Prince William Sound Fishing Report Features Good Halibut Action

Prince William Sound Fishing Report

June 30, 2022

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

ADF&G News

ADF&G is mobile. You can purchase and display your fishing license and king stamp, record your annual harvest (i.e. king salmon, halibut), access sport fishing regulations and locations, and so much more on your mobile device. Download the ADF&G Mobile App today.

Freshwater Fishing 

Trout/Dolly Varden/Arctic Char

• Cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, or steelhead trout fishing is open with a bag and possession limit of two fish between 11 to 16 inches.
• Bait is allowed during this time. Anglers may use bait, artificial lures, and flies.
• If you’re in Cordova, Pipeline lakes are a fun spot for catching cutthroat trout. It’s a nice short hike with lots of locations to try.
• Dolly Varden/Arctic char are open year-round with a bag and possession limit of 10 fish (no size restrictions).

Salmon

• Sockeye salmon are in Eyak River (in Cordova) and anglers are having success catching fish.
  • Remember effective June 1 – September 30, Eyak River Special Regulations are in effect. From a point, 200 yards upstream from the Eyak Lake dam/weir to a point 200 yards downstream from the bridge at the outlet of Eyak Lake only single-hook, artificial flies with a hook gap of 3/8 inch or less between point and shank are allowed. In addition, no additional weight may be attached to your line.
• Effective Saturday, July 2: Coghill River bag limits for sockeye salmon are increasing to 12 per day, 24 in possession. In addition, anglers may now fish within 50 feet of the Coghill River weir. See the emergency order below for more info. The commercial fishery will be very active in the surrounding saltwaters during certain times of the week. Be sure to check for commercial openers in the area.

Saltwater Fishing 

Port sampling efforts are underway in Valdez and Whittier. Please assist our port sampling program by returning to the harbor with whole groundfish or carcasses and allowing ADF&G technicians to sample your harvest when requested. Data collected from the sport harvest is needed to manage and maintain healthy fisheries. We appreciate you supporting the port sampling program and your assistance in getting managers information that aids in managing fisheries in Southcentral.

Halibut/Lingcod/Rockfish

• Halibut catches continue to be good for those getting out in this nice weather and traveling further out towards Montague Island but more catches of small – medium-sized halibut have been reported inside the Sound around Perry Island. If you’re anchoring up put out a chum bag to help attract these fish.
• The Valdez Halibut Derby leading fish is now 170lbs! This derby runs through early September.
• Rockfish limits year-round are four fish per day, eight in possession of which only one can be a nonpelagic rockfish. Check your 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet for species identification information.
  • The use of 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 season opens on July 1. Rocky pinnacles are a good place to target these fish. Try fishing a few feet off the bottom to avoid excess rockfish catches.

Shrimp

• Don’t forget to get your PWS shrimp permit! The sport and subsistence shrimp season opened on
  April 15 and will close on September 15. You are required to have your permit with you and document any time you have pots in the water.
• In 2022, the limit is three pots per vessel but only two pots in areas in the vicinity of Whittier and Valdez. See the emergency order below and the map that comes with your permit for area specifics.
• Don’t forget you must record your catch on your permit prior to leaving the site or concealing your catch.
• Looking for a good starting depth? Try dropping your pots in the 300-400’ range. If you are new to shrimping setting pots for a few hours and then checking them to see what you are catching is a good idea. If you’re not catching, try a different depth or location.
• Shrimpers are allowed to carry additional pots on their vessel, but those pots cannot be fished while shrimping even if they are targeting a different species (e.g. octopus).
• Harvest reports are due online by October 15. You can keep up on your harvest report throughout the season. We suggest entering your harvest data after each trip you take. Once the season closes you have 30 days to get all of your harvest reported.
  • Harvest must be reported for each individual time you pull your pots and include your date, location, soak time, number of pots, and your harvest report in gallons of whole shrimp. If you fail to report your harvest by October 15, 2022, you will not be able to get a permit in 2023.

Salmon

• Anglers have started to pick up a few kings trolling just outside of Passage Canal and even a couple from shore in Whittier.
• Most king salmon are still getting picked up out by Cape Cleare and Montague Island for those venturing out further and spending time.
• King fishing is still good at Fleming Spit in Cordova. Fishing the hour before and after the high tide is your best bet.
  • Remember the Cordova Terminal Harvest Area is closed to snagging from June 1 to September 30.
• Chum and sockeye salmon are showing up around Ester Island and Port Wells with fish bound for the hatchery and Coghill River. Coghill River weir was installed on June 9 and as of June 29, a total of 19,163 sockeye salmon had passed the weir.
• Sockeye salmon are returning to Main Bay hatchery and fishing has been good. This is a great place to pick up sockeye salmon but remember to keep an eye on the commercial fisheries announcements for this area. Things get crowded when commercial openers are occurring in the area.
  • Remember you are not allowed to fish from a vessel within 60 feet of the barrier seine which is the buoys you see stretched across closest to the hatchery. The 60-foot distance from the barrier seine is typically marked with an additional line of buoys. The basic rule is don’t fish from your vessel beyond the first string of buoys you see.

Local Lakes 

• Blueberry and Thompson lakes and Ruth Pond (Valdez area) are stocked and getting stocked again this week with rainbow trout so expect some good fishing over the holiday weekend! Ruth Pond is a great place to take the kids and Thompson Lake is a good spot to target Arctic grayling with small-sized flies or spinners.

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-RS-6-43-22 increases the sockeye salmon bag and possession limit to 12 fish per day, 24 in possession in the Coghill River drainage. In addition, the area closed to fishing adjacent to the Coghill River weir is now 50 feet. This emergency order is effective from 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 2 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022.
• Emergency Order 2-SHR-6-18-22 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. This emergency order is in effect through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, September 15, 2022.

Don’t forget to purchase 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.