Area Sport Fishing Reports
North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 30, 2022

General Area Description: Salt waters within 200 miles of shore from the longitude of Gore Point to the longitude of Cape Fairfield. All fresh waters between Gore Point and Cape Fairfield.

ADF&G News

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Freshwater Fishing

Hooligan

• Dipnetting for hooligan (smelt) closed in freshwater on June 16 and closed in saltwater on June 1. Dipnetting for hooligan is closed for the season.

Rainbow Trout/Dolly Varden

• Dolly Varden is following the sockeye salmon up the creeks this time of the year.
• If you are fly fishing, egg patterns are good to use in Seward area streams this time of the year.
• Troop Lake fishing was slow this last weekend, but fish were actively rising. It is a nice day hike and fishing adventure. Try casting small spinners or flies into deeper areas can be an effective method for catching fish.

Salmon

• Update: Youth-Only fishery extension! The Youth-Only fishery for Chinook salmon at the Seward Lagoon and Outfall stream (also known as Scheffler Creek) typically closes on June 30 but it has been extended until July 13, 2022. See the emergency order below for more info.
  • Remember, for this Youth-Only fishery, anglers who are 15 years of age and younger will have a chance to fish for king salmon in the Seward Lagoon and Outfall stream. Only one hook (single or treble) per line may used; artificial lures and bait are legal. The bag limit for king salmon is two per day and two in possession (no size limit). Snagging is NOT permitted in the Seward Lagoon and Outfall Stream. Fishing has been reported as slow but fish are still moving in. See page 79 for the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for more info.
  • The Resurrection River, downstream of the Seward Highway and Nash Road to the ADF&G markers opened to salmon fishing (except king salmon) on Wednesday, June 16. Only single-hook, artificial lures or flies are allowed. Snagging is NOT permitted in freshwater. The Trail Lake Hatchery is anticipating getting its necessary broodstock, so an emergency order was issued increasing the bag and possession limit to 12 fish. See the emergency order below for more info. Fishing has been slow at times when commercial fishing is going on in the saltwater, but this emergency order provides the opportunity to catch up to 12 fish when the fish are present.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut/Lingcod/Rockfish

• Halibut fishing has been reported as fair to good. To find those larger halibut anglers are reporting traveling further out. Many anglers are headed all the way to Prince William Sound after larger halibut if weather allows.
• Rockfish limits year-round are four fish per day, eight in possession of which only one per day and two in possession can be a nonpelagic rockfish. Check the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for species identification information.
  • A deepwater release mechanism is required on all sport fishing vessels in Alaska, and they must be used to release rockfish back down to a depth of capture or 100 feet, whichever is shallower. Ever heard of deepwater release? Check out our webpage for more info.
• Lingcod fishing opens on July 1! Look for rocky pinnacles when targeting these fish. Also, if you reel up a few feet off the bottom it can help you avoid catching excess rockfish.

Salmon

• The king salmon limit in Resurrection Bay is currently two per day, any size. There is no annual or seasonal king salmon limit in effect, and there is no king salmon harvest reporting requirement, but a king stamp is required. King salmon fishing has been reported as slow in the bay. Both boat and shore anglers are having success when they put in the extra effort.
• Sockeye salmon are still being caught at the head of the bay. Fishing has been reported as slow and success going forward will be variable as this run begins to wind down. See the emergency order below that increased the bag and possession limit to 12 fish. Anglers will have to work hard to get a limit of 12 fish.

*Reminder: your possession limit is the maximum number of unpreserved fish a person may have in possession. Fish are out of your possession once they are preserved. A preserved fish is a fish prepared in such a manner, and in an existing state of preservation, as to be fit for human consumption after a 15-day period and does not include unfrozen fish temporarily stored in coolers that contain ice, dry ice, or fish that are lightly salted. An example of unpreserved is those that are on ice in your cooler. An example of a preserved fish is one that is frozen solid in your freezer.

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-2-41-22 extends the youth-only sport fishery in the Seward Lagoon and waters draining out of the Seward Lagoon (Outfall stream) to sport fishing for king salmon through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
• Emergency Order 2-RS-8-36-22 increases the bag and possession limit in the fresh and saltwater at the head of Resurrection Bay (north of a line from Caines Head to the north point of Thumb Cove) to 12 fish through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022.

Don’t forget to bring your 2022 sport fishing license and king stamp! Purchase your 2022 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, advisory announcements, and the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing in before you head out.

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