Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway

Archived Sport Fishing Report

February 02, 2022

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

* Please do your part to slow the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing, and wearing a face-covering when social distancing is not possible.

Fresh Water Fishing Opportunities

Ice Fishing for Char and Trout

Cold weather has thickened Mosquito Lake and Chilkat Lake. Weather does change, so always check for adequate ice depth before going out on lakes.

Learn about ice fishing gear, tactics, and tips on Alaska Department of Fish and Game YouTube channel. Techniques specific to trout and char start at 28:20 in the video.

Keep in mind that bait is not allowed when fishing in Mosquito Lake and Chilkat Lake so tip-ups won't be practical in those lakes. This pupose of the no-bait regulation is to conserve cutthroat trout, which tend to swallow bait deeply.

Dolly Varden and Cutthroat Trout spend the winters in lakes or in deep clear waters of the Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers. Chilkat Lake and Mosquito Lake have special regulations to protect cutthroat trout:

  • Bait is not allowed.
  • Cutthroat and rainbow trout: 2 fish bag and possession limit, with a slot limit of 14-inch minimum to the 22-inch maximum length required to keep a fish.

In the remainder of the Haines and Skagway area fresh and salt waters, bait is allowed, and the regional length limit for cutthroat and rainbow trout is 11-minimum to the 22-inch maximum.

Chilkoot Lake and Chilkoot River have a special Dolly Varden bag limit:

  • Dolly Varden: 4 fish bags and possession limit, no size limit.

In the remainder of Haines-Skagway area salt and fresh waters and most of Southeast Alaska, the Dolly Varden bag and possession limit is 10 fish.

Coho (silver) salmon

The Haines Sportsman’s Association 3rd Annual Silver Salmon Derby ended on October 29.

Overall

Weight

Fly Rod

Weight

Ole Taug III

13.60

Steve Anderson

12.30

Steve Anderson

13.25

Beth Fenhaus

10.15

Robert Jennings

13.05

Dana Perreard

10.05

Olen Larsen

13.05

Travis Eckoff

9.45

Gabe Long

12.55

Donovan Trevas

9.30

Youth Age 5-10

Weight

Youth Age 11-15

Weight

Joslyn Williams

9.00

Alex Weerasinghe

10.00

Courage Kelly

8.60

Elias Kelly

9.65

Joslyn Williams

8.55

Elias Kelly

9.00

Shellfish in Salt Water

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

  • Non-Alaska residents with a sport fishing license catch shellfish with these bag & possession limits:
    • Dungeness crab - 3 legal size males.
    • Shrimp - 3 quarts or pounds.
  • Alaska residents catch shellfish under subsistence or personal use regulations with more liberal bag & possession limits. See the Southeast Alaska Shellfish Regulation Summary booklet for details.

All shrimp harvesters must print a no-cost permit from the ADF&G online store and record their daily pot fishing effort and harvest on the paper permit. The harvest information must be reported online, or the paper permit must be returned to ADF&G by December 31 each year.

Sport Fishing Licenses

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.

Residents of Yukon Territory in Canada may purchase an annual Alaska non-resident sport fishing license for the same price that Alaska residents pay. Yukoners are not Alaska residents, so Yukoners must comply with the non-resident regulations such as the 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.

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

Helpful links