Area Sport Fishing Reports
Prince of Wales Island

June 3, 2025

After a cool and wet spring, summer has arrived on Prince of Wales with nicer weather for fishing trips. King salmon fishing has been good in early June near Craig and on the western outer coast with plenty of bottomfish such as halibut, lingcod and rockfish as well. Freshwater fishing for cutthroat, rainbow trout and Dolly Varden can be very productive in June as anglers wait for salmon to arrive. ADFG creel technicians are now present on the docks of Craig and Klawock asking anglers about their saltwater fishing effort and sampling their catch. Your cooperation is appreciated as they collect valuable data to manage Alaka's sport fisheries.

Check out the wefishak page on the ADF&G website for the gofishak interactive map to discover fishing locations and information on species run timing, fishing gear selections, and boat and angler access tips!

Guides and Business Owners: don’t forget to register for 2025! You can register online at the ADF&G Store. Southeast saltwater guides are required to use an eLogbook.

Chinook (King) Salmon

King salmon fishing is good on the west coast of Prince of Wales.

Chinook Salmon Regulations for 2025

• The resident daily bag limit is one fish over 28 inches;
• The nonresident daily bag limit is one fish with an annual harvest limit of one fish over 28 inches;
• Immediately upon landing and retaining a king salmon, a nonresident must enter the species, date, and location on their paper or electronic harvest record.

Eastside of Prince of Wales

Inside waters of Southeast Alaska, including Clarence Straight on the east side of Prince of Wales, closed to king salmon retention on April 1 and reopens June 15. The closure is a conservation measure to protect Alaska mainland king salmon stocks as they migrate to their spawning rivers.

Sockeye (red) Salmon

Sockeye salmon run timing occurs from June through August and varies by drainage. Some drainages such as Hatchery Creek have early runs of sockeye that start entering freshwater in June while other drainages have sockeye returning in August. Sockeye salmon producing drainages on POW include Hatchery, Luck, Ratz, Thorne and Karta.

Trout and Dolly Varden

Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and Dolly Varden are available in many of the freshwater drainages of POW. Trout and Dolly Varden are feeding on salmon fry, sculpin and aquatic insects. Fishing improves as water temperatures warm into the summer in both lakes and rivers. Productive drainages for trout include Luck, Klawock, and Sarkar lakes, the Thorne River, and Ratz Creek. Regulations regarding size limits, bag limits, and the use of bait can vary by waterbody, so please check the Southeast Alaska Sport Fish Regulation Summary.

Halibut

Halibut fishing is good.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing has been very good in the western waters of POW.

Rockfish

Rockfish can be caught year-round. There is a section on the Fish and Game website for identifying common rockfish of POW.

All sport fishing vessels are required to have at least one functional deepwater release device (regardless of species targeted), and anglers will be REQUIRED to use a deepwater release device to release rockfish to the depth it was hooked or to a depth of at least 100 feet. Please see the Southeast Alaska Sport Fish Regulation Summary or visit your local ADF&G office to see examples of rockfish release devices and learn about their use.

Demersal Shelf Rockfish

The retention of demersal shelf rockfish, including yelloweye is open for residents of Alaska with a daily bag limit of one and possession limit of two.

Demersal shelf rockfish, including yelloweye, will be open for nonresidents from July 1 through August 25 with an annual limit of one fish.

Demersal shelf rockfish are the following species: yelloweye, quillback, copper, canary, china, tiger, and rosethorn rockfish.

Slope Rockfish

Some slope rockfish are common in marine waters surrounding POW. The most common species are silvergrey and vermilion rockfish.

• Resident and nonresidents daily bag limit of one per day; one in possession

Pelagic Rockfish

Pelagic rockfish provide good fishing in the marine waters surrounding POW.

• Season: year-round
• Three per day; six in possession

For additional information regarding rockfish identification and management, please refer to the rockfish conservation page.

Regulation summaries and copies of the news releases are available at the Craig ADF&G office.

For further information, please contact the Prince of Wales Area Management Biologist: Craig Schwanke (907) 826-2498.