Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

Archived Sport Fishing Report

September 02, 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 fishing on the Eyak River has been reported to be good and fish are being caught throughout the river. Recent rains have made the Eyak River very high and turbid. With more rain in the forecast, these conditions are expected to persist. Anglers have reported catches primarily on salmon roe or bright jigs in the Eyak River during these high-water conditions.
  • 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 has been good with many anglers reporting limits of coho salmon. Bait has been working the best after the recent rain events. Remember, Ibeck Creek is closed to all sport fishing upstream from a point 3 miles above the Copper River Highway.
• Coho salmon have begun moving into Alaganik Slough. Fishing has been reported as fair. With recent high water, anglers should use salmon roe or try casting large spinners.
  • Regulation reminders for the Copper 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.
    • From August 15-September 15, after harvesting a limit of coho salmon a person many 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.
• Cohos are beginning to show at Fleming Spit Lagoon. Fishing should continue to pick up over the next two weeks. This is a good option to catch a coho in Cordova when water levels are high. Remember – no snagging in the terminal harvest area!

Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic char

• Cutthroat, rainbow, or steelhead trout 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-round 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

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 the salmon. Bigger halibut are being caught on larger baits such as salmon heads or tails. Spending time anchored up and using a chum bag can increase your likelihood of success.
• The Valdez Halibut Derby wraps up soon on September 5. The top three 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 Check your 2021 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for species identification information.
  • Reminder: 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 slow. 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 on September 5. Another coho salmon over 14 pounds was entered into the derby last week.
• Pinks salmon continue to be caught in Prince William Sound but are slowly beginning to thin out with each passing day. Pinks are still present in many of the bays throughout Prince William Sound, including Port Valdez and Passage Canal.
• Cohos are continuing to be caught throughout Prince William Sound with catches closer to ports improving. Anglers have reported catching coho while mooching or trolling near Crafton Island, Valdez Arm, and Pigot Bay.
• Coho salmon fishing in Valdez has improved over the last few days and with some tide cycles producing limits. Anglers are having success from shore near Allison Point and the Valdez harbor. Spinners, pixies, or a small piece of herring are all good options if you are targeting salmon from shore.
• Cohos should be arriving to the Whittier area any day now. Trolling just after you leave the harbor on past the Cove Creek outlet can produce catches of cohos. Shore angler success should continue to improve over the next week. If fishing from shore around Whittier just remember, the Whittier Harbor is closed to snagging.
• King salmon continue to be caught in Prince William Sound. Anglers reported to be catching kings of various sizes while trolling at depths between 90 and 120 feet.

Shrimp

• The PWS noncommerical shrimp fishery closes in two weeks. It is great time to get a few more shrimp before the end of shrimp season on September 15.
• 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

• Fall fishing can be great in local lakes as water temperatures begin to cool. 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.