Alaska Fishing Reports: Juneau area

[silversalmon]

 This is an emergency order put out, this is HUGE, usually only allowed 1 fish and it does not count toward non-resident King salmon harvests I have fished there before and was allowed just one fish, considering goin back this yer for the three They will start running here shortly, about 2 weeks from now

The new sport fishing regulations will be in effect from April 25 through June 30, 2005 in the salt waters of Sections 11-A and 11-B (see attached map). During this time and in this area, sport fishing regulations will be as follows:


Sport fishing for king salmon may be conducted with the use of 2 lines (rods) per angler. The normal 6-line limit per boat remains in effect.
Charter operators and crew members may not retain king salmon when clients are onboard.
The bag and possession limit will be three king salmon 28 inches or greater in length.
King salmon caught by nonresidents will not count toward the nonresident annual limit.
In addition, the area of upper Taku Inlet normally closed to sport fishing for king salmon from April 16 through June 14 will be open to sport fishing for king salmon. The fresh waters of Taku River will remain closed to sport fishing for king salmon.

[Mike Cork]

Thanks for letting everyone in on this 

[silversalmon]

Juneau's sport fishery finally had a decent showing of Chinook salmon being harvested in local waters last week. The catch rate of 30 rod hours per Chinook salmon is below the 5-year average, and is a strong improvement from the catch rates we have been seeing the last few weeks.

[silversalmon]

KING SALMON SPORT FISHING REGULATIONS LIBERALIZED IN THE JUNEAU TERMINAL HARVEST AREA


The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that king salmon sport fishing regulations in the hatchery terminal harvest area (THA) near Juneau will be liberalized to harvest surplus hatchery-produced king salmon.

The new regulations in the Juneau THA are as follows:

The daily bag and possession limit is four king salmon of any size; 
King salmon taken by non-residents do not count toward their annual limit of 5 fish;
The new regulations will be in effect in the Juneau THA from 12:01 A.M. Monday, June 6 through August 31, 2005. The Juneau THA is defined as the contiguous marine waters of the Auke Bay area, Fritz Cove, and Gastineau Channel that are bound on the west side by a line that extends from Point Louisa to the navigational aid at the northern tip of Portland Island, along the eastern shore of Portland Island to its southern most tip and then to the tip of Outer Point on Douglas Island. The eastern boundary of the THA is a line, indicated by department markers on the east and west shores of Gastineau Channel, extending across Gastineau Channel approximately ¼ mile south of the Dupont Dock. See attached map for more detail.

The department is liberalizing sport fishing regulations in the THA to provide recreational anglers the opportunity to harvest hatchery-produced king salmon returning to the Juneau area that exceed broodstock needs at Macaulay Hatchery.

Anglers fishing in the Juneau THA may use two rods per person through June 30, as allowed in the remaining portions of Sections 11-A and 11-B. Anglers are reminded, however, that only one rod will be allowed per person beginning July 1, and that they can not fish for king salmon outside of the THA if they have king salmon less than 28 inches in possession.

King salmon sport fishing regulations in freshwater drainages on the Juneau road system will also be liberalized as described in a separate news release.

[silversalmon]

Juneau fishing is being reported as average , with the average rod hours of 14. They have increased the bag limit of Kings there so the run should get bigger as the next few days roll by.

[DAWG]

Come on out and play silver 

[silversalmon]

The Jueau area is starting to report catches of silvers. Things will pick up within a week for these Fall salmon

[silversalmon]

[http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/weekly/jnu.cfm]FISHING REPORTS FROM ADF&G[/url]

[silversalmon]

TRIP DATE:  5/14
REGION:  Southeast
WATER:  Tee Harbor / Breadline out of Auke Bay
SPECIES:  Kings

REPORT: Beautiful day...first without rain for weeks. Slick flat water and maybe 5mph of wind. Water was 47 degrees and there were about 15 boats in the area. Trolled for about 15 minutes and for the next hour and 15 minutes had 21 Orca's make the same trolling pass as the boats were making. They just lazily cruised up the breadline as close as 20 yards from the boats. Not sure where they were going (heading towards Haines/Skagway) but they were in no hurry to get there. Tried to coax one into biting.. (that's a joke by the way). Needless to say the King fishing was a bust, but the Orca viewing was awesome. Will try again next weekend.

AOJ report
http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Reports/Fishreport/anglerreport.html

[silversalmon]

TRIP DATE:  5/21
REGION:  Southeast
WATER:  Tee Harbor / Breadline out of Auke Bay
SPECIES:  Kings/dollies/steelhead

REPORT: Flat water, water temp 48 degrees, 10mph winds and rain. (Typical Spring weather in Juneau.) Trolled for about 6 hours with 3 lines in the water and got one bite on the diver and nothing on the downriggers. Saw a few caught by the other 10,000 or so boats that were there as well. Seems to be picking up, but I would say that the run hasn't kicked into high gear yet. Heard that "False Outer Point" is starting to pick up as well. Might try there next weekend. No orcas this time.

Good fishin'

http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Reports/Fishreport/anglerreport.html

[silversalmon]

2006 Fishing Summary ( Week of September 4 - 10, 2006 )
TOP NEWS THIS WEEK:

Freshwater coho salmon fishing is here!!!  Pull out the waders and tackle box and head for the streams. Pick any of the classic coho spots (Montana Creek, Lena Pt., Cowee Creek, Peterson Creek, Amalga Harbor, Macaulay Hatchery) or head upstream to find your own holes.  Be sure to make lots of noise, bears have been waiting for the coho to come in after a poor berry season and have been regularly reported on Montana Creek, Peterson Creek, and Cowee Creek.  Freshwater fishing for coho salmon should be good from now until mid November.

As a reminder, the use of bait in most Southeast Alaska freshwater streams is allowed only from September 15 through November 15.

The use of bait is prohibited year-round in Glacier and Moraine Lakes (in the Mendenhall Ponds area), Peterson Creek Salt Chuck, Montana Creek, Auke Lake, Windfall Lake and Mendenhall Lake.

Because high water levels can make fishing poor, pick your days accordingly.  You also might want to familiarize yourself with these U. S. Geological Survey and National Weather Service web pages as they provide access to real time water flows in several Juneau area streams, including Montana Creek.  Information from these websites has saved me from venturing out on days that would have been unproductive because of extreme flow conditions:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ak/nwis/current/?type=flow

http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=pajk



Region Wide Sport Fishing Report:
Coho salmon and halibut remain dominant in the marine boat sport fisheries harvest last week, with catch rates for both species very strong at most ports.  Most of the ports are well into their seasonal decline of Chinook salmon catch rates.  Pink salmon are showing up less frequently in the sport angler's catch at most ports, and harvested chums were few and far between.

Chinook salmon catch rates ranged from 10 rod hours per fish at Wrangell to 881 rod hours at Yakutat.  Catch rates for Chinook salmon were better than or equal to the five-year averages at Ketchikan, Wrangell, and Gustavus.

Halibut catch rates ranged from 4 rod hours at Petersburg to 29 rod hours at Elfin Cove, and were better than or equal to their five-year averages at Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg and Juneau.

Coho salmon catch rates remained excellent at most ports last week, with catch rates ranging from 1 rod hour at Sitka and Elfin Cove to 16 rod hours at Craig.

Pink salmon catch rates last week ranged from 31 rod hours per harvested pink salmon in Sitka to 225 rod hours at Juneau.

Ketchikan was the only port with harvested chum salmon encountered by our creel survey personnel, and had a catch rate of 297 rod hours.

The creel survey in Skagway wrapped up on Sunday, September 3, and the creel surveys in Elfin Cove, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Craig finished up on Sunday, September 10.  The remainder of the creel surveys will continue on until Sunday, September 24.



Region Wide Sport Fishing Report:



King Salmon Fishing



Juneau Terminal Harvest Area Special Regulations ended after August 31, 2006.

Juneau Freshwater Streams are also closed to king salmon fishing after August 31, 2006. For more information please click here.

Last week, there were no reported king salmon catches in our creel survey.  Last year the catch rate for this time of the year was at 588-rod hours and the five-year average was at 292-rod hours per fish.  This is to be expected for this time of year as catch rates are typically lower. In addition, with the saltwater fishing season coming to a close, most anglers are directing the last of their efforts at coho salmon and halibut which are more abundant.

Thanks to ADF&G for that report
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/weekly/jnu.cfm

[silversalmon]

Well everyone,
   The salmon season has come to an end for another year.  It was a great season though, as the Coho's were in early and thick. They were also much larger this year than last.  The Chinook run was smaller this year than in the past, but there was a decent amount of them.  What can we say about the sockeye?  Wow, were they messed up this year or what, someone forgot to give them there alarm clock this year and they did not show up on the Kenai for the second run until the Coho were in.  The Klutina on the other hand had a great run of them from the 2nd week in June until the last week in July.  The pinks, well, it was an odd year so we all knew they were going to be thick on the streams.  The chum had a great year with record numbers reported on some rivers,  and the rest they were very thick on.  On that note, good luck to all the "snow king" anglers as you are our only hope until the next salmon run continues.  Until then, keep an eye out for the trout/pike fishing reports.  May your lines stay tight this ice fishing season.................

[silversalmon]

http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/References/Tides/tides.html

Tide tables for AK 2007

[silversalmon]

2007 Weekly Harvest Rates
Week of April 7 - May 6
Region Wide:

The sport fish marine boat creel surveys are currently being conducted at the ports of Ketchikan, Craig/Klawock, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, and Yakutat.  The total weekly amount of fishing effort sampled by our creel survey crews last week at each port ranged from zero (Sitka-for the second week in a row) to very low (Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Craig/Klawock) to a decent amount of fishing effort (Yakutat, Juneau, and Wrangell).  Last week again poor boating weather remained a factor in keeping the marine boat fishing effort lower than normal for this time of year, especially on the outer coast.  Chinook salmon harvest rates ranged from 6 rod hours per fish in Yakutat to 68 rod hours in Juneau, and in all cases the harvest rates were poorer than the five-year averages.  Ketchikan only had a few boat trips sampled last week, and there was no harvested Chinook salmon encountered.  Chinook fishing will continue to improve as we head toward the traditional peak around the end of June.
Only two of the sampled ports had halibut harvested during targeted effort, and the harvest rates were 4 rod hours per fish for Yakutat and 12 rod hours per fish in Wrangell.  There were a few halibut harvested while anglers were trolling for salmon in Petersburg and Craig/Klawock; however, harvest rates are based on targeted effort.

There were no harvested coho, pink, or chum salmon species encountered by our creel personnel at the seven sampled ports last week.

The creel surveys in Haines, Gustavus, and Elfin Cove start up this week, and Skagway starts up May 21.  See the link above for ttached news release for specific dates of the ports' creel survey programs.

Juneau Area:

King salmon have moved into local waters and are being caught at the traditional fishing spots.  According to the second week of our creel survey, the Breadline was the most productive, followed by the Picnic Cove/Outer Point area. Last week, it took the average Juneau area marine boat angler 68-rod hours to land a king.  This was better than the previous week of 88-rod hours, but much worse than last year's time of 9-rod hours per king and the five-year average of 27-rod hours per fish.  King salmon fishing will improve in the coming weeks, and should peak the end of June.  Remember, anglers must have in possession a 2007 fishing license and a king salmon stamp.

The 2007 sport fishing regulations for king salmon in Southeast Alaska and Yakutat will be effective May 1 and are as follows:

Alaska residents: bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon 28" or greater in length; no annual limit
Nonresident: bag and possession limit of 2 king salmon 28" or greater in length in May and 1 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the remainder of the year; with an annual limit of 4 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the entire year.
The use of 2 rods per angler is allowed from October 2007 through March 2008.
The Department of Fish and Game reminds anglers that beginning April 23, 2007 marine boat anglers possessing sport caught king and coho salmon, lingcod or non-pelagic rockfish may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until the fish have been offloaded, unless they are preserved or have been consumed onboard.  Gutting and gilling is allowed.  Once you offload at port, you may head and/or fillet your catch.  This restriction allows our creel survey crew at the docks to check for coded-wire-tags and collect biological information.

Rod hours per harvested king salmon for the week April 30 – May 6, 2007

Port  2007
5-Yr Avg. (2002-2006)

Juneau
68
27

Ketchikan
-
33

Sitka
-
8




Rod hours per harvested halibut for the week April 30 – May 6, 2007

Port  2007
5-Yr Avg. (2002-2006)

Juneau
-
-

Ketchikan
-
17

Sitka
-
6

[silversalmon]

TRIP DATE:  5/20
REGION:  Southeast
WATER:  Taku Inlet/Gastineau Channel
SPECIES:  Kings

REPORT: Finally caught my first two kings for the season, first one came on the east side of Taku Inlet, second came 4 hours later near Dupont in Gastineau. Caught one in 100 ft the other in 45 ft of water, both kings (despite other setups being in the water) went for the green flasher with herring.

thanks to aoj for that report

[silversalmon]

2007 Weekly Harvest Rates
Week of May 14- 20
Region Wide:

Harvest rates for Chinook salmon last week ranged from 3 rod hours per fish in Sitka to 76 rod hours in Haines, and were better than the five-year averages at the ports of Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Haines, and Elfin Cove.  Chinook fishing will continue to improve as we head toward the traditional peak around the second half of June, and then will continue to be productive into early to mid-July as the hatchery Chinook salmon return to local waters around the region.

All sampled ports had harvested halibut encountered by our creel survey personnel, with harvest rates ranging from 1 rod hour per fish in Petersburg to 58 rod hours per fish in Ketchikan.  Sport anglers are investing their time in targeting bottomfish in Sitka, Gustavus, Elfin Cove, and Yakutat and reaping the rewards, while at the other ports most anglers are concentrating on Chinook salmon at this time of year.

One of our creel survey personnel in Sitka last week sampled the first coho salmon of the season for Southeast Alaska's creel sampled ports.  Typically the port of Sitka has the first showing of coho for the season, although the coho salmon return to local marine waters in the Sitka area doesn't start in earnest until early to mid-June.

There were no harvested pink or chum salmon species encountered by our creel personnel at the ten sampled ports last week. 

The creel survey in Skagway will start up today, May 21.


Juneau Area:

The king salmon are here, and several anglers took advantage of the nice weather to get out fishing.  Last week, it took the average Juneau area marine boat angler 64-rod hours to land a king.   The Breadline was the most productive area, followed by the Picnic Cove/Outer Point area.  Last year it took 34-rod hours per king and the five-year average is 37-rod hours per fish.  King salmon fishing will continue to improve in the coming weeks, and should peak around the end of June.  Remember, anglers must have in possession a 2007 fishing license and a king salmon stamp.

There were a few halibut seen last week, but they were brought in from outside the Juneau area.   Historically, we'll start seeing more halibut locally as we get into June.

The 2007 sport fishing regulations for king salmon in Southeast Alaska and Yakutat will be effective May 1 and are as follows:

Alaska residents: bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon 28" or greater in length; no annual limit
Nonresident: bag and possession limit of 2 king salmon 28" or greater in length in May and 1 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the remainder of the year; with an annual limit of 4 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the entire year.
The use of 2 rods per angler is allowed from October 2007 through March 2008.
The Department of Fish and Game reminds anglers that beginning April 23, 2007 marine boat anglers possessing sport caught king and coho salmon, lingcod or non-pelagic rockfish may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until the fish have been offloaded, unless they are preserved or have been consumed onboard.  Gutting and gilling is allowed.  Once you offload at port, you may head and/or fillet your catch.  This restriction allows our creel survey crew at the docks to check for coded-wire-tags and collect biological information.

thanks to ADF&G for that report

[silversalmon]

TRIP DATE:  5/31
REGION:  Southeast
WATER:  Gastineau Channel
SPECIES:  Kings

REPORT: Trolled Gastineau with a cut plug set up, caught one king, 26#. Looked like it was about the only one caught that night.

[silversalmon]

TRIP DATE:  5/28
REGION:  Southeast
WATER:  Juneau
SPECIES:  Kings/Halibut

REPORT: Fished Southern Lynn Canal, trolled for a few hours ,didn't see anything caught or on stringers. Fished for Halibut in Icy Straight, saw a few getting reeled in but didn't catch any. King fishing seems to have really slowed down in the area, cold water?? Two days left for the derby though.

[silversalmon]

2007 Weekly Harvest Rates
Week of June 11 - 17
Region Wide:

King salmon and halibut harvest rates remain excellent, and coho salmon are making a decent showing on the outer coast. 

King salmon harvest rates ranged from 4 rod hours per fish in Sitka and Elfin Cove to 25 rod hours in Skagway.  The ports of Craig, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, and Elfin Cove had harvest rates better than their recent five-year averages.

Halibut harvest rates were in the single digits in all ports last week, with rates ranging from 1 rod hour per harvested halibut in Craig to 9 rod hours in Petersburg.

Harvested pink salmon were encountered at three ports, with harvest rates ranging from 221 rod hours per harvested pink salmon in Elfin Cove to 313 rod hours in Sitka.

Harvest rates for chum salmon ranged from 22 rod hours per harvested fish in Gustavus to 265 rod hours in Ketchikan.

Juneau Area: Saltwater

Last week, it took the average Juneau area marine boat angler 17-rod hours to land a king. This was noticeably better than the prior week's 31 hours per fish.  Auke Bay was the most productive area.  Anglers also had luck with the Breadline, Taku Inlet, and South Douglas Island.  Last year it took 39-rod hours and the five-year average is 21-rod hours per fish.  The improvement in king salmon fishing in the Juneau area is due to the arrival of hatchery king salmon to the Juneau Terminal Harvest Area (THA).  King salmon fishing should continue to improve and peak around the end of June.  Remember, anglers must have in possession a 2007 fishing license and a king salmon stamp.

Halibut fishing was also better this past week, taking 6-rod hours to land a fish, compared to 8 hours the week prior.  All of the halibut observed by the creel census staff were caught in Icy Strait.  Last year it took 5-rod hours and the five-year average is 7-rod hours.

The 2007 sport fishing regulations for king salmon in Southeast Alaska and Yakutat will be effective May 1 and are as follows:

Alaska residents: bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon 28" or greater in length; no annual limit
Nonresident: bag and possession limit of 2 king salmon 28" or greater in length in May and 1 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the remainder of the year; with an annual limit of 4 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the entire year.
The use of 2 rods per angler is allowed from October 2007 through March 2008.
The Juneau THA Regulations:  King salmon fishing in the THA has been liberalized to provide additional opportunity to harvest hatchery king salmon.  The new regulations are effective in the Juneau THA from Friday, June 1 through Friday, August 31, 2007 (please check the saltwater and freshwater news releases for a map).

The daily bag and possession limit is four king salmon of any size;
King salmon harvested in these saltwater areas by nonresidents do not count towards their annual limit.
Anglers should not continue to fish outside the THA if they possess king salmon under 28" that were caught in the THA, or if they have a number of king salmon that exceeds the regional bag and possession limits.

The Department of Fish and Game reminds anglers that beginning April 23, 2007 marine boat anglers possessing sport caught king and coho salmon, lingcod or non-pelagic rockfish may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until the fish have been offloaded, unless they are preserved or have been consumed onboard.  Gutting and gilling is allowed.  Once you offload at port, you may head and/or fillet your catch.  This restriction allows our creel survey crew at the docks to check for coded-wire-tags and collect biological information.

Please consult your sport fishing regulation booklet for further specifics on regulations and fisheries in the Juneau area.  A complete list of news releases can be found on the web here or call the Division of Sport Fish at (907) 465-4270.

[silversalmon]

2007 Weekly Harvest Rates
Week of July 30 - August 5
Region Wide:

Halibut and coho salmon fishing continue to be excellent throughout the region, while the Chinook salmon fishing is slowing down at most ports.  Chum salmon are showing up in decent numbers in Ketchikan and Sitka, while pink salmon are being picked up in decent numbers at all sampled ports.

Harvest rates for Chinook salmon last week ranged from excellent to fair at the outer coast ports of Sitka (6 rod hours per harvested Chinook salmon), Elfin Cove (6 rod hours) and Craig (26 rod hours).  Inner coast ports had harvest rates ranging from 40 rod hours at Gustavus to 217 rod hours at Petersburg.  Harvest rates for Chinook salmon were better than or equal to the five-year averages at Wrangell, Sitka, Juneau, Gustavus and Elfin Cove.

Harvest of hatchery Chinook salmon returning to the numerous enhancement areas around the Southeast Alaska region has slowed down considerably during the last several weeks.  The liberalized sport fish harvest regulations for the Ketchikan, Petersburg (Wrangell Narrows-Blind Slough) and Haines/Skagway (Taiya Inlet) Terminal Harvest Areas (THA) were in effect through July 31, 2007, while the Juneau THA area continues with liberalized sport fish harvest regulations until August 31.  Please check here for more details on the specifics for each THA's opening timing and regulations

Halibut harvest rates ranged from 1 rod hour per fish in Craig to 7 rod hours in Wrangell.  The harvest rates were better than or equal to the five-year averages at all sampled ports except Wrangell and Sitka.

Harvest rates for coho salmon are nearing their peak levels at some ports, and all sampled ports except Juneau (at 12 rod hours per fish) were 4 rod hours or less.  Harvest rates ranged from 1 rod hour per fish in Craig and Sitka to 12 rod hours in Juneau.  The harvest rates were better than or equal to the five-year averages at all sampled ports except Juneau and Gustavus.

Harvested pink salmon were encountered at eight ports last week, with harvest rates ranging from 1 rod hour per harvested pink salmon in Ketchikan to 73 rod hours in Juneau.  The harvest rates were better than or equal to the five-year averages at all sampled ports except Juneau and Elfin Cove.

Harvested chum salmon were encountered at seven ports last week, with harvest rates ranging from 28 rod hours per harvested chum salmon in Ketchikan to 742 rod hours in Craig.  Ketchikan, Petersburg and Sitka all had harvest rates better than the five-year averages.

Juneau Area: Saltwater

The Juneau Golden North Salmon derby wrapped up on Sunday night, with an estimated total of 480 Chinook salmon harvested (13% above recent five-year average of 426 fish) and 2,527 coho salmon harvested (56% below the recent five-year average of 5,763 fish).  In terms of derby entered numbers only (i.e., excluding derby take-home fish), preliminary numbers show 331 Chinook salmon were entered (3% below the five-year average of 340 fish) and 1,779 coho salmon were entered (59% below the five-year average of 4,337 fish).  The winning fish was a 36.4 lb Chinook caught on the second day of the Derby.

The overall coho catch rate was at 12-rod hours per fish. Last year and the five-year average were both at 5-rod hours coho.

Last week, the Chinook catch rate was at 60-rod hours, worse than the prior week's 42-rod hours per fish but similar to last year's 56-rod hours per fish and the five-year average of 65-rod hours per fish.  Remember, anglers must have in possession a 2007 fishing license and a king salmon stamp.

A majority of anglers were targeting salmon this last week during the Derby; however, harvest rates for halibut remained great, taking an average of 4-rod hours per fish.  Last year during the same week it also took 4-rod hours to land a halibut, with a five-year average of 5-rod hours.

The 2007 regional sport fishing regulations for king salmon in Southeast Alaska and Yakutat became effective May 1st and are as follows:

Alaska residents: bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon 28" or greater in length; no annual limit
Nonresident: bag and possession limit of 2 king salmon 28" or greater in length in May and 1 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the remainder of the year; with an annual limit of 4 king salmon 28" or greater in length for the entire year.
The use of 2 rods per angler is allowed from October 2007 through March 2008.
The Juneau THA Regulations:  King salmon fishing in the THA has been liberalized to provide additional opportunity to harvest hatchery king salmon.  The new regulations are effective in the Juneau THA from Friday, June 1 through Friday, August 31, 2007 (please check the saltwater and freshwater news releases for a map).

The daily bag and possession limit is four king salmon of any size;
King salmon harvested in these saltwater areas by nonresidents do not count towards their annual limit.
Anglers should not continue to fish outside the THA if they possess king salmon under 28" that were caught in the THA, or if they have a number of king salmon that exceeds the regional bag and possession limits.

The Department of Fish and Game reminds anglers that beginning April 23, 2007 marine boat anglers possessing sport caught king and coho salmon, lingcod or non-pelagic rockfish may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until the fish have been offloaded, unless they are preserved or have been consumed onboard.  Gutting and gilling is allowed.  Once you offload at port, you may head and/or fillet your catch.  This restriction allows our creel survey crew at the docks to check for coded-wire-tags and collect biological information.

Please consult your sport fishing regulation booklet for further specifics on regulations and fisheries in the Juneau area.  A complete list of news releases can be found on the web here or call the Division of Sport Fish at (907) 465-4270.

[silversalmon]

Week of May 12-18, 2008


Regionwide:

Harvest rates for Chinook salmon last week ranged from 8 rod hours per fish in Wrangell to 148 rod hours in Ketchikan, and were better than the five-year averages only at the ports of Wrangell and Petersburg.  The closure of Chinook salmon sport fishing in Chilkat Inlet (see bottom paragraph) will most likely result in poor harvest rates for the Haines marine boat fishery this season, as was the case last week when no harvest was encountered by our creel technicians.  Anglers in Gustavus were predominantly targeting halibut last week, and our Gustavus creel technician encountered no harvested Chinook salmon.  Chinook fishing will continue to improve as we head toward the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, and then will continue to be productive into early to mid-July as the hatchery Chinook salmon return to locals waters around the region.

Seven of the sampled ports had harvested halibut encountered by our creel survey personnel, with harvest rates ranging from 3 rod hour per fish in Craig/Klawock to 34 rod hours per fish in Ketchikan.  The harvest rates were better than the five-year average at Craig/Klawock and Petersburg.  Anglers at Juneau and Wrangell are targeting almost 100% of their effort on Chinook salmon, thus last week no harvested halibut were encountered at these two ports.

There were no harvested coho, pink or chum salmon species encountered by our creel personnel at the sampled ports last week. 

The creel survey in Skagway will start up June 2.



Synopsis of the upcoming 2008 Southeast Alaska Salmon Derbies
(Unofficial listing of ports and dates)

The unofficial leader of the Juneau Spring King Derby (held during the month of May) as of Sunday, May 18, is a 32.95 lb fish.  Wrangell's salmon derby started up May 10 and runs through June 8, and the leading fish is a 41.2 lb fish.  The Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka salmon derbies all start up on the Memorial Day weekend.  Pelican's salmon derby occurs during June 6-8 and 13-15, while Juneau's Golden North Salmon derby will be during August 8-10.  Good luck to all anglers endeavoring to catch the winning fish in the 2008 SE Alaska sport fish salmon derbies.

Due to projected returns of Chilkat River Chinook salmon this year being below minimum escapement goals, the sport fishery for Chinook salmon in Chilkat Inlet has been closed until July 1, and the annual Haines King Salmon Derby has been canceled.



Juneau Area

According to the third week of our creel survey, king salmon are being harvested in the traditional fishing spots.  Last week, the hot spots were the Picnic Cove/Outer Point area followed by the Taku Inlet/Pt. Bishop area.  Last week, it took the average Juneau area marine boat angler 51-rod hours to harvest a king, better than the prior week.  Last year it took 62-rod hours and the five-year average was 43-rod hours per fish.  King salmon fishing will improve in the coming weeks, and should peak around the end of June when the king salmon are returning to the Terminal Harvest Area.  Remember, anglers must have in possession a 2008 fishing license and a king salmon stamp.

[silversalmon]

2008 Weekly Harvest Rates
Week of July 7-13, 2008
Regionwide

Coho salmon and halibut were the dominant sport fish being targeted and harvested in Southeast Alaska, while Chinook salmon fishing success is just beginning to slow down, and pink and chum salmon becoming more prevalent in anglers' harvest at certain ports.

Harvest rates for Chinook salmon last week ranged from 8 rod hours per fish in Sitka  to 35 rod hours in Skagway, and only Juneau and Gustavus had harvest rates that matched or were better than the recent five-year average.  The Chinook salmon fishery throughout the region will continue to be productive into mid-July, as the inner Southeast Alaska ports have hatchery fish returning to enhance local fisheries (e.g., as evident by the decent harvest rates for Juneau marine boat anglers in the Terminal Harvest Area during the last five weeks), while the outer coast ports will continue to have the benefit of access to a mixed-stock Chinook salmon fishery.

All sampled ports had harvested halibut encountered by our creel survey personnel, with harvest rates ranging from 2rod hours per fish in Craig/Klawock to 52 rod hours per fish in Yakutat.

Harvested coho salmon were encountered in all ports except for Petersburg and Wrangell, with harvest rates ranging from 5 rod hours per fish in Ketchikan and Elfin Cove to 51 rod hours per fish in Juneau.  Ketchikan is the only port where harvest rates for this time of year are only matching or better than the five-year average.

Pink salmon were harvested and encountered at six ports last week, with harvest rates ranging from 4 rod hours per fish in Ketchikan to 152 rod hours per fish in Craig/Klawock.

Harvested chum salmon were encountered by creel personnel at four ports last week, with harvest rates ranging from 6 rod hours in Juneau to 141 rod hours in Sitka.

[silversalmon]

Week of August 11-17, 2008

Regionwide

Coho salmon and halibut were the dominant sport fish being targeted and harvested in Southeast Alaska last week, while Chinook salmon fishing success continues to slow down.

Harvest rates for Chinook salmon last week at four ports ranged from 95 rod hours per fish in Juneau to 1097 rod hours in Ketchikan, while at the ports of Wrangell, Petersburg, Skagway, Gustavus, Elfin Cove and Yakutat no harvested Chinook salmon were encountered by our creel survey personnel. Juneau was the only sampled port that had a harvest rate that matched or were better than the recent five-year average. The implementation as of July 16th in the SE Alaska Chinook salmon sport fishery of nonresident anglers having a 48-inch minimum size limit for harvestable fish is the reason for the dramatically poorer harvest rates in certain ports, such as Sitka and Craig, where sport fishing effort and harvest is predominantly by nonresident anglers.

All sampled ports had harvested halibut encountered by our creel survey personnel, with harvest rates ranging from 1 rod hour per fish in Craig/Klawock to 11 rod hours per fish in Wrangell.

Harvested coho salmon were encountered in all sampled ports, with harvest rates ranging from 1 rod hour per fish in Craig and Gustavus to 8 rod hours in Juneau. Craig/Klawock and Gustavus had harvest rates for this time of year that were matching or better than the five-year average.

Pink salmon were harvested and encountered at all ports last week except Wrangell, with harvest rates ranging from 2 rod hours per fish in Ketchikan to 149 rod hours per fish in Yakutat.

Harvested chum salmon were encountered by creel personnel at fourive ports last week, with harvest rates ranging from 46 rod hours in Ketchikan to 2004 rod hours in Craig/Klawock