Unalaska Bay/Dutch Harbor Road System Issued July 7, 2016
Regulation reminders:
· The bag limit for Unalaska Bay fresh and saltwaters is 5 salmon per day of which only 2 may be sockeye and 2 may be coho.
· The bag limit for the remainder of Unalaska Island is 5 salmon per day all of which may be sockeye or coho.
· Anglers are reminded that Town Creek (Iliuliuk) is closed to fishing for sockeye year round.
· The saltwaters of Summer’s Bay are open to snagging, however, the freshwaters from the outlet of Summer’s Bay Lake to the ocean are closed to all sportfishing.
· All freshwaters of Unalaska Island are closed to snagging year round.
· Anglers are reminded that many of the creeks flowing into Unalaska Bay have closed waters for a portion of the drainage or all of the drainage in some cases. Be sure to keep an eye out for signs marking closed waters and to consult the Southwest Alaska Sportfish regulation booklet for a complete list of sport fishing regulations for Unalaska Bay.
Fishing reports:
· Sockeye salmon are in at Summer’s Bay and reports indicate fishing is improving.
· Sockeye are still returning to Reese Bay, the ADF&G salmon counting weir at McLee’s Lake has counted 27,793 sockeye as of July 6th. McLee’s lake weir counts can now be found on the ADF&G website: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/index.cfm?ADFG=main.LocSelectYearSpecies
· Sockeye are still just beginning to show up in Town Creek, and some harvest has been reported in subsistence nets near town, but fishing may be slow.
· Some sightings of pink salmon have been reported near capes and off-shore areas. Pink salmon should be returning to local streams later in July and through August.
· Dolly fishing has been good from local beaches and near river mouths, with fish up to 5 pounds reported. Dollies should be starting to return to freshwaters from now through the end of summer.
· Reports of excellent halibut fishing have come in, look for better fishing near capes and near rockpiles in Unalaska Bay and other parts of Unalaska Island.
· Tanner crab are still plentiful, with good success reported in Captain’s Bay, Nateekin Bay and near the spit. Dungeness fishing should pick up through the summer months as near-shore waters warm up.
Tyler Polum is an assistant area biologist in Kodiak, Alaska.