Head to Juneau for daily dozen (silvers)

The terminal fishery for silver salmon near Juneau’s DIPAC hatchery has had a tremendous return of fish this year, the largest in recent memory, according to local anglers.

As a result the state has bumped the daily bag limit to an even dozen silver salmon.  And from all reports, there are enough salmon on hand to make that generous limit a realistic goal.

The DIPAC silvers typically move up and down the Capital City’s Gastineau Channel in front of the hatchery, becoming most accessible at low tide to anglers with any kind of tackle, but especially fly fishermen.  The silvers are particularly vulnerable to big streamers like Clousers.

How many places even in Alaska can you head out with a flyrod with a goal of catching and keeping a dozen bright silvers?

But if you choose to go, make it soon.  This run peaks and will decline sharply by late September.

Here’s the official release:

“The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish announced today that sport fishing regulations for hatchery coho salmon will be liberalized in a designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area near Juneau (see attached map). These new regulations are intended to provide opportunity to harvest surplus hatchery coho salmon returning to the Juneau area.

“These hatchery coho salmon regulations in the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area are as follows;

“From Friday, September 7 through Wednesday, October 31, 2018 the daily coho salmon bag and possession limit is 12 coho salmon of any size for all anglers;

“The department is liberalizing sport fishing regulations in the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area due to the large number of returning hatchery coho salmon in excess of broodstock needs.

“Anglers should note that the bag limits for coho salmon in the salt waters outside of the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area are more restrictive, and regulations prohibit anglers from possessing fish that exceed the limits for the waters where they are fishing.

“Coho salmon sport fishing regulations for freshwater drainages on the Juneau road system are also more restrictive, and are described on pages 21-22 of the 2018 Southeast Sport Fishing Regulations Summary.

“The designated sport harvest area for hatchery coho salmon is defined as the contiguous marine waters of the Stephens Passage, Auke Bay area, Fritz Cove, and Gastineau Channel that are bound on the west side by a line that extends from Point Louisa to the navigational aid at the northern tip of Portland Island, along the eastern shore of Portland Island to its southern most tip and then to the tip of Outer Point on Douglas Island. The eastern boundary of the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area is a line, indicated by department markers on the east and west shores of Gastineau Channel, extending across Gastineau Channel approximately ¼ mile south of the Dupont Dock.

“For additional information contact the Division of Sport Fish Region 1 office in Juneau at (907) 465-4270.”