ADFG Recaps Juneau Fishing Season, Offers Up Winter Opportunities In Area

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

Juneau Fishing Report

October 31, 2022

2022 Juneau Fishing Season Summary

To begin, everyone here at ADF&G would like to thank the marine boat and roadside anglers who took the time to speak with our creel samplers throughout the season. If not for you enthusiastic anglers and your willingness to speak with our creel samplers, ADF&G could not gather the information needed to help manage the Juneau fisheries in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Overall, this year’s sport fishing season was a mixed bag with its fair share of ups and downs. It was a decent year for hatchery king salmon fishing, as the total harvest was above the yearly average. Unfortunately, that good luck did not carry over to the coho salmon fishery, as the catch and harvest rates dropped off significantly, especially compared to the great coho seasons we have had the last couple of years. In regards to the other salmon species, the sockeye fishery performed well which is great to see, while the pink and chum run did not fair so well.

For bottomfish, it was a so-so season for halibut fishing, as it was pretty much par for the course harvest wise. On the other hand, the lingcod and sablefish fisheries were not that strong this year with our samplers seeing fewer of those species than in years past. The true bright spot amongst the sampled fish coming across Juneau docks were pelagic rockfish, mostly due to the strong harvest of Dusky and other pelagic rockfish in the Juneau area. Fingers crossed the 2023 sport fishing season is a success across the board and we look forward to seeing everyone out on the water next year! In the meantime, do not forget to take advantage of the numerous winter fishing opportunities available throughout the Juneau area. As a reminder please be sure to purchase your 2023 fishing license prior to going out in 2023.

Winter Fishing Opportunities in the Juneau Area

During fall and winter around Juneau, most anglers take a few months off and prepare for the upcoming spring and summer season. Fall coho fishing has now tapered off, and the colder weather and water temperatures have stimulated the few lingering Dolly Varden to finish their spawn and head to their overwintering sites. But other angling opportunities still exist during the winter months, including winter king salmon fishing, shellfish harvesting, and ice fishing.

Winter king salmon trolling in saltwaters:

Good spots to try for winter king salmon around Juneau include Auke Bay, ‘the Cut” at Spuhn Island, and backside of Douglas Island. Try fishing a bit shallower this time of year than you would in late summer, and concentrate you’re fishing around the tide changes. Try running a whole herring or hoochie behind a large hotspot type flasher. Hot king salmon colors include white, red, and chartreuse, and any flashers with UV reflectivity for the reduced light during the winter hours. With the onset of colder temperatures, anglers are reminded to be aware of icing conditions and the weather forecasts. Make sure to check the weather before heading out and let someone know where you are planning to go and when you plan on returning. Be careful out there and enjoy winter king fishing, away from the crowds.

Anglers targeting winter king salmon rearing in local marine waters around Juneau may fish under the following regional regulations:

Attention Anglers: Please note that a resident sport angler may use two rods when fishing for king salmon from October 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023 in the Southeast Alaska region. A person using two rods may only retain salmon. The Southeast Regional Regulations below apply to the marine waters around Juneau:

Alaska resident:

• The bag and possession limit is TWO king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, from October 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023.

Nonresident:

• The bag and possession limit is ONE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• From October 1 – December 31, 2022 a nonresident annual limit of one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length; any king salmon harvested by a nonresident from January 1, 2022, through July 15, 2022, will apply towards the one fish annual harvest limit
• After January 1, 2023 please be sure to check for new king salmon regulations in a seperate announcement or call us at 907-465-4270.
• Immediately upon landing and retaining a king salmon a nonresident must enter the species, date, and location, in ink, on the back of their sport fishing license or on a nontransferable harvest record.

Haines/Skagway area north of Juneau:

In Section 15-A, the waters of Lynn Canal north of the latitude of Sherman Rock, the retention of king salmon is prohibited, king salmon may not be retained or possessed; any king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed from April 1 through December 31.

Winter Ice Fishing:

Later this winter, as freshwater lakes ice over, opportunities for ice fishing will be available. Ice fishing is typically done with light tackle and with the use of an “auger” to open a hole in the ice. By regulation, sport fishing through the ice is permitted with the use of two closely attended lines, provided only one hook or artifical lure is used on each line. Various lakes along the Juneau road system are open to ice fishing for “over-wintering” trout and Dolly Varden. Please check the 2022 Sport Fishing Regulations Booklet for lakes that are open and the associated regulations. Remember, most lakes in the Juneau area are off limits to the use of bait so be sure to check the regulations. It’s also always a good idea to check the local ice and weather conditions before heading onto the ice. Be safe, stay warm and have fun!

Lakes where bait is NOT allowed:

Auke Lake

• Bait prohibited, only unbaited artificial lures or flies may be used year-round
• Closed to sockeye salmon and Dolly Varden fishing. All sockeye salmon and Dolly Varden caught must be released immediately
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 2 daily, 2 in possession, 14″ minimum size and 22″ maximum size limit

Mendenhall Lake

• Bait prohibited, only unbaited artificial lures or flies may be used year-round
• Closed to Dolly Varden fishing. All Dolly Varden caught must be released immediately
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 2 daily, 2 in possession, 14″ minimum size and 22″ maximum size limit

Morraine and Glacier lakes in the Dredge Lakes area

• Bait prohibited, only unbaited artificial lures or flies may be used year-round
• Dolly Varden: no size restrictions—2 daily, 2 in possession
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 2 daily, 2 in possession, 14 inch minimum and 22 inch maximum size limit
• Remainder of lakes in the Dredge Lakes Area (i.e.- Crystal, Dredge, Moose, etc…) have the same bag and possession limits above but bait is allowed Sept. 15 – Nov. 15

Peterson Creek Salt Chuck

• Bait prohibited, only unbaited artificial lures or flies may be used year-round
• Dolly Varden: no size restrictions—2 daily, 2 in possession
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 2 daily, 2 in possession, 14 inch minimum and 22 in maximum size limit

Windfall Lake (and all inlet streams)

• Bait prohibited, only unbaited artificial lures or flies may be used year-round
• Dolly Varden: no size restrictions—2 daily, 2 in possession
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 2 daily, 2 in possession, 14 inch minimum and 22 inch maximum size limit

Lakes where bait IS allowed:

Twin Lakes

• The use of bait is allowed year-round
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 5 daily, 5 in possession, no size limit

Salmon Creek Reservoir

• The use of bait is allowed year-round
• Brook trout: no size limit—10 daily, 10 in possession

Peterson Lake

• No restrictions on use of bait
• Cutthroat and rainbow trout limits (in combination): 2 daily, 2 in possession, 14 inch minimum and 22 in maximum

Shellfish harvesting

Shellfish are also available throughout the year. Try for some Christmas crab for the holiday celebrations this year.

King, Tanner and Dungeness Crab

King crab fishing is only open to Alaska residents. A sport fishing license and a Southeast Alaska Regional Personal Use King Crab Permit are required. These are available at our online store. Personal Use red and blue king crab fishing is closed in Peril Strait, Lynn Sisters, St. James Bay, Seymour Canal, Pybus Bay, Gambier Bay, Excursion Inlet, and Juneau Section 11-A. The rest of N. Southeast Alaska is open for crabbing. Residents can harvest ONE male red or blue king crab from waters open to fishing outside of the closed areas listed above. The Department’s 2022 stock assessment survey indicated that the poundage of legal male red king crab available for harvest was below the minimum threshold, warranting conservative daily bag and possession limits to promote stock health while still offering harvest opportunity.

Please check for Emergency Orders, legal size and pot configurations and restrictions. Section 11-A is closed to Alaska resident PU king crab fishing. Stay tuned for Juneau area PU announcement using the link above. Harvest can be reported online. Please check the 2022 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet pages 33-36 for regulations specific to shellfish.

Shrimp

Sport and personal use shrimp fisheries in the Juneau area will remain closed until further notice. The closed area consists of all marine waters of Section 11-A north and west of a line extending from a regulatory marker near point Bishop to the Coast Guard marker and light on Point Arden, extending to a line at the latitude of Little Island light, and east of a line from Little Island light to Point Retreat light. The Sport and Personal Use News Release can be found here.

Outside of the 11-A area, sport and personal use fishing remains open. Sport and personal use shrimpers who have a valid sport fishing license must also have a free shrimp permit available on the ADF&G online store or from any of the ADF&G offices. Participating anglers must sign their permit in ink to make it valid and have the permit in possession while taking shrimp in Southeast Alaska. Shrimp Limits and gear requirements for sport and personal use shrimp fishing can be found on pages 33-36 of the 2022 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary. Reporting of effort and harvest is required and must be submitted to the department even if you did not fish.

Clams

Every fall/winter season, the Douglas office gets questions about harvesting clams in the Juneau area. ADF&G does not recommend harvesting clams from any waters in the Juneau area due to the possibly that the clams may contain Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins. Currently, no beaches in the Juneau area are monitored on a regular basis (i.e- ‘certified’) for PSP toxins. If you harvest, you do so at your own risk of PSP poisoning. Sporadic sampling has been conducted by the SouthEast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) project, but clams of any species and at any time during the year may still contain toxic levels of PSP. Please navigate to the following Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) webpage for more information about PSP.

Interactive Fishing Location Maps

NEW! Check out the gofishak page on the ADF&G website for the new Juneau/Glacier Bay interactive map to discover popular fishing locations and information on species run timing, fishing gear selections, and boat and angler access tips thru the Sport Fish wefishak pages.