Area Sport Fishing Reports
Juneau

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 29, 2020

Beat the Covid-19 blues! Enjoy summer fishing:

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by following and reviewing the current State of Alaska Health Mandates in effect. This includes practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing and wearing a face covering when fishing and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store as indicated in Health Alert 010.

Summer salmon & halibut fishing has begun! Lose your Covid-19 blues, socially distance on your boat or on a remote coastline and let your mind clear of all the stress of the last few months. Or partake of the local hatchery king salmon that have returned to Juneau in force! This past week, anglers have had success in catching kings in Auke Bay, Fritz Cove, Lena Cove, the Breadline, Dupont and the backside of Douglas, in front of Fish Creek and at Picnic Cove. King salmon anglers making trips to outside waters from Icy Straits to Elfin Cove have also continued to have good luck. Sockeye salmon fishing at Windfall Creek is now closed, with fishing prohibited from June 1^st – July 31^st, except for Wednesdays and Saturdays during the month of June. Chum salmon are beginning to be harvested in the Juneau area with catches from Lizard Head, Spuhn Island and from the DIPAC dock. Dollies and cutthroat are still available in fresh and saltwaters on the Juneau roadsystem. An increasing number of halibut and rockfish are being reported to ADF&G Creel samplers with the best reports from around Shelter Island, the reefs north of Shelter, Pt. Couverden, the Sisters, Homeshore and Horse/Colt islands. Rockfish species reported caught include Duskies, Silvergreys and 1 Quillback that was released.

Anglers are reminded that the bag and possession limit for pelagic rockfish, those that live in schools up in the water column, is 5 fish daily, 10 in possession. These include the Dark, Dusky, Widow, Black, Deacon, and Yellowtail. For the purposes of fishing regulations, anything that is not one of these species is a nonpelagic rockfish. See page 38 of the 2020 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary or at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishregulations.se_sportfish for pictures and identification. Nonpelagic rockfish cannot be kept this season, except for a daily bag and possession limit of 1 slope rockfish. Nonpelagic rockfish, those that do not live primarily up in the water column (such as pelagic rockfish), but instead live near the bottom can be categorized as “slope” or “shelf” rockfish. This refers to their habitat preference for living on the continental shelves (~300’ deep or less) or on the shelf break where the shelves drop into even deeper waters. Anglers cannot keep nonpelagic shelf rockfish such as Yelloweye, Quillback, Copper, China, Canary, Tiger or Rosethorn. These are long-lived, have a low fecundity (produce relatively few offspring) and can more easily be overharvested. Because of this, ADF&G has conservation concerns for these nonpelagic shelf species. Nonpelagic slope rockfish are not normally encountered, unless fishing very deep and there is less of a concern for overharvest. Slope species that can be harvested (1 fish per day and in possession, no annual limit) include: Redbanded, Rougheye, Shortraker, Silvergrey and Vermillion. Try this link for more information on fish identification: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=blackrockfish.resources

Anglers should also note that a working Deepwater Release Device is required to be onboard while fishing, and must be used to release all rockfish that are caught and not kept. This device allows rockfish to be released safely at depth, so their swim bladder can deflate without killing the fish. Do not “fizz” or vent released rockfish. More information can be found here: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm%3Fadfg%3DfishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation

King Salmon fishing

ADF&G Marine Creel personnel began their surveys of shoreside fishing areas in early June this year. Please help them collect the requested information so that ADF&G can continue to sustainably manage king salmon. So far this month around Juneau, the best fishing has been on the hatchery kings returning to release sites including Auke Bay and Fritz Cove, Picnic Cove/Outer Point, and Lena Cove. Most fish have been caught trolling, but a few shore anglers are having luck casting from shore in the Channel in front of Fish Creek, at Picnic Cove, and in shallow waters at Lena.

Freshwater drainages crossed by the Juneau Road System are open year-round to king salmon fishing with a bag and possession limit of 4 fish of any size. King salmon caught by nonresidents in these drainages do not count toward their annual limit. In addition, liberalized methods and means went into effect for Fish Creek Pond from June 1- August 31. Please consult the Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary Booklet for these regulations.

Saltwater shoreline catch rates for king salmon have been decent, with some hatchery king salmon in good condition caught from the mouth of Fish Creek on Douglas and along the shoreline at DIPAC. Casting with large spoons or spinners or mooching with plugs will often entice a strike. Snagging is prohibited in saltwater at the mouth of Auke Creek, at the mouth of Fish Creek, at the mouth of Peterson Creek, and off the Gastineau Channel Wayside Park fishing dock.

Sport Fishing Regulations for King Salmon in salt waters of Southeast Alaska and the Juneau area:

Southeast Regionwide regulations are now in place that provide increased opportunity for king salmon harvest in the sport fishery. These are effective June 15 at 12:01 am through 11:59 pm Wednesday, September 30, 2020:

Alaska resident:

• The bag and possession limit is THREE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length.

Nonresident:

• The bag and possession limit is ONE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length.
• The nonresident annual limit is FOUR king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length.
• 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.

These regionwide regulations will apply to all areas except as modified below for the inside waters in the vicinity of Juneau and within the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest areas

Note that Taku Inlet adjacent to the Taku River (Taku Inlet north of a line from Point Bishop to Point Greely), and The waters adjacent to the King Salmon River: (Section 11-D, Seymour Canal north of 57° 37' N. latitude, see map 1) will open to king salmon fishing July 1.

Anglers fishing north of the area should review the advisory announcement announcing regulations for the Haines/Skagway areas. Anglers fishing south of the Juneau area should review the advisory announcement announcing regulations for the Petersburg/Wrangell and Ketchikan areas.