Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince William Sound

June 26, 2025

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

Freshwater Fishing

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon are returning to Coghill River, but it is still early in the run. Numbers should improve daily. The Coghill River weir was installed a couple weeks later than anticipated. Daily counts are now available online.
• Sockeye salmon are present in the Eyak River in Cordova, fishing continues to be slow but fish are spread throughout the river. Fish should be moving into Alaganik Slough in better numbers in the next couple of weeks.

Cutthroat Trout/Dolly Varden

• Cutthroat trout fishing has been excellent in lakes in the Cordova area.
• Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout fishing at the mouth of creeks has been good as they feed on out-migrating salmon fry.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut

• Anglers are producing consistent catches of mostly small halibut inside Prince William Sound, but patient anglers that can make it out to the Gulf of Alaska are beginning to find bigger fish. Try fishing large circle hooks with herring or salmon bellies while anchored up with a chum bag.
• Halibut can be picked up inside Prince William Sound fishing depths of 300-400 ft on the outer edges of Perry and Naked Islands as more of these fish move towards inside waters.

Lingcod

Lingcod season will open on Tuesday, July 1. Fishing around rocky pinnacles is a good option for these aggressive fish.

Rockfish

• By regulation, yelloweye rockfish season will open to retention on July 1.
• Large schools of pelagic rockfish can typically be found near the entrances and the coastal outside waters. Boats are more consistently finding schools of pelagic rockfish inside Prince William Sound.
• Don’t forget your deepwater release device to release rockfish. Check out videos on the ADF&G YouTube page on how to properly release rockfish back down to depth.

Other finfish

Fishing for Pacific (gray) cod has been good throughout Prince William Sound and outside waters while targeting other saltwater species.

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon fishing at Main Bay has been picking up. The cost recovery boat continues to fish in the area to meet their goals and anglers should provide space for this vessel when they are out there.
• ATTENTION MAIN BAY sockeye salmon anglers:

NEW REGULATION --No sport fishing is allowed inside a line 200 feet from the barrier seine. Signage has been posted on each bank to mark the 200 ft line. A buoy line may or may not be strung across to mark the location of the signs. Whether the buoy line is there or not, the signs mark the regulatory line where sport fishing is prohibited. Anglers cannot fish inside the signs or cast towards the barrier seine.

• A couple king salmon have been picked up at Fleming Spit (in Cordova). Casting spinners or bait under a bobber around the tide works well to target these fish.
• Anglers trolling for salmon are starting to pick up more fish around Cape Cleare, Crafton Island, and Passage Canal.

Local lakes

Thompson Lake, Blueberry Lake, and Ruth Pond have all been stocked with rainbow trout this week! These lakes can make for a fun outing to target multiple species including rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, and lake trout.

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-RF-6-20-25 reduces the number of shrimp pots allowed to harvest shrimp in the Prince William Sound noncommercial (sport and subsistence) shrimp fishery to two pots per person with a maximum of two pots per vessel. Additionally, this emergency order reduces the open season for the Prince William Sound noncommercial shrimp fishery to May 1 – July 31.

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.