Fish report
Anglers took an average of 52 hours to land a keeper king salmon in the Juneau area during the most recent creel survey, considerably less than five-year average of 121 hours. Last year it took 103 hours to land a keeper. The king salmon being caught are mostly coming from the back side of Douglas Island, South Shelter Island and North Pass. Last week, the number of king salmon entered in the Juneau derby was the highest since 1996.
The local coho salmon run continues to be strong. Last week it took anglers six hours to land a silver salmon. This compares with four hours last year, and the five-year average, which is five hours. Coho are abundant and the favorite spots to fish for them are Handtrollers Cove, North Pass, Outer Point and the back side of Douglas Island.
While most people were fishing in the derby, those who went halibut fishing did quite well. It took an average of six hours to land the flatfish, while the five-year average is seven hours. Last year, the average angler fished for five hours before landing a halibut. Popular areas for halibut include Poundstone Rock, Vanderbilt Reef and Icy Strait.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Sport Fish Division increased bag and possession limits for pink salmon in the Southeast Alaska sport fishery. The new region-wide bag and possession limits are 12 pink salmon per day and 24 in possession. These limits will remain in effect through Oct. 31.
Provided by Bruce White, Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Division of Sport Fish.