, and king salmon annual limits. The Yukoner license is available from license vendors in Whitehorse, Haines, and Skagway.

Poor king salmon runs expected in 2017

Starting April 15, sport fishing for king salmon will be closed in Chilkat Inlet, and retention of king salmon will not be allowed in the remainder of Subdistrict 15-A (Haines and Skagway area) from April 15 through the rest of 2017. Please read the news release for details and a map of the Haines/Skagway area.

The 2017 run forecast is poor for Chilkat king salmon, and also for most other king salmon runs in Southeast Alaska, such as the Unuk, Taku, Alsek, and Situk Rivers. Sport, commercial, and subsistence fisheries will be restricted in 2017 to attain spawning escapement goals in these southeast Alaska rivers.

In Chilkat Inlet, king salmon fishing will be closed from April 15 through July 15. In the remainder of the Haines and Skagway area, king salmon retention will be prohibited from April 15 through December 31.

For more information about sport fishing in Haines and Skagway, call Area Biologist Richard Chapell at 907-766-3638.