Prince William Sound & Copper River Delta Alaska Salmon, Halibut & Trout Weekly Fishing Forecast and Report by Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game

Permits are mandatory for all noncommercial shrimp fishermen. Permits are available at local Fish and Game offices and at select vendors.
Lingcod season is closed until July 1 to protect nest-guarding males.
Cutthroat and Rainbow/Steelhead trout fishing is closed until June 15th.

Cutthroat and rainbow/steelhead trout fishing is closed until June 15 to protect spawning adults.
Dolly Varden are present in many of the streams throughout Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta. Use fry/smolt imitation flies or small spinners at lake outlets or stream confluences.
Hooligan dipping in Alaganik Slough is very good right now. Look for the birds to find the fish.

Lingcod season remains closed to protect nest guarding males.
Strawberry Channel, Hinchinbrook Entrance and Montague Strait remain good locations for your best bet for a fresh halibut dinner this week.
Rockfish angling is quite productive with herring jigs and bait near herring spawning sites. Remember to move once you catch your limit.
AND REMEMBER if you are targeting multiple species, target rockfish last, and use a deepwater release mechanism on all released rockfish (these devices can turn the chance of survival for a rockfish from near zero to near 100%!)
What’s deepwater release? http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation

King salmon returns to Flemming Spit in Cordova, the Old Town site in Valdez and Cove Creek in Whittier should start showing up any day now. Fish on the front of the flood tide.
Try a slow retrieve when spin fishing for king salmon, or suspend a small herring under a bobber.
Anglers in Whittier and Valdez should try to troll for king salmon while you are soaking your shrimp pots.
The presences of killer whales or porpoises will drive salmon to the bottom and make them more difficult to catch.

Don't forget your shrimp permit - everyone needs one.
Report all suspected shrimp pot theft to your local fish and game office or a state trooper.
Remember to weight down your trap so that the current won't sweep it away into deeper water.

Area webpage: HYPERLINK "http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/AREAS/PWS/AHPR2PWS.cfm" http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/AREAS/PWS/AHPR2PWS.cfm
Rockfish identification pages: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/regulations/2001/html/pdfs/01scrockfish10pdf.pdf
Salmon and trout identification pages: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/regulations/2001/html/pdfs/01ayksalmonid.pdf
Sonar estimates/weir counts: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/Escapement/HTML/query.cfm
River levels: http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ahps.cgi?pacr
Southcentral informational handouts: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pubs.cfm
Safety in bear country: http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/hunt_trap/hunting/huntak/huntak14.cfm
Enforcement: http://www.dps.state.ak.us/fwp/index.asp
Regulations: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/reghome.cfm
Northern pike: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/areas/anch/pikepage.cfm
OEO/ADA statement: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/oeostate.php