Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 27, 2018

Late summer 2018 fishing opportunities

Coho (silver) salmon

An early pulse of coho salmon passed through the Chilkat River fish wheels last week, and coho catches have been reported at several locations along the Haines Highway.

Fishing is usually better when the Chilkat River water level has been settled for a few days. The National Weather Service posts a graph of the recent Chilkat River water level and a forecast for the next 3 days.

Sockeye (red) salmon

Sockeye salmon counts at the Chilkoot River weir are diminishing, averageing 375 per day in the last week. The Chilkoot River sockeye run will taper down until the weir is removed in early September.

The Chilkat River sockeye salmon run has been below average so far, but is showing some late season strength. You can see online graphs of current and historic sockeye salmon counts from Chilkat River fish wheels, and Chilkat Lake weir.

It can be challenging to catch a sockeye salmon in the mouth, which is the only legal way to retain a sockeye salmon in fresh water. A how-to article and video on fishing for Klutina River red salmon teaches some proven techniques (starting at 2:50 in the video).

King (Chinook) salmon in the fresh waters of Pullen Creek, downtown Skagway

The fresh waters of Pullen Creek in Skagway are open to king salmon fishing and retention now through September 14. King salmon that were released in Pullen Creek as hatchery smolts in 2015 are returning after growing in the ocean. An Alaska sport fishing license and a king salmon stamp are required to fish for kings. The bag and posession limit is 4 king salmon, with no size limit, and kings caught in Pullen Creek do not count toward the nonresident annual limit.

Anglers who harvest a king salmon should dispose of the carcass in small pieces in deep, fast-flowing water, or in the ocean.

Due to the low abundance of wild Southeast Alaska king salmon stocks, retention of king salmon is prohibited when fishing in salt waters in the Skagway and Haines area.

Pink salmon

The pink salmon runs on the Chilkoot River and Chilkat Rivers have been very weak this year. Fish counts are dimininshing in the weir and fish wheel projects.

Pink salmon runs in the Haines-Skagway area are typically weaker in even-numbered years than in odd-numbered years.

Trout and Dolly Varden

Dolly Varden char and cutthroat trout can be caught in clear water tributary streams and in lakes, such as Mosquito Lake, Chilkat Lake, and Chilkoot Lake.

Regulations specific to Mosquito Lake and Chilkat Lake:

  • Bait is not allowed.
  • Cutthroat and rainbow trout - 2 fish bag and possession limit, 14-inch min. and 22 inch max. length required to keep.

Regulations specific to Chilkoot Lake and Chilkoot River:

  • Bait is allowed year-round.
  • Dolly Varden - 4 fish bag and possession limit, no size limit.

Sea-run Dolly Varden and cutthroat that are feeding in salt water for the summer can be caught in near-shore salt waters of Taiya Inlet near Skagway, and in Lutak, Chilkoot, and Chilkat Inlets around Haines.

Take a hike and fish for Dollies and Cutties on Skagway's shoreline at Yakutania Point, or on two Chilkat State Park trails near Haines: Battery Point, and Seduction Point. Or hike 20 minutes up to Skagway's Lower Dewey Lake to catch Eastern Brook Trout.

Shellfish

Pot fishing for shrimp and Dungeness crab is open year round in the Haines and Skagway area salt water. Non-Alaska residents catch shellfish under a sport fishing license with the following bag & possession limits:

  • Dungeness crab - 3 legal size males.
  • Shrimp - 3 quarts or pounds.

NEW Sport shrimp harvesters must record their catch on a paper permit. The no-cost Southeast Sport Shrimp Permit is available online at the ADF&G Store. The shrimp harvest, location, and number of pots pulled must be recorded each day, and the permit must be returned to ADF&G or reported online at the end of the year.

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, so Yukoners must comply with the non-resident regulations such as number of shellfish pots, shellfish bag limits, and king salmon bag and annual limits. The Yukoner license is available from license vendors in Whitehorse, Haines, and Skagway.

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.

King salmon

Chilkat River king salmon abundance in salt water is very low, so retention of king salmon is not allowed in the Haines and Skagway area from April 1-December 31, 2018.

Despite no fishery restriciton in 2018 and recent years, Chilkat River king salmon inriver abundance is again well below the goal range. All wild king salmon runs in Southeast Alaska were also very weak in 2017 and 2018.

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

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