Alaska 2013-2014 Fishing Regulations for Non-Residents

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Fred Cooper

The saltwater and freshwater fishing regulations for 2013 – 2014 have been published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The summary below sorts out what applies to non-residents who are unguided, sport fishermen for the northern and southern Southeast Alaska region.

Fresh water anglers and guided (charter) folks should consult the complete regulation which is available online at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishregulations.se_sportfish.

There are some new regulations this year:

  • While charter boats must have a deep water release mechanism for non-pelagic rockfish release, resident and non-resident unguided anglers do not.
  • Footgear with absorbent felt or fibrous material on the soles are prohibited while sport fishing in fresh waters.
  • Non-residents are limited to 4 crab pots or 10 crab rings per person and no more than 10 crab pots or 20 crab rings per vessel. Residents can use 5 crab pots and no more than 10 per vessel.
  • In Chatham Strait and Lower Lynn Canal there is an annual limit for non-residents on Sable Fish (Black Cod) of 8 fish per year.

The General Regulations summary by species for non-resident saltwater sport fishing include:

  • Coho (Silver), Chum (Dog), Pink (Humpy) and Sockeye Salmon 16 inches or longer – 6 each species per day and 12 of each species in possession
  • Coho, Chum, Pink and Sockeye (in combination) under 16 inches – 6 per day and 12 in possession
  • Sable Fish (Black Cod)(other than special area noted above) – 4 daily, 4 in possession
  • Ling Cod (Northern SE Alaska) – 1 daily, 1 in possession 30-35 inches or 55 inches and longer with an annual limit of 2 fish, one in each size range
  • Ling Cod (Southern SE Alaska) – 1 daily, 1 in possession 30-45 inches or 55 inches and longer with an annual limit of 2 fish, one in each size range
  • Halibut – 2 per day (no size limit), 4 in possession
  • Non-Pelagic Rockfish (SE Inside Waters) – no size limit, 2 daily with only 1 being a Yelloweye, 4 in possession with only 2 being a Yelloweye. annual limit of 2 Yelloweye
  • Dungeness Crab – 3 male crabs daily and in possession, 6 ½ inches minimum

I will devote a separate blog to shellfish harvesting as there are some special pot requirements and buoy marking. Keep in mind, a valid Alaska sport fishing license is required for taking crab and shrimp.

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Photo of the Week – Bella Bella Light

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Andrew Cooper
Bella Bella Lighthouse

The small lighthouse found at the entrance to the harbor at Bella Bella

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Off the Wall Silvers

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Fred Cooper

A cooler full of salmon, photo by Darcy Lynn

A cooler full of salmon, photo by Darcy Lynn

Years ago I used to fish every summer out of Clover Pass north of Ketchikan for silvers. My buddies and I would rent skiffs from the Knudson Cove Marina (at the time owned by Dick Miller one of my high school buddies) and on calm days we would scoot across to Camano Point. But when the southerly winds were blowing we had to troll around Point Higgins or from Pup Island up to Tatoosh Rocks. These have always been popular spots and on weekends there can be 30-50 boats fishing this area of Clover Pass. One year I decided to take a skiff out by myself one more time before calling it quits for the season. Rigged with a diver and full herring, I trolled north along the west side of Betton Island and off the second point got a strike from a nice 12 pound silver. After netting the fish I decided to do a quick turn and come through the same spot again. I had another strike and another nice silver in the boat. Will it work again? I brought the skiff around and trolled through the same spot a third time and took another silver. In all, I made six passes and took my limit of six silvers and was back at the dock cleaning my catch within an hour. I’ve never forgotten that incredible morning.

Last year, I had been fishing halibut near Kake and heard that there was a great silver run in the Ketchikan area. I was scheduled to be down there within the week and was curious whether my luck would repeat itself. My oldest son Andrew was with me and I showed him how we should fish it. We wanted to be just outside an underwater wall with the depth finder showing 135-140 feet. He put us in the right place and in minutes we had a double hit and landed two 15 pound silvers. Andrew circled around and came through the same location and we hit two more. We kept working the same spot and landed five more over the next hour. I definitely had a sweet spot and did it produce!

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Photo of the Week – Wreck

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Andrew Cooper
Wreck

A wrecked fishing boat at Wrangell

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Riders of the Tides Now Available

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Fred Cooper

frontcover-web1Last July I published on my Stories page an announcement about the coming release of my novel, Riders of the Tides. I guess I should have updated this page last month as the novel had an official release date in February. It is now available from several online retailers, including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both ebook formats and paperback. A new synopsis has been posted to the Stories page.

I’ve had some great feedback from people who have read it. To them, a big thank you. Glad to know I have a few fans. As I was waiting for the publisher to make it available I was struck with the notion that there should be a sequel. So there will be. A second Earl Armstrong novel is now in the works and I will try to have it out around the end of this year. It took me over five years to complete Riders of the Tides with the last two years being pretty intensive rewrites and working with the publisher. I am trying to shorten the process on the second book. Again the setting will be the Washington coast and Earl Armstrong gets into some real complex messes. Of course one of them is due to a long dead relative. I am really excited about this novel and have to say that writing it is great fun. The work will start after the editor gets a hold of it.

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Rigging for Halibut

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Fred Cooper

When fishing for halibut, whether you are fishing for a trophy or just for food, everyone has their special technique. Some halibut fisherman swear by jigs, others adamantly say the only way to hook them is with circle hooks. I prefer a wire spreader bar, a couple of ounces of lead ball on the short end and on the long end, a double hook leader using octopus hooks, one fixed and one that slides. The last couple of years, I’ve made my own mostly with wire leader material and have pretty much settled on a combination of 8/0 and 9/0 Gamakatsu octopus J hooks. I put a couples of beads above the lower hook so the upper one can swing freely.

What one uses for bait and how you bait up is the key to attraction and hook ups. For many years I have preferred a combination of a large herring and a piece of salmon belly. We carefully trim and save the belly fin section every time we are filleting and freeze them up in ziplock freezer bags.

We place the hooks at each end of the salmon belly and then add the herring (the largest you can buy). Then we take a foot or so of stretchy (or sticky) thread and wrap the whole package between the hooks. Be sure your hooks are facing outward and are sharp. The advantage of the stretchy thread is that your bait retains its shape and doesn’t get torn apart as quickly by other bottom fish. If you want to apply a scent, fine, but the herring seems to do just as well in this department and halibut “love” fresh salmon.

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Photo of the Week – Petroglyph

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Andrew Cooper
Petroglyph

A petroglyph, possibly a heron or crane, at Wrangell Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park

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Halibut Hot Spots near Juneau

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Fred Cooper

Well it’s been some time since I published a blog about where to fish for halibut in the Juneau area. Now there are some favorites close in that are popular with the locals but I’m usually moving and prefer to get away from spots that tend to be heavily fished. Halibut can be found just about everywhere around Admiralty Island, along Chatham Strait and at the west end of Icy Strait. The trick is to figure out where they might be more concentrated during the spring, summer and fall. Halibut are ferocious predators and the big ones migrate. They will feed on most anything but they love pink salmon and during the run look for probable spots off bays with good pink runs. I’ve caught halibut that were following a school of grey cod. And of course, rocky mounds that are the haunts of octopus and rock bass can be good producers.

Smaller halibut like to stay away from the big ones and thus there are many places where you can limit out quickly on 15-20 pounders. In the Ketchikan area, Vallenar Bay on the west side of Gravina Island is what I call a chicken farm. Off Chatham Strait, there is a flat in Iyoukeen Cove north of Freshwater Bay that is a good producer of small halibut. The same goes for the flat off of Pybus Bay near West Brother island and Mud Bay west of Point Adolphus in Icy Strait. My all time favorite is a small flat just off the east side of Drake Island in Glacier Bay. The 20 fathom contour is shaped like a chicken, no kidding.

Along Chatham Strait I’ve tried lots of the 20 fathom benches with good success. One morning just after turning south from Stephens Passage I pulled up along the west side of Lynn Canal just south of Howard Bay, drifted in the 20 fathom zone and had halibut dinner for everyone aboard in fifteen minutes. The same depth at the entrance to Hawk Inlet can be good. Once I did a drift just inside False Bay and hooked a couple of really big gals.

Everyone has their technique for catching halibut. I’ll post mine here in a few weeks.

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Photo of the Week – Petroglyph

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Andrew Cooper
Petroglyph

A petroglyph at Wrangell Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park

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Fifer Cove

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Andrew Cooper

Laredo Inlet is a beautiful place to explore. It is a bit off the usual north-south cruising route, accessed by the scenic Meyers Passage. Wildlife viewing, fishing, and great scenery, the area offers enough for a few days of exploration.

If one is to spend a few days, then a couple good anchorages are needed, and there are a few to choose from… Bay of Plenty, Fifer Cove and Alston Cove are all good choices.

The entrance is graced with a pretty set of islands, a few more than shown on the chart. A large stream enters the cove at the southeastern corner. An excellent place to explore by kayak or go up the stream looking for bears.

Entry is accomplished along the southern shore, proceeding to the rear of the cove where you can anchor at your preferred depth, anything from 100′ and shallower. There is plenty of room for several vessels.


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