More ADFG Fishing Reports: North Gulf Coast And Prince William Sound

The following press releases are courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay Fishing Report

May 15, 2024

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.

Freshwater Fishing

• Freshwaters in Resurrection Bay are closed to salmon fishing at this time.

Salmon

Rainbow Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic Char

• Dolly Varden and rainbow trout are present in Seward streams, however, fishing has been slow. As the weather warms up and salmon fry begin to move, fishing at the creek mouths near Seward should begin to pick up.
• Dolly Varden can be caught in the streams and off the beach by fishing small spinners and spoons or fly fishing with smolt pattern.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut

• Halibut fishing has been as slow to fair for anglers traveling outside of Resurrection Bay. Anglers returning to Seward have reported catches of smaller halibut. Fishing should improve as more halibut begin migrating near shore.
• Halibut are occasionally being caught inside Resurrection Bay.

Lingcod

• Lingcod season is closed until July 1.

Rockfish

• A variety of pelagic rockfish are being caught near the entrance of Resurrection Bay and along the Gulf Coast.
• Anglers have reported fair catches of rockfish in Resurrection Bay, but fishing improves the further you go out from Seward.

Other Finfish

• Fishing for Pacific (gray) cod, pollock, and a variety of other species have been good inside Resurrection Bay. Try fishing a small chunk of herring right off the bottom near the Sea Life Center, the mouth of Lowell (waterfall) Creek, or off Lowell Point.

Salmon

• King salmon fishing has been slow inside Resurrection Bay. Hatchery king salmon bound for the Seward Lagoon should enter the bay very soon and trolling should pick up in the next few weeks.
• No sockeye have been reported at the mouth of Resurrection River or in Resurrection Bay. At this time, no sockeye have been counted at the Bear Creek weir. Sockeye will show up in the area in the next couple weeks.
• No salmon catches have been reported from the mouth of the Seward lagoon outflow.

Local Lakes

• First Lake Youth-only Fishery is this weekend (May 16-19). During the Youth Fishery, fishing is only open to anglers 15 years of age and younger. Fishing for rainbow trout will be good, and this is a fun and easy location to take the kids!
• Troop Lake is still covered in ice, and it will be a few weeks before the lake thaws out and fishing picks up.

Special species information

• New in regulation as of 2024: the rockfish bag and possession limits in North Gulf Coast/Resurrection Bay to three per day and six in possession of which only one per day, two in possession can be nonpelagic.

Emergency Orders

Please review the emergency orders and advisory announcements below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• There are currently no emergency orders for the North Gulf Coast management area.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2024 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 it off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2024 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

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

Prince William Sound Fishing Report

May 15, 2024

General Area Description: includes all waters between Cape Fairfield and Cape Suckling.

Freshwater Fishing

Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic Char

• From April 15 – June 14 there is no retention of cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, or steelhead trout to protect spawning fish. In addition, no bait is allowed during this time.
• With the cold and late spring, Dolly Varden has been slow. As the weather warms up and salmon fry begin to move, fishing near the creek mouths throughout Prince William Sound should begin to improve.
• Cutthroat trout fishing has been good in lakes in the Cordova area.

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon have been spotted in the Eyak River near Cordova. However, no catches have been reported by anglers and fishing is expected to be slow.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut

• Halibut fishing has been fair in Prince William Sound with anglers reporting sporadic catches of good-sized halibut.
• Anglers are producing consistent catches of smaller halibut near the entrances into Prince William Sound including Montague Strait, Hinchinbrook Entrance, Strawberry Channel/Orca Inlet (near Cordova), and other passages. Fishing will improve as larger fish begin to move into Prince William Sound from the Gulf of Alaska.

Lingcod

• Lingcod season is closed until July 1.

Rockfish

• By emergency order, Yelloweye Rockfish may not be retained from April 1–June 30.
• Large schools of pelagic rockfish have yet to return to the inside waters of Prince William Sound but can be found near the entrances and the coastal outside waters.

Other Finfish

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

Salmon

• King salmon fishing has been slow in Prince William Sound. Anglers that have been putting effort into trolling are catching the occasional king salmon in Prince William Sound.
• There are no reports of king salmon having been caught at Fleming Spit (in Cordova) yet.

Local Lakes

• Both Blueberry and Thompson lakes are currently iced up.
• Ruth Pond (Valdez area) will be stocked in late June. Fishing is expected to be slow until then.

Special Species Information

Shrimp

• Shrimpers have reported that shrimping has been highly variable but are producing better catch rates at shallower depths (200-300’).

Squid

• There have been reports of good catches of squid across Prince William Sound with anglers targeting them successfully at deeper depths.

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-SHR-6-03-24 reduced the number of shrimp pots allowed to harvest shrimp in the Prince William Sound noncommercial shrimp fishery. The pot limit per person and per vessel has been reduced to three pots; however, of those three pots only two pots can be set in areas of historical high effort including areas near the Port of Valdez, near the Port of Whittier, and in portions of Port Wells and Culross Passage.
• Emergency Order 2-RF-6-04-24 reduces the rockfish bag and possession limits in Prince William Sound to three per day and six in possession of which only one per day, one in possession can be nonpelagic. In addition, from April 1 through June 30, 2023, yelloweye rockfish may not be retained.

Don’t forget to purchase your 2024 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 it off from the comfort of your own home. Make sure to review emergency orders, advisory announcements, and the 2024 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for the area you are fishing before you head out.

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