Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

September 11, 2025

General Area Description: All waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling, including salt waters within 200 miles of shore.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

The coho (silver) salmon fishing has been productive over the last week in Copper River Delta streams. Fishing has been reported as good to excellent for much of the Delta.

• Fishing at Ibeck Creek has been good with steady pulses of fresh fish coming through. Bright colored flies, spinners, and jigs have all been working to catch fresh coho. Most anglers are catching their limit on Ibeck Creek.
• Eyak River from the lower stretch to the lake has coho spread throughout. Fishing has been reported as slow as visibility on the Eyak is very poor. Try fishing roe on the lower river to catch fish in the Eyak.
• Alaganik Slough and its tributaries have been fishing good for coho salmon and fishing is only getting better each day. Fish are spread out from the lower to upper boat launches. In the clear water tributaries, medium-sized spinners, jigs, and bright colored streamers have worked well. In dirty waters, try larger spinners or drifting roe.

Cutthroat Trout/Dolly Varden

• Cutthroat trout fishing has been excellent in lakes of Prince William Sound, including lakes around Cordova, and fishing will be good until freeze up.
• Sea-run Dolly Varden are arriving full force to creeks throughout Prince William Sound in good numbers as they come into feed on salmon eggs. Try fishing egg-imitations or salmon fry fly patterns to target these fish.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut

Halibut fishing has been slow as most large halibut have migrated offshore for the winter. Anglers can find small (10-25 pounds) halibut or the occasional larger resident halibut, but expect to put in extra effort. This time of year, use smaller circles than you would typically use for halibut.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing has been slow. Anglers are struggling to find legal-sized lingcod this late into the season. Try around rocky pinnacles near Elrington Island, Johnstone Bays, and Hinchinbrook Entrance. Try drifting over rocky structure with a white twister tail on a large jig tipped with herring.

Rockfish

Large schools of pelagic rockfish can typically be found near the entrances and the coastal outside waters and fishing can be hot. Finding schools of pelagic rockfish inside Prince William Sound is beginning to get tough this late into the season.

Salmon

• Coho salmon are well spread out along the shoreline in Valdez and can be caught in the harbor or at Allison Point. Fishing was excellent and most of the pink salmon have thinned out, making it easier to target the coho salmon. Try casting large orange and pink spinners or spoons.
• Coho salmon have hit the shore in Whittier. Shore fishing should continue to improve, but anglers can catch a couple coho salmon near Cove Creek, at the head of Passage Canal, or just outside the harbor.
• Anglers have reported spotting a few coho salmon in the saltwaters at Fleming Spit in the Cordova Area. Try fishing the rising tide and walk the shoreline to find milling coho salmon.

Local lakes

Fishing at Blueberry Lake has been good. Anglers are reporting good catch rates of rainbow trout and Arctic grayling, with the occasional lake trout mixed in for anglers putting in time. Lake fishing in Thompson Pass can be hot in the fall!

Special species information

The 2025 Prince William Sound shrimp season closed on August 1. Harvest reports were due by September 1, 2025, even if you did not go shrimping! Permit holders must now report their harvest and submit an appeal before October 15th to be eligible for a 2026 Prince William Sound Shrimp Permit.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-KS-6-14-25 reduces the bag and possession limit for king salmon to one fish in the Prince William Sound Management Area salt waters, excluding the Whittier, Cordova, Valdez, and Chenega Terminal Harvest Areas which have a bag limit of two fish and a possession limit of four fish of any size through September 15.
• Emergency Order 2-PS-6-40-25 increases the pink salmon bag and possession limit in the salt waters of Port Valdez north of a line from Potato Point to Entrance Point (Valdez Narrows) to 12 fish per day, 24 in possession.

Don't forget to purchase your 2025 sport fishing license and king stamp! You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today. You can also purchase licenses through the ADF&G online store and print them off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2025 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

For additional information, please contact the Anchorage Office at 907-267-2218.