Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince of Wales Island

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 29, 2023

Marine fishing for king salmon and bottomfish is good in the waters surrounding Prince of Wales. Silver salmon are also showing up in salt water catches in small numbers. Freshwater opportunities for sockeye salmon, Dolly Varden, cutthroat and rainbow trout fishing are available in some freshwater drainages.

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

King salmon fishing has been good on the western coast of Prince of Wales and fair on the eastern coast of Prince of Wales with catches reported from Coffman Cove and Thorne Bay.

Chinook Salmon Regulations for 2023

• 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.

Coho (silver) Salmon

Coho salmon are being caught in marine waters of the west coast of Prince of Wales but the majority won't show up until mid-July. There are some freshwater drainages that have returns of summer run coho salmon that start showing up in July. Drainages with summer run coho salmon include the Thorne River, 108 and Logjam creeks.

Sockeye (red) Salmon

Sockeye salmon runs vary in timing by drainage from June through August. Currently there are sockeye salmon in Hatchery Creek and the Thorne River while other drainages have sockeye returns that occur later in July.

Pink and Chum Salmon

Pink and chum salmon are starting to show up in marine waters. Chum salmon start entering freshwater in July with Staney Creek as a good option to fish. Pink salmon will start entering freshwater in late July.

Trout and Dolly Varden

Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and Dolly Varden are available in many of the freshwater drainages of POW. Fishing can be excellent in both lakes and rivers during the summer as fish feed opportunistically on a variety of food sources including aquatic insects and sculpins. Productive drainages for trout include Luck, Klawock, and Sarkar lakes, the Thorne River, 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 fair and should improve through early summer.

Lingcod

Lingcod are open to retention. The size limit for nonresident lingcod retention has been reduced for 2023. Lingcod regulations are:

• Residents – 1 daily, 2 in possession, no size limit.
• Nonresidents – 1 daily, 1 in possession, size limit: 30 to 40 inches in length, or 55 inches or greater in length. Annual limit of 2 fish, one of which is 30 to 40 inches in length, one of which is 55 inches or greater in length.
• Nonresident anglers shall immediately record the date and location (body of water fished), in ink, of all lingcod harvested either on their sport fishing license or on their nontransferable harvest record.
• Charter operators and crew members may not retain lingcod while clients are on board the vessel.

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: yelloweye, 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.

Dungeness Crab

New for 2023:

Nonresident shellfish anglers fish under the sport fishing regulations while resident anglers can fish under personal use reguations. The nonresident (sport fishing) Dungeness crab fishery in Coffmam Cove, Whale Pass and Klawock Inlet are now closed. Please see pages 29 and 35 of the 2023 sport fishing regulation summary for a description of the closed areas.

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.