Ketchikan Fishing Report: September 15 - September 21, 2008

October 1, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Ketchikan 

Report from Alaska Fish and Game 

  • Ketchikan Fishing Report
    September 15 - September 21, 2008

  • Chinook Salmon

  • Anglers averaged one king salmon for every 354 hours fished. Last year it took 242 rod hours per king with a five-year average of 174 hours per fish.  The Herring Cove Terminal Harvest Area closed on July 31, 2008.
                                                                                   
    Thomas Basin remains open all year with the boundary between Ketchikan Creek and Thomas Basin established at the upstream side of the Stedman Street Bridge. Only single hooks and no snagging is allowed within Thomas Basin.
  • Ketchikan Creek opened to sport fishing for all species, including king salmon, effective 12:01 a.m. August 23, 2008 through 11:59 p.m. December 31, 2008.  The daily bag and possession limit for king salmon in Ketchikan Creek is four king salmon of any size. The daily bag and possession limit for all other salmon 16 inches or greater in length is two per day in aggregate, and two in possession.  Fishing gear permitted in Ketchikan Creek is single hook, unbaited, artificial lures only.
    The Alaska Board of Fisheries granted the department emergency order authority to increase sport fish bag and possession limits when hatchery produced fish escape through existing fisheries to designated harvest areas in numbers that exceed brood stock needs or any natural spawning requirements.
    Ketchikan Creek will remain open from January 1, 2009 through May 15, 2009 by regulation for all species except king salmon. The bag limit for all other salmon (in combination) will remain at two fish per day and in possession, 16 inches or greater in length.
  • Anyone needing additional information on this subject should call the Ketchikan ADF&G, Division of Sport Fish office at 225-2859 or visit the southeast emergency orders and news release page.
  • For more information on fishing for salmon see the Ketchikan Sport Fishing Guide
  • The king salmon bag and possession limits for sport anglers fishing in the marine waters of Southeast Alaska are as follows:
  • The resident bag and possession limit for king salmon is 1 fish 28 inches or greater in length.
  • The nonresident bag and possession limit is:
    • May 1 through July 15, one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length;
    • July 16 through September 30, one king salmon 48 inches or greater in length;
    • October 1 through December 31, one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length.
  • Nonresident harvest limit:
    • From January 1 through June 30, a nonresident’s harvest limit is three king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
    • From July 1 through July 15, a nonresident’s harvest limit is two king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through June 30 will apply toward the two fish harvest limit;
    • From July 16 through September 30, a nonresident’s harvest limit is one king salmon, 48 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through July 15 will apply toward the one fish harvest limit;
    • From October 1 through December 31, a nonresident’s harvest limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through September 30 will apply toward the one fish harvest limit;
    • Nonresident anglers must record all king salmon harvested, immediately, in ink, either on the back of their sport fishing license, or on a nontransferable harvest record immediately.
  • The maximum number of lines that may be fished from a charter vessel engaged in sport fishing charter activities is six lines or equal to the number of clients onboard the vessel, whichever is less.
  • These regulations are based on the 2008 preseason abundance index of 1.07 (very low) as determined by the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Chinook Technical Committee.
  • For more information about the sport fisheries in Southeast Alaska, contact the nearest Southeast Alaska ADF&G office.

  • Filleting and De-heading of Lingcod, King and Coho Salmon and Non-pelagic Rockfish is Prohibited Again this Season in the Ketchikan Marine Boat Sport Fisheries

  • Marine boat anglers returning to any port connected to the Ketchikan road system from April 28 through September 28 are prohibited from filleting, mutilating, or heading sport caught king salmon, coho salmon, and lingcod until the fish have been brought to shore and offloaded, unless the fish have been consumed or preserved onboard. Anglers are allowed to gut and gill these fish before returning to port. For the purposes of this regulation, anglers are allowed to fillet and head fish on their boats once they are tied up at a docking facility.
  • The purpose of this restriction is to maximize fishery information available through our angler interview program. The department conducts on-site creel sampling during the fishing season at Ketchikan ports in order to estimate the amount of sport fishing effort, harvest, and contribution of hatchery fish and several important local wild stocks of king salmon to our local sport fisheries.
  • For more information on filleting and de-heading regulations please see this news release.

  • Halibut

  • Anglers averaged one halibut for every 5 hours fished. Last year anglers averaged 6 rod hours per halibut with a five-year average of 5-rod hours per fish. 
  • For more information on halibut fishing in the Ketchikan area visit the Ketchikan Sport Fishing Guide.

  • Coho Salmon

  • Anglers averaged one coho for every 5 hours fished. Last year anglers averaged 3 rod hours per coho with a five-year average of 2 rod hours per fish. 

  • Pink Salmon

  • Anglers averaged one pink for every 472 hours fished. Last year anglers averaged 1449 rod hours per pink with a five-year average of 515 rod hours per fish. 
  • For more information on fishing for salmon in the Ketchikan area visit the Ketchikan Sport Fishing Guide.

  • Lingcod Open

  • Fishing for lingcod in the Ketchikan area was opened May 16 and will remain open through November 30th. During this period, the bag and possession limits will be one lingcod per day and two in possession, with no size limit for all non-guided resident anglers. For lingcod harvested by guided and nonresident anglers, a 30-inch minimum and 40-inch maximum size limit will be in effect. The Nonresident lingcod annual limit will be one fish. Nonresident anglers fishing are reminded that upon landing and retaining a lingcod they must enter the date and location of catch, in ink, on the back of their sport fishing license or harvest record reporting form before continuing to fish. Additionally, guided and nonresident anglers may land lingcod only by hand or with a landing net. Lingcod regulations can be found on page 11 of the 2008 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulation Summary.
  • For more information on lingcod regulations visit emergency orders and news releases.

  • Rockfish

  • The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today the sport fishing bag and possession limits, and the mandatory retention of non-pelagic rockfish. Nonresident angler annual limits of yelloweye rockfish have also been established for the 2008 season. The following regulations become effective 12:01 A.M. May 1, 2008.
  • All non-pelagic rockfish caught must be retained until the bag limit is reached.
  • The resident bag limit is three non-pelagic rockfish only one of which may be a yelloweye; possession limit of six fish, two of which may be yelloweye.
  • The nonresident bag limit is two non-pelagic rockfish only one of which may be a yelloweye; possession limit of four fish, two of which may be yelloweye; with an annual limit of two yelloweye rockfish. Nonresident anglers must record all yelloweye rockfish harvested, in ink, either on the back of their sport fishing license, or on a nontransferable harvest record immediately.
  • Charter operators and crew members may not retain non-pelagic rockfish while clients are on board the vessel.
  • These regulations apply in all marine waters of Southeast Alaska as a means to reduce total mortality, keep regulations consistent to avoid angler confusion, and improve enforcement.
  • For further information on rockfish regulations visit emergency orders and news releases.

  • Dolly Varden

  • Dolly Varden fishing along the roadside/shoreline should continue to improve as water temperatures warm and Dolly Varden migrate from overwintering lakes. Lake outlets and streams that connect to the salt water are prime places to harvest these fish in the spring.
  • For more information on fishing for Dolly Varden in the Ketchikan area visit the Ketchikan Sport Fishing Guide.

  • Trout

  • For more information on fishing for steelhead and trout in the Ketchikan area visit the: Ketchikan Sport Fishing Guide.

  • General

  • All anglers are responsible for knowing the current regulations for the area that they will be fishing. Regulation handbooks and copies of the most current regulatory changes are available at the Ketchikan ADF&G office and on this web site. For further information contact Kelly Piazza, Ketchikan Assistant Area Management Biologist, at (907)225-2859. For more information on sport fishing in the Ketchikan area, please visit the Southeast Alaska Sport Fish webpage.

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Ketchikan Fishing Report - July 28 - August 3, 2008

August 10, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Ketchikan 

Report from Alaska Fish and Game

Chinook Salmon

Anglers last week averaged 628 hours per king salmon. Last year it took 128 rod hours per king with a five-year average of 47 hours per fish. The Herring Cove Terminal Harvest Area closed on July 31, 2008.

Thomas Basin remains open all year with the boundary between Ketchikan Creek and Thomas Basin established at the upstream side of the Stedman Street Bridge. Only single hooks and no snagging is allowed within Thomas Basin.

For more information on fishing for salmon see the Ketchikan area fishing guide.

King Salmon Bag Limits

The king salmon bag and possession limits for sport anglers fishing in the marine waters of Southeast Alaska are as follows:

  • The resident bag and possession limit for king salmon is 1 fish 28 inches or greater in length.
  • The nonresident bag and possession limit is:
    • May 1 through July 15, one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length;
    • July 16 through September 30, one king salmon 48 inches or greater in length;
    • October 1 through December 31, one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length.
  • Nonresident harvest limit:
    • From January 1 through June 30, a nonresident’s harvest limit is three king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
    • From July 1 through July 15, a nonresident’s harvest limit is two king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through June 30 will apply toward the two fish harvest limit;
    • From July 16 through September 30, a nonresident’s harvest limit is one king salmon, 48 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through July 15 will apply toward the one fish harvest limit;
    • From October 1 through December 31, a nonresident’s harvest limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through September 30 will apply toward the one fish harvest limit;
    • Nonresident anglers must record all king salmon harvested, immediately, in ink, either on the back of their sport fishing license, or on a nontransferable harvest record immediately.
  • The maximum number of lines that may be fished from a charter vessel engaged in sport fishing charter activities is six lines or equal to the number of clients onboard the vessel, whichever is less.

These regulations are based on the 2008 preseason abundance index of 1.07 (very low) as determined by the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Chinook Technical Committee.

For more information about the sport fisheries in Southeast Alaska, contact the nearest Southeast Alaska ADF&G office.

Filleting and De-heading of Lingcod, King and Coho Salmon and Non-pelagic Rockfish is Prohibited Again this Season in the Ketchikan Marine Boat Sport Fisheries

Marine boat anglers returning to any port connected to the Ketchikan road system from April 28 through September 28 are prohibited from filleting, mutilating, or heading sport caught king salmon, coho salmon, and lingcod until the fish have been brought to shore and offloaded, unless the fish have been consumed or preserved onboard.  Anglers are allowed to gut and gill these fish before returning to port. For the purposes of this regulation, anglers are allowed to fillet and head fish on their boats once they are tied up at a docking facility.

The purpose of this restriction is to maximize fishery information available through our angler interview program. The department conducts on-site creel sampling during the fishing season at Ketchikan ports in order to estimate the amount of sport fishing effort, harvest, and contribution of hatchery fish and several important local wild stocks of king salmon to our local sport fisheries.

For more information on filleting and de-heading regulations visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/eonr/nr.cfm?id=782

Halibut

Anglers averaged one halibut for every 5 hours fished. Last year anglers averaged 5 rod hours per halibut with a five-year average of 5-rod hours per fish.

For more information on halibut fishing in the Ketchikan area visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/ktn_guide/pdfs/ktn1-20.pdf

Coho Salmon

Anglers averaged one coho for every 5 hours fished. Last year anglers averaged 4 rod hours per coho with a five-year average of 4 rod hours per fish.

For more information on fishing for salmon in the Ketchikan area visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/ktn_guide/pdfs/ktn1-20.pdf

Lingcod Open

Fishing for lingcod in the Ketchikan area was opened May 16 and will remain open through November 30th. During this period, the bag and possession limits will be one lingcod per day and two in possession, with no size limit for all non-guided resident anglers. For lingcod harvested by guided and nonresident anglers, a 30-inch minimum and 40-inch maximum size limit will be in effect. The Nonresident lingcod annual limit will be one fish. Nonresident anglers fishing are reminded that upon landing and retaining a lingcod they must enter the date and location of catch, in ink, on the back of their sport fishing license or harvest record reporting form before continuing to fish. Additionally, guided and nonresident anglers may land lingcod only by hand or with a landing net. Lingcod regulations can be found on page 11 of the 2008 Southeast Alaska Sport Fishing Regulation Summary.

For more information on lingcod regulations visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/eonr/index.cfm

Rockfish

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today the sport fishing bag and possession limits, and the mandatory retention of non-pelagic rockfish. Nonresident angler annual limits of yelloweye rockfish have also been established for the 2008 season. The following regulations become effective 12:01 A.M. May 1, 2008.

  • All non-pelagic rockfish caught must be retained until the bag limit is reached.
  • The resident bag limit is three non-pelagic rockfish only one of which may be a yelloweye; possession limit of six fish, two of which may be yelloweye.
  • The nonresident bag limit is two non-pelagic rockfish only one of which may be a yelloweye; possession limit of four fish, two of which may be yelloweye; with an annual limit of two yelloweye rockfish. Nonresident anglers must record all yelloweye rockfish harvested, in ink, either on the back of their sport fishing license, or on a nontransferable harvest record immediately.
  • Charter operators and crew members may not retain non-pelagic rockfish while clients are on board the vessel.

These regulations apply in all marine waters of Southeast Alaska as a means to reduce total mortality, keep regulations consistent to avoid angler confusion, and improve enforcement.

For further information on rockfish regulations visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/eonr/index.cfm
 

Dolly Varden

Dolly Varden fishing along the roadside/shoreline should continue to improve as water temperatures warm and Dolly Varden migrate from overwintering lakes. Lake outlets and streams that connect to the salt water are prime places to harvest these fish in the spring.

For more information on fishing for Dolly Varden in the Ketchikan area visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/ktn_guide/pdfs/ktn1-20.pdf

Trout

For more information on fishing for steelhead and trout in the Ketchikan area visit:
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/ktn_guide/pdfs/ktn1-20.pdf

General

All anglers are responsible for knowing the current regulations for the area that they will be fishing. Regulation handbooks and copies of the most current regulatory changes are available at the Ketchikan ADF&G office and on this web site. For further information contact Kelly Piazza, Ketchikan Assistant Area Management Biologist, at (907)225-2859.
For more information on sport fishing in the Ketchikan area, please visit: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region1/SF_R1home.cfm.

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