Area Sport Fishing Reports
Haines/Skagway
May through July Season
Mid-May through late June is the season for king salmon sport trolling in the Haines area. Due to low ocean productivity, Chilkat River king salmon runs have been weak in since 2011. King salmon bag and possession limits may be adjusted in the Haines and Skagway area to assure adequate numbers of king salmon reach the spawning grounds in the Chilkat River.
In Skagway, about 200,000 king salmon smolts were released in Pullen Pond in 2015. These fish will grow in the ocean and return to the Skagway and Haines area as legal size kings in years 2017 through 2019.
ADF&G creel surveyors will contact salt water anglers returning to Haines harbors in May and June, and Skagway anglers in June through August. The creel survey program collects important data about king salmon harvested in the area: wild and hatchery stock composition, age and maturity, angler effort, and average catch rates.
Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout move out of the lakes where they spent the winter and into clear water tributaries of glacial rivers. Bait is not allowed when fishing in Chilkat Lake and Mosquito Lake. Use the regulation link on the left for details on where and when bait use is restricted. Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout can be caught from salt water shorelines in the Haines and Skagway area in the summer.
Sport fishing for shrimp is open in the Haines and Skagway area. Non-Alaska resident anglers should read the regulation summary booklet for the bag & possession limits, and all shrimpers should review the pot configuration details in the regulation book.
The Southeast Alaska red and blue king crab personal use fishery, allowed for Alaska residents only, is open July 1 through March 31. In the Haines/Skagway area, the bag and possession limit is 1 legal size male crab. For the most current information, please refer to the ADF&G Commercial Fish Division’s king crab personal use news release.
Steelhead are rare in the Haines and Skagway Area. If you happen to catch one, remember that steelhead must be at least 36 inches in length to be harvested. There is a 1 fish daily bag limit and 2 fish annual harvest limit per angler. Steelhead anglers must record their harvest on the back of their fishing license.
Yukon Resident sport fishing license fee: Residents of Yukon, Canada may purchase a Class 11, Yukon annual sport fishing license and king salmon stamp for the same cost that Alaska residents pay. Yukon residents are considered non-Alaska residents and they must comply with all regulations pertaining to non-residents. The Class 11 license is available from any license vendor, and also from the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau ADF&G offices, but this license can not be purchased online. If you have any questions, please call the ADF&G licensing office at 907-465-2376 or e-mail adfg.license@alaska.gov.
Fishing Guide Registration and Logbooks: All sport fishing guides and businesses must register with ADF&G. This can be done online or at the ADF&G office in Haines, where guides can also pick up the required logbook.
For a detailed summary of fishing sites in the Haines and Skagway area, links on the Fishing Information tab.