Whittier King intel

So I knew they stocked kings in Whittier starting in 2010.  That means the 3 and 4 ocean fish should be back here by the end of the month.  The problem was, they used to say "WHittier Harbor" or "Whittier Creek" as the stocking location.  Now they just say Whittier.  So obviously as terminal stocked runs, they get acclimated to a single spot and will likely be just milling in the area waiting to get caught.  So I took the time to email Fish and Game and they told me they acclimated them right off of Salmon Run Cr or Cove Creek.  that's the next little inlet past Smitty's cove.  You can drive to it, but the fishing area seems a tad limitimng.  Sounded perfect for kayaking.  I may try it after work even.  I'm pretty sure they don't count towards your five you can retain in a year.  So these would be my canning and smoking kings!  Here's the full email below.  Let me know if anyone has any success at this!!!

rom: dan.bosch@alaska.gov
To: guidesak@hotmail.com
CC: ryan.ragan@alaska.gov; mike.thalhauser@alaska.gov
Subject: Whittier Salmon Stocking
Date: Mon, 19 May 2014 16:53:46 +0000

Hello Rudy,
We had to stop Chinook salmon stocking in Whittier after 2005 when the old hatcheries both lost hot water (a very long story in its self).  We were able to bring this stocking program back on line in 2010.  The old stocking location for both coho and kings was Smitty’s Cove.  Typically the net pen was tied up to the dock at this location.  Prince William Sound Aquaculture sets this net pen up and puts their coho in for a couple of weeks and after they release these fish we stock the pen with our king salmon smolt and imprint them for a couple of weeks before we release them.  The old stocking location was far less than ideal.  One year a fish tender crashed into it and broke the net frame and I once watched another tender pumping its bilge water directly into the pen.  The new net pen set up is off the mouth of Cove Creek (aka Salon Run Creek).  The pen is anchored in 15 – 20 ft of water off the creek mouth and local Whittier residents feed these fish several times a day until the fish are ready for release.  Cove Creek has some cover picnic tables, a vault latrine, and decent shoreline access for shore fishing.  I’m sure that boat fishing here is also good.  If you get a chance fish this location please let me know how you do.  Tight lines!
 
Cheers, Dan
 
Dan Bosch
Area Management Biologist
Anchorage/Prince William Sound/North Gulf Coast Areas
Alaska Dept of Fish and Game
Sport Fish Division
907-267-2153
 
From: Rudy Tsukada [mailto:guidesak@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2014 11:06 AM
To: Ragan, Ryan R (DFG)
Subject: Whittier Chinook Stocking info
 
Ryan,
 
I have a question regarding he chinook stocking in Whittier.
 
I see they have been stocking them since 2010 (recently).  I believe the old stocking locations (Pre 2010) used to list "Whittier harbor".  Now it just says "Whittier".  Do you know where the fish were acclimated and released at specifically?
 
Thank you.
 
Best regards,
Rudy Tsukada

I am so interested in this! These days, it's hard to get away for a couple days, but I can do Whittier very, very easily any day of the week.  I've got to start scoping Whittier weather as soon as this big blow is done...  Any day you want to blast down there after work, send me a text if you want company. 

Excellent intel -- thanks for sharing.

man oh man sounds like a winner! I hope to get out too. Bonus would be to drop a shrimp pot then go trolling for those kings!

I'll see if I can make a trip to. Give me a text also.

I'm heading down tomorrow ( Thursday) to some some bottom fishing. Not sure how to catch a king but I'll try.

Troll herring or frankly anything at the mouth of salmon run cr. First cove on your right after smittys cove.

I am planning on heading down to Whittier this weekend (leaving Anchorage either Saturday or Sunday). Still Kayak-less, so I will be fishing from shore. Not sure what I'm in for or if I even have a prayers chance of catching anything- but I know its damn near impossible to catch fish sitting on a couch at home.

Mostly just wanting to get out of town and explore a new (to me) area. Will try to hike out to Shotgun Cove to stay for a couple of nights.

Anyone ever done any camping in the area? (as in the area I could reasonably expect to hike to in a day- not the entire PWS). Also, if anyone else is headed out let me know.

On google maps, enter cove creek Whittier AK. There is parking there. Walk down to the cove and chuck herring under a bobber or a pretty big spoon or spinner. If they are there, they will be milling around the cove where the stream enters.

With the fires on the peninsula, I might give that a try. No plans yet.

Tried today -- no kings to report, but the bite was on for rockfish. No trophies, but enough for a taco feed tomorrow. Such great conditions -- light winds and seas at 1 ft at most. Señor Danger and I went beyond Shotgun Cove and drifted / mooched back on a freshening breeze.

Next time I'm there when it's so calm, I'm heading to Blackstone for an overnight. Cloudy but not smoky today -- couldn't believe the smoke aloft when we saw Anchorage at MP 115. Eerie. Hope everybody had a safe holiday weekend.

sweet! how deep were u fishing? how fast were u trolling? u know the fishing stuff, sounds like a good trip

Most of my drifts were between  80 and 120 ft. I was plagued with pollack in shallower water as we got further out. I trolled herring, hoping for a King, at a steady 2 mph most of the time. Then I picked up the pace a little. Still nothing. I marked 4x fish nearing Cove Cr on the way back, in water from 22 to 26' -- and tell myself those were the kings that got away.