Area Sport Fishing Reports
Ketchikan

July 2, 2025

Salmon

ADF&G announced a regional closure for king salmon retention for nonresidents beginning July 7. This will impact all waters in the Ketchikan Management Area except for the Herring Bay Terminal Harvest Area, which will remain open through July 31. The regional closure is necessary to keep the sport fishery within the 2025 sport allocation.

King salmon fishing has been strong, with the latter half of June and early July typically considered the peak period. Productive king salmon fishing areas around Ketchikan include the backside of Gravina Island, Clover Pass, and Herring Bay.

A few summer coho are starting to show up, and catch rates are expected to improve as we move through July.

Halibut

Halibut fishing has picked up throughout June and is expected to remain strong throughout July. As the summer progresses, halibut will continue moving into shallower waters, improving access for anglers. Productive areas include Duke Island, Gravina Island/Vallenar Point, and Cape Chacon.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing has been good.

• Residents: one fish per day; two in possession; no size limit.
• Nonresidents: one fish per day, one in possession, size limit 30 – 35 inches in length or 55 inches or greater in length. Annual limit of two fish, one of which is 30 to 35 inches in length, one of which is 55 inches or greater in length, a harvest record is required.

Rockfish

Rockfish can be caught year-round. Stop by the Fish & Game office or visit the website for resources on identifying rockfish species. All sportfishing vessels are required to have at least one deep water release device on board.

Slope Rockfish

• Resident and nonresident anglers:
  • Daily bag limit of one fish; possession limit of two fish; no annual limit

Demersal Shelf Rockfish

Demersal shelf rockfish are the following species: yelloweye, quillback, canary, China, copper, tiger, and rosethorn.

• Resident anglers: Daily bag limit of one fish including yelloweye; possession limit of two fish; no annual limit.
• Nonresident anglers: Season: July 1- August 25; Daily bag limit of one fish, possession limit of one fish; annual limit of one fish. Immediately upon landing and retaining a demersal shelf rockfish, a nonresident must enter the species, date and location on the back of their sport fishing license or on a nontransferable harvest record.

Pelagic Rockfish

Pelagic rockfish species include black, dark, dusky, widow, and yellowtail.

• All anglers: three per day; six in possession.

Trout and Dolly Varden

Trout and Dolly Varden fishing is good in rivers and lakes throughout July. It is often an overlooked fishery while anglers target salmon. With lighter tackle and abundant fish, anglers often find success. When fishing lakes, concentrate your efforts near the inlet and outlet, where fish tend to congregate. Early July is a good time to target these fish before pink salmon begin moving into freshwater.

ADF&G creel technicians are on the docks interviewing anglers, participation is important and only takes a couple of minutes. During an interview, creel samplers will ask a few short questions about your fishing trip and collect biological data from the fish harvested. The data collected through this program is essential for the sustainable management of sport fisheries, guiding management decisions to ensure fishing and harvest opportunities are maintained for the future.

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