Fish Report
It took an average of 103 hours to land a keeper king salmon in the Juneau area during the most recent survey.
This is somewhat less than five-year average of 128 hours. Last year it took 163 hours to land a keeper. The few kings that are being harvested are mostly coming from the backside of Douglas Island and North Pass, although the Golden North Salmon Derby winner came from south of town.
The local coho salmon run continues to be strong. Last week it took anglers four hours to land a silver salmon. This compares with five hours last year, and the five-year average, which is six hours. While coho are just about everywhere, hot spots continue to be Handtroller's Cove and Outer Point.
While most people were fishing in the derby, those who went halibut fishing did quite well. It took an average of five hours to land the flatfish, while the five-year average is seven hours. Last year, the average angler fished for 11 hours before landing a halibut. The halibut hot spots continue to be in Icy Strait and around Vanderbilt Reef.
The Juneau area personal use red king crab fishery closed Friday. Fishermen are reminded that summer permits must be returned by Oct. 15, even if no crab were harvested. Fishermen who do not return their permits will not be eligible to receive future personal-use king crab permits.
Consult your sport fishing regulation booklet for further specifics on roadside regulations and fisheries in the Juneau area. For further information, call the Division of Sport Fish at 465-4270.