I'm in Valdez this week for work and I brought a ton of fishing gear which I am hoping to use in the evenings. Is anyone around in Valdez that would want to meet up? Otherwise, any recommendations for fishing in the area from shore? I have salmon and trout gear with me, plus waders. Feel free to shoot me a PM.
Cheers!
Drifter2007:
Good luck!
Klondike Kid:
Hey Larry, welcome to AK.
I'm over on the Kenai Peninsula but I do monitor the ADFG weekly reports for the Valdez/Prince William Sound sector too. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishingReports/index.cfm?ADFG=R2.ReportDetail&area_key=11
Right now its probably going to be slim pickin's without a boat. There will be millions of pinks arriving later in the summer but they have only started to show up on the outside of the bay at Coghill River with the sockeye. That is only boat accessible. Later into August the silvers arrive after the pinks. But even the charter boats are not finding any silvers or pinks yet within their long range trips.
I would suggest giving Jay Balmer a call directly. He is the ADFG biologist that does the weekly reports for the Valdez area as well as the Seward/Resurrection Bay/North Gulf Coast areas. He would be the most helpful in directing you to at least some possible fishing within your time frame. I pick his brain often when researching fisheries and fishing potential for the Seward and Res Bay area. Here is his Contact Info. He will be putting out a new report any day now so he may have some better news.
Jay Baumer, Area Management Biologist (907) 267-2265, jay.baumer@alaska.gov
There is a sporting goods store in town that might also be helpful. Can't recall its location.
Larry_MayII_HR:
Hey Klondike kid,
Thanks for the information. I did some exploring last night and saw a purse seiner pull up about 1000 pinks right outside the harbor and talked to a guy who caught his limit (snagging) in 10 minutes - so pinks are around in the bay. Other than that there aren't any other salmon around in appreciable numbers. I hear the dolly and char fishing is pretty good in the local rivers and lakes. I'll post when I get something! I'm also going on a halibut charter on Thursday, so that should cover all of the bases...