Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 25, 2021

* Just a reminder to all our anglers, please do your part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 by practicing social distancing while sport and personal use fishing, and wear a face covering when social distancing is not possible and if you are needing fishing supplies from your local store.

General Area Description: includes all waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling.

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

• Coho salmon are continuing to move into the Eyak River and fishing on the lower part of the river has been good. Rain is picking up and streams are going to be high and turbid. Bait will be your best bet with the current water levels.
  • Remember effective June 1 - September 30, Eyak River Special Regulations are in effect. From a point 200 yards upstream from the Eyak Lake dam/weir to a point 200 yards downstream from the bridge at the outlet of Eyak Lake only single hook, artificial flies with a hook gap of 3/8 inch or less between point and shank are allowed. In addition, no additional weight may be attached to your line.
• Coho salmon fishing in Ibeck Creek is starting to pick up. Bait is working best after big rain events. Remember, Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.
  • Regulation reminders for the Cooper River Delta Highway streams:
    • A coho salmon that is removed from the water must be retained and becomes part of the daily bag limit for the person who originally hooked the fish. A person may not remove a coho from the water before releasing it.
    • From August 15-September 15: After harvesting a limit of coho salmon a person may not sport fish with bait for the rest of the day in these waters.
• Eyak Lake and Power Creek are always closed to salmon fishing.

Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic char

• Cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, or steelhead is currently open to fishing. Check the regulations for bag and possession limits specific to the waters you are fishing.
• Dolly Varden/ Arctic char are open year around with a bag and possession limit of 10 fish (no size restrictions).
• Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout can be found throughout PWS. Try fishing small spinners, beads, or streamer flies when targeting these fish.

Saltwater Fishing

Port sampling efforts continue to be underway in Whittier and Valdez. Please assist our port sampling program by returning to the harbor with whole groundfish or carcasses and allowing ADF&G technicians to sample your harvest when requested. Data collected from the sport harvest is needed to manage and maintain healthy fisheries. We appreciate you supporting the port sampling program and your assistance in getting managers information that aids in managing fisheries in Southcentral.

Halibut/Lingcod/Rockfish

• Halibut and rockfish catches continue to be good in Prince William Sound. More halibut are getting picked up inside the sound as halibut move into some bays, following salmon. Spending time anchored up and using a chum bag can increase your likelihood of success.
• The Valdez Halibut Derby wraps up soon (September 5). The top 3 fish all exceeded 200 lbs.
• Rockfish limits are four fish per day, eight in possession of which only one in possession can be a nonpelagic rockfish. Check your 2021 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for species identification information.
  • Remember the use of a deepwater release mechanism is required on all sport fishing vessels in Alaska and they must be used to release rockfish back down to depth of capture or 100 feet, whichever is shallower. Never heard of deepwater release? Check out our webpage for more info!
• Lingcod season opened on July 1. Lingcod fishing has been reported as fair. Many fish getting caught are just under legal size so check your fish length closely! Fishing a couple feet above rocky pinnacles with large jigs is a good technique and can reduce your incidental rockfish catches. The bag and possession limit is one fish that is 35 inches long or longer with head attached, or 28 inches or greater with head removed.

Salmon

• The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby ends September 5. The top two fish are over 14lbs!
• Pinks are still around although chrome fish are harder to find! Anglers targeting coho salmon are having to get down below the pinks to catch their limits.
• Cohos are still being caught in a lot of locations around PWS! They are in the Port of Valdez and Naked, Goose, and Glacier islands have been producing coho salmon as well as some catches still down by Crafton Island. We have had reports of anglers catching some cohos near town.
• Fewer king catches were reported over the last week. Most catches were when anglers were fishing for cohos while trolling between 50 - 100 feet.
• Fishing for pinks and cohos in Valdez has been reported as improving and some tide cycles its great! Anglers are having some success from shore near Allison Point and the Valdez harbor.
• Trolling just after you leave the harbor on past the Cove Creek outlet can produce catches of cohos. If fishing from shore around Whittier just remember, the Whittier Harbor is closed to snagging.
• Spinners, pixies, or a small piece of bait mooching are all good options if you are targeting salmon from shore.
• Eshamy Bay continues to see more sockeye in at the head of the bay and fish are moving into the creek. You will have to work through the pinks if targeting cohos as they are plentiful.

Shrimp

• The PWS noncommerical shrimp fishery closes in three weeks. Make sure you plan ahead to get your gear out of the water by September 15! Or better yet, get out and enjoy the last few weeks of the 2021 shrimp season.
• Good depths to shrimp range from 300 – 450 feet.
• You can report your shrimp harvest online any time. Once the season closes you must report all of your harvest no later than October 15, 2021. **Harvest must be reported for each individual time you pull your pots.
• Shrimpers are allowed to carry additional pots on their vessel, but those pots cannot be fished while shrimping even if they are targeting a different species (i.e. octopus).
• If your pots get lost or stolen, please contact Alaska Wildlife Troopers (AWT).
  • Valdez AWT 835-4307
  • Cordova AWT 424-3184
  • Whittier AWT 352-5401

Local Lakes

• Blueberry and Thompson lakes and Ruth Pond are great lakes to explore! Ruth Pond is a fun, easy access location to take the kids to catch rainbow trout right in Valdez. Thompson Lake is a good spot to target Arctic grayling with small sized flies or spinners.

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-RS-6-45-21 increases the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon in the Coghill River to 12 fish per day and 24 in possession through 11:59 p.m. Friday, December 31, 2021. In addition, it also reduces the area closed to fishing adjacent to the Coghill River weir to 50 feet.
• Emergency Order 2-SHR-6-15-21 decreases the number of shrimp pots allowed to harvest shrimp in the Prince William Sound shrimp fishery from five pots per person with a maximum of five pots per vessel to two pots per person with a maximum of two pots per vessel for the 2021 season.

Don't forget to purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp! Help maximize social distancing and purchase your 2021 sport fishing license and king stamp through the ADF&G online store and print it off from the comfort of your own home. Also, make sure to review Emergency Orders and the 2021 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing for before you head out.

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