Area Sport Fishing Reports
Ketchikan

May 24, 2024

ADF&G creel technicians will begin angler interviews and catch sampling on the docks next week. Your participation is important and only takes a couple of minutes. During an interview creel samplers will ask a few short questions about your fishing trip and collect biological data from the fish harvested. The data collected through this program is essential for the sustainable management of sport fisheries. This data guides management decisions, ensuring fishing and harvest opportunities are maintained for the future.

Steelhead

Most steelhead have finished spawning and returned to saltwater. The few that remain in the rivers are actively spawning.

Be sure to check the 2024 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations. The Ketchikan Area Freshwater Special Regulations can be found on pages 30-32. Regulations vary depending on the waters you plan to fish.

Trout and Dolly Varden

Trout and dolly fishing has been very good. Fish will continue to get more aggressive as the waters warm. Egg and fry patterns as well as dry flies will be effective in both lakes and streams. Productive local areas include the Ward Creek drainage and Ketchikan Creek. Both Harriet Hunt Lake and Carlanna Lake have been stocked with triploid rainbow trout.

King Salmon

King salmon can be harvested in Herring Bay beginning on June 1. The daily bag limit in Herring Bay is 3 king salmon of any size. These fish do not count towards the non-resident annual limit.

On June 8, the Mountain Point area opens to the retention of king salmon. The bag limit is one king salmon per day with a minimum size of 28 inches. The nonresident annual limit is three king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length.

On June 15, most of the Ketchikan area (District 1) and east Prince of Wales area (District 2) will open with regional king salmon limits, with a few exceptions. Please see the advisory announcement issued March 28 and April 2, 2024.

Halibut

Halibut can be targeted this time of year and fishing will continue to improve as summer approaches. Reminder: Filleting halibut: No person shall possess on board a vessel, including charter vessels and pleasure craft used for fishing, halibut that have been filleted, mutilated, or otherwise disfigured in any manner, except that each halibut may be cut into no more than 2 ventral pieces, 2 dorsal pieces, and 2 cheek pieces, with enough skin on each piece to identify whether the piece is from the light side or the dark side of the fish.

Lingcod

The lingcod season opened on May 16. Reminder: the lingcod slot limit for nonresidents has changed this year.

• Residents: 1 daily, 2 in possession, no size limit.

• Nonresidents: 1 daily, 1 in possession, size limit 30 to 35 inches or 55 inches or greater in length. Annual limit of 2 fish, one of which is 30 to 35 inches and one of which is 55 inches or greater in length.

Rockfish

Rockfish can be caught year-round. Stop by the Fish & Game office or visit the website for resources on identifying rockfish species. Rockfish regulations remain the same as last year. All sportfishing vessels are required to have at least one deep water release device on board.

Slope Rockfish

• Resident and nonresident anglers:
  • bag limit of one fish; possession limit of two fish; no annual limit

Demersal Shelf Rockfish (except yelloweye)

• Resident anglers: bag limit of one fish; possession limit of two fish; no annual limit.

• Nonresident anglers: Closed; retention is prohibited.

Yelloweye Rockfish:

• Closed; retention is prohibited by all anglers.

Pelagic Rockfish

• Five per day; ten in possession.