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

Juneau Fishing Report

June 06, 2022

King Salmon Fishing around the Juneau Area

With the June 1st opening of the Juneau Hatchery Sport Harvest Area, in Gastineau Channel, Fritz Cove, Auke Bay, and Lena Cove, many marine boat anglers took advantage of the nice weather and the opportunity to harvest king salmon. ADF&G Marine Creel samplers at Statter launch and North Douglas sampled dozens of boats with several reporting king salmon harvests. Most boats fished Fritz Cove and on into Auke Bay, with a few fishing at Lena. Shoreside anglers were observed at Picnic Cove, Fish Creek, and in front of the Macauley hatchery. The early king salmon harvest numbers are not super great but at least a few anglers have had some luck catching king salmon. Look for fishing to improve over the next several weeks as more and more hatchery king salmon return to the area. Regulations for the Hatchery Sport Harvest Area are as follows:

Sport Fishing Regulations for King Salmon in Hatchery Areas near Juneau

The hatchery-produced king salmon regulations for the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area (see map 1) will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 1 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, August 31, 2022. These new regulations are as follows:

• The daily bag and possession limit is FOUR king salmon of any size;
• King salmon harvested by nonresidents in the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area DO NOT COUNT toward their annual limit.

The department is liberalizing sport fishing regulations in the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area due to the number of returning hatchery-produced king salmon exceeding broodstock needs for the hatchery program. See map 1.

Map 1. Sport Fishing Regulations for the Hatchery Sport Harvest Areas near Juneau

Sport Fishing Regulations for King Salmon outside Juneau Hatchery Areas

For marine waters outside of the Hatchery Sport Harvest Area, anglers are reminded that king salmon cannot be retained until June 15. During the last week a few boats have traveled west of Lemesurier Island to fish Cross Sound and Deer Harbor to fish under Regionwide Regulations below:

Away from Juneau: Southeast Regionwide King Salmon Sport Fishing Regulations

Alaska resident:

• The bag and possession limit is TWO king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;

Nonresident:

• The bag and possession limit is ONE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• The nonresident annual limit is THREE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• 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.

All Anglers:

• From October 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023, a resident sport angler may use two rods when fishing for king salmon, a person using two rods under this regulation may only retain salmon.

Near to Juneau: Marine waters near Juneau except for Seymour Canal and upper Taku Inlet

(The northern portion of District 9, District 10, Sections 11-A, 11-B, 11-C, District 12, Portion of Section 13-C southeast of a line between Nismeni Pt. and a point on the Chichagof Island shoreline at 57°35.59′ N. lat., 135°22.33′ W. long., Sections 14-B and 14-C, and District 15 south of the latitude of Sherman Rock)

April 1 – June 14:

The RETENTION of king salmon is PROHIBITED, any king salmon caught must be released immediately.

June 15 – December 31: 

Alaska resident:

• The bag and possession limit is TWO king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length.

Nonresident:

• The bag and possession limit is ONE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• The nonresident annual limit is THREE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• 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.

In the waters adjacent to the Taku River

(upper Taku Inlet north of a line from Point Bishop to Point Greely),

April 1 through June 30, 2022:

All Anglers:

• NO RETENTION of king salmon. All king salmon caught must be released immediately.

In the waters adjacent to the King Salmon River

(Section 11-D, Seymour Canal north of 57° 37′ N. latitude),

April 1 through June 30, 2022:

All anglers:

• CLOSED to king salmon fishing, all anglers may not target or retain king salmon.

July 1 – December 31:

Alaska resident:

• The bag and possession limit is TWO king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length.

Nonresidents:

• The bag and possession limit is ONE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• The annual limit is THREE king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• 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.

Map 2. Sport Fishing Regulations for King Salmon in Saltwaters near Juneau

Bottom Fishing around the Juneau Area

Marine boat anglers also fished a few areas near Juneau for halibut and rockfish, from Marmion Island to North Shelter and Lincoln Island. Anglers reporting to our marine creel survey technicians now working at the Juneau area docks and harbors have landed a few halibut this past week. Please help our marine creel personnel collect their marine boat angler survey information so that ADF&G can continue to sustainably manage sport fish species in our marine waters.

Finally, anglers are reminded that rockfish regulations have changed for the 2022 season. Harvest opportunity for demersal shelf rockfish, excluding yelloweye, opened for Alaska resident anglers on Thursday, April 14, 2022.

Resident anglers:

• The daily bag and possession limit is one demersal shelf rockfish, excluding yelloweye.

Nonresident anglers:

• Demersal shelf rockfish may not be retained.

Demersal shelf rockfish open to residents are quillback, copper, China, canary, tiger, and rosethorn. This action allows the limited harvest of demersal shelf rockfish for residents while protecting the sustainability of yelloweye rockfish. Despite conservative management action yelloweye rockfish biomass has decreased 60% in the last 20 years and will remain closed to retention. A helpful webpage is available on the Fish and Game website to assist anglers with identification.

Other Rockfish regulations

• Slope rockfish: 1 per day, 1 in possession (all anglers).
• Pelagic rockfish: 5 per day, 10 in possession (all anglers),
  • except in Sitka (CSEO area) where nonresident limits are 3 per day, 6 in possession (Map in the Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary).
• When releasing any rockfish, anglers must use a deepwater release mechanism to return the fish to the depth it was hooked or to a depth of at least 100 feet.
• All vessels must have at least one functional deepwater release mechanism on board and readily available for use when saltwater sport fishing activities are taking place.

Juneau Roadside Fisheries

Pink and chum fry are in the nearshore waters around the Juneau roadside and are attracting spring Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout to the estuaries and creek mouths. Steelhead fishing is winding down, with many kelts having finished the spawn and now heading back out to sea. A reminder to anglers: steelhead on the Juneau road system may be caught but must be released immediately, and Peterson Creek is closed to sport fishing until June 30 to protect those kelts as they complete the spawn. If you do catch a steelhead, fight it quickly, handle the fish carefully, and if taking a photo, keep the fish in the water, and release it quickly to minimize stress.

Fish Creek and Fish Creek Pond

Anglers are reminded that from June 1-August 31, the daily bag and possession limit for king salmon in the freshwaters of Fish Creek and Fish Creek Pond is 4 fish, any size and any king salmon harvested by non-residents do not count toward their annual limit. Please note that within Fish Creek Pond, anglers may use bait, may snag, and may use weighted hooks, lures, and treble hooks with a gap greater than ½ inch between the point and shank. However, anglers may NOT use bait, or snag, or snagging hooks in Fish Creek itself. Although the marine waters surrounding the mouth of Fish Creek fall under Hatchery Sport Harvest Area regulations, anglers cannot snag in saltwater at the mouth of Fish Creek within a 200-yard radius of the creek mouth. Snagging is allowed in salt waters outside of that 200-yard radius.

Dolly Varden/cutthroat trout fishing

Anadromous Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout have moved into saltwater and are congregating at the mouths of local creeks such as Salmon Creek, Sheep Creek, and Cowee Creek to feed on emigrating salmon fry and smolts. Using small smolt imitation fly patterns or small spinners and spoons is the best way to catch these fish. There will also be some fish that do not leave their “overwintering” sites and head for the ocean. Known as “residents”, these fish stay in their home lake, pond, or stream the entire year. While these fish may move around in the system to take advantage of food or environmental conditions, they will be present for your fishing pleasure all year.

In all drainages crossed by the Juneau road system, as well as the saltwater adjacent to the Juneau road system to a line ¼ mile offshore, cutthroat and rainbow trout bag limits (in combination) are 2 daily, 2 in possession with a 14-inch minimum and 22-inch maximum size limit. Dolly Varden limits are 2 daily, 2 in possession, no size limit. Anglers should check the 2022 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulation Summary Booklet for special regulations specific to the stream or lake they intend to fish.

Steelhead Trout fishing

Steelhead fishing is winding down, with kelts returning to the ocean post-spawn. In Southeast Alaska, most streams that contain steelhead have small annual returns (in the hundreds) and thus can be vulnerable to over-fishing. Retention of steelhead in the Juneau area roadside streams is prohibited. Any steelhead caught in drainage crossed by the Juneau road system must be released immediately. Current regionwide regulations elsewhere, away from the road system, prohibit any steelhead under 36″ from being harvested and require that a harvest record be completed in ink immediately upon landing a steelhead that is to be harvested. Keep in mind that all fish should be treated with great care regardless of size to ensure the best chances for survival upon release. Please keep fish in the water while releasing.

Anglers should note that all sport fishing in Peterson Creek from the falls to the intertidal waters within a 200-yard radius of the creek mouth at saltwater is CLOSED April 1-June 30 to protect spawning steelhead. The Advisory Announcement can be found here. For the last 7 years, steelhead snorkel survey index counts conducted each spring in Peterson Creek have been below the pre-2015 average. A precautionary approach is being taken to conservatively manage the Peterson Creek steelhead stock during this period of very low escapements.

Shellfish harvesting

Juneau Marine Shellfish Fisheries

Except for red and blue king crab, other shellfish are currently available to harvest. Personal use red and blue king crab fishing is presently closed but will reopen on July 1.

King Crab

Personal use 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 the ADF&G online store. Please check for Personal Use Emergency Orders, legal-size and pot configurations, and restrictions online. Section 11-A is currently CLOSED to Alaska resident PU king crab fishing. Stay tuned for the Juneau area PU announcement later this year using the link above. Harvest must be reported online. Please check the 2022 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations for regulations specific to shellfish.

Dungeness and Tanner Crab

For Alaska residents in the Juneau area, licensed anglers can keep 20 Dungeness males, 6.5″ minimum width. While taking Dungeness crab, 5 pots or 10 rings per person may be used, with a max of 10 pots or 20 rings per vessel. While taking Tanner crab, no more than 4 pots or 10 rings per vessel may be used. In total, no more than 5 pots per person and 10 pots per vessel may be used bod taking shellfish regardless of pot type.

For non-residents in the Juneau area, licensed anglers can keep 3 male Tanner and Dungeness crab (in combination). Tanner males need to be 5.5″ minimum width and Dungeness males need to be 6.5″ minimum width.

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.

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. 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 cab be found on pages 33-36 of the 2022 regulation summary booklet. Reporting of effort and harvest is required and must be submitted to the department even if you did not fish.

Clams

Every spring/summer 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 possibility 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) web page for more information about PSP.

Interactive Fishing Location Maps

NEW! Check out the wefishak page on the ADF&G website to discover popular fishing locations and information on species run timing, fishing gear selections, and boat and angler access tips thru the Sport Fish gofishak application