SOUTHEAST

November 29, 2010
Winter 2010-2011 fishing opportunities
Char and Trout

Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout spend the winter in deeper waters, such as the Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers and Chilkat, Mosquito, and Chilkoot Lakes.Anglers should be aware of that the use of bait is prohibited when fishing in Chilkat Lake, Mosquito Lake, or in their inlet and outlet streams. Use the fish regulation link below for details.

Ice-free streams, such as Pullen Creek and Skagway River channels, can be good for Dolly Varden fishing on warmer days.
King salmon

Wild and hatchery-released king salmon rear mainly in inside salt waters of northern Southeast Alaska. Winter trolling in Chilkoot Inlet near the Haines small boat harbor can be productive.

2010 king salmon regulations remain in effect through mid-April 2011:

•Resident anglers may use two rods to troll for king salmon now through March 31, 2011.
•Resident anglers may keep two king salmon 28 inches or more in length per day and in possession, with no annual limit;
•Non-Alaska resident anglers may keep one king salmon 28 inches or more in length per day and in possession, with an annual limit of three king salmon.
Summary of 2010 salmon runs in the Haines/Skagway area
King salmon

The preliminary result of ADF&G's 2010 Chilkat River king salmon tagging study is that the inriver run was weak, but it achieved the lower end of the goal range (1,850 to 3,600 large fish).

The king salmon run in Pullen Creek was smaller than expected, so less than half of the broodstock goal (50 male-female pairs) was collected in 2010.
Coho salmon

Foot surveys of Chilkat River coho salmon spawning areas showed a very good escapement (89,000 fish) which is above the goal range of 35,000 to 70,000 fish. Anglers enjoyed good catch rates (3 rod-hrs/fish) on the last 3 weekends in October.

Angler success in Chilkoot River and Lake was low. It took more than 15 rod-hrs to catch a coho on all weekends in October.
Sockeye salmon

A total of 71,659 sockeye salmon were counted through the Chilkoot River weir, which is near the upper end of the 38,000 to 76,000 fish escapement goal range.

The Chilkat Lake weir sockeye salmon count of 61,906 fish fell short of the escapement goal (70,000 to 150,000 fish).

The Chilkat River mainstem sockeye salmon run was good, based on fish wheel counts and spawning area surveys.
Pink salmon

The Chilkoot River weir count of 30,830 pink salmon was 79% of the long-term average for that project.

The Chilkat River fish wheels counted 1,967 pink salmon, which was 51% of the long-term average, and only 26% of the high counts in 2009.