Area Sport Fishing Reports
Ketchikan

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 25, 2019

Ketchikan

An excellent resource for planning a trip to Ketchikan is the gofishak interactive map which provides information on fishing locations, species run timing, fishing gear and angler access.

King Salmon

King salmon catch rates in the Ketchikan area have slowed down over the last few weeks. Based on marine harvest sampling since July 15th, king salmon were primarily harvested from Cape Chacon, West Gravina, Vallenar Bay, Caamano, Duke Island, and Mountain Point.

Effective Thursday, August 1st through September 15th, retention of king salmon is prohibited for non-resident anglers throughout Southeast Alaska. This closure is needed in the sport fishery to keep the fishery within it's allocation.

Coho Salmon

Coho salmon fishing has been picking up and should continue to improve through August as fall run coho move into the area. Fishing has been slow in the nearshore waters of Ketchikan, though anglers targeting coho near Duke Island, the southeast Prince of Wales shoreline and Cape Chacon are experiencing better catch rates.

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon fishing has picked up considerably in the past week throughout the Ketchikan area with the majority of the harvest occurring around Clover Pass and Mountain Point. Other hotspots include the backside of Gravina, Dall Head, East Prince of Wales and Mary and Duke Islands.

Halibut

Reports from anglers targeting halibut have been fair. The majority of the halibut harvest has been from Cape Chacon, Pt. Alava, Vallenar Bay, the Percy Islands, Duke Island and Nichols Pass.

Rockfish

Pelagic and non-pelagic rockfish provide good fishing in the Ketchikan area year-round.

• Pelagic rockfish – 5 per day; ten in possession.
• Non-pelagic rockfish - one per day; nonresident anglers have an annual limit of one yelloweye rockfish.

Anglers are reminded that beginning January 1, 2020, all marine boat anglers will be required to carry and utilize Rockfish Deepwater Release Devices. Visit the ADF&G Rockfish Conservation webpage for additional information and stop by the Ketchikan office to get a free deepwater release device.

Shrimp

Anglers are required to obtain a free permit for sport, personal use and subsistence shrimp harvest for each calendar year. 2019 Southeast Shrimp Permits are available online at the ADF&G store or at your local ADF&G office. 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.

Freshwater Fishing

Ketchikan Creek opened to sport fishing for all species including king salmon June 1 – December 31.

• The bag and possession limit for king salmon in Ketchikan Creek is two king salmon of any size.
• King salmon harvested in Ketchikan Creek do not count towards the nonresident annual limit.
• Fishing gear permitted in Ketchikan Creek is one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure only.

Rainbow and Cutthroat

There are a few good opportunities to target rainbow and cutthroat trout along the road system. Anglers targeting trout may want to try Talbot Lake, Harriet Hunt Lake, and Ward Lake on the Ketchikan road system and the various small lakes on Gravina Island which can be accessed from the road system from the airport. Fishing reports from Ward Lake and Talbot Lake have been good.

Be sure to check the 2019 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations. The Ketchikan Area Freshwater Special Regulations can be found on pages 30-32. Regulations vary depending on the waters you plan to fish.