FISHING GUIDE · SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Sitka & Ketchikan, Southeast Alaska Fishing Guide
Sitka and Ketchikan are saltwater towns where most anglers fish from charter boats or skiffs for king and coho salmon, halibut, lingcod and rockfish. Nonresidents have tighter limits than Alaska residents, including yearly limits on kings, lingcod and yelloweye-type rockfish that must be written on a harvest record. King salmon limits are set by emergency order and changed several times in 2026, so check ADF&G before each trip.
📍 Southeast Alaska (the Panhandle). Sitka is on Baranof Island facing the open Gulf of Alaska, with Sitka Sound, Kruzof Island and Cape Edgecumbe nearby. Ketchikan is in the southern Panhandle; the area includes Revillagigedo, Gravina, Annette and Duke islands, with Behm Canal to the north and Clarence Strait to the west.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Quick facts
- The outer coast near Sitka supports the largest recreational saltwater king salmon fishery in Alaska; hatchery fish make up nearly half the harvest.
- The Sitka Salmon Derby is held over Memorial Day weekend and the weekend after.
- Mature king salmon up to 60 pounds are in Ketchikan waters from late April through June, peaking in June.
- Sport anglers in Southeast Alaska keep more coho salmon than any other species.
- Southeast Alaska charter halibut rules for 2026: 1 fish a day, no fish over 34 and under 80 inches, and no charter halibut on Thursdays Jun 18 - Sep 10.
What you can catch
- King (Chinook) salmon
Big spawners late April-June (best late May through June at Sitka); younger 'feeder' kings in August and September. 28-inch minimum in salt water. - Coho (silver) salmon
Show up mid-May with the kings, build through summer, peak around the third week of August; mostly done by end of September. - Pink salmon
Plentiful along shorelines in summer; good roadside fishing at Sitka through mid-August. - Pacific halibut
Open Feb 1 - Dec 31 in Southeast; unguided 2 a day any size; charter rules are tighter (Area 2C). - Lingcod
Nonresidents 1 a day with a 2-fish yearly limit (one 30-35 inches and one 55 inches or more); seasons differ by area. - Pelagic rockfish (black, dusky and others)
Sitka area: nonresidents 2 a day, residents 3 a day. - Yelloweye and other demersal shelf rockfish
Nonresidents only Jul 1 - Aug 25, 1 a day and 1 a year; release others at depth.
Month by month
| January | Halibut closed in Southeast in January. Winter king fishing for the few feeders around. |
|---|---|
| February | Halibut opens Feb 1. |
| March | Winter kings. The 2026 king salmon limits took effect Apr 1. |
| April | 2026 king rules began Apr 1 (nonresidents 1 a day, 3 a year to Jun 30). Big kings start arriving late April. |
| May | Kings improve; Sitka Salmon Derby on Memorial Day weekend. Lingcod opens May 16. Early coho show up. |
| June | Peak king fishing at Sitka and Ketchikan. Herring Bay (Ketchikan) terminal harvest area opens Jun 1 for hatchery kings. Charter halibut Thursday closures start Jun 18. |
| July | Nonresident yelloweye/demersal rockfish open Jul 1. In 2026 nonresident king limits went to 2 a day (Jul 11). |
| August | Coho peak around the third week of August. In 2026 nonresident king yearly limit rose to 4 (Aug 1). Feeder kings around Sitka. |
| September | Coho head to streams; saltwater coho mostly done by end of month. Charter halibut Thursday closure ends Sep 10. Lingcod reopens Sep 1 at Sitka. |
| October | Quiet season; check the current king salmon order. Lingcod open in most areas through Nov 30. |
| November | Lingcod season ends Nov 30. |
| December | Halibut open through Dec 31. |
Tips
- Nonresidents: write each king, lingcod and yelloweye-type rockfish on your harvest record right away; these have yearly limits.
- Buy a king salmon stamp along with your license if you will fish for kings, even catch-and-release.
- Carry a working deepwater release device; rockfish you don't keep must go back down to the depth caught or 100 feet.
- Charter boats can't keep halibut over 34 inches (unless 80 inches or more) in 2026, so plan on smaller eating fish.
- At Sitka, stay off the bottom at the Cape Edgecumbe Pinnacles; halibut and bottomfish fishing is closed there.
Rules and license
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Division of Sport Fish, Southeast Region; NOAA Fisheries and the IPHC for halibut · Official rules page ↗
- Alaska sport fishing license plus king salmon stamp to fish for kings; nonresidents must record kings, lingcod and demersal shelf rockfish on a harvest record.
- Nonresident king salmon 2026 (salt water, 28-inch minimum): started at 1 a day and 3 a year (EO 1-KS-R-07-26); raised Jul 11 to 2 a day; from Aug 1 - Sep 30 2 a day and 4 a year (EO 1-KS-R-24-26). In federal waters (3-200 miles) everyone follows nonresident rules. Check the current order for fall and winter.
- Charter halibut 2026, Area 2C: 1 fish a day; may not keep a fish over 34 inches and under 80 inches; no charter retention on Thursdays Jun 18 - Sep 10. Unguided: 2 a day, any size. Halibut closed in January.
- Nonresident lingcod: 1 a day, yearly limit 2 (one 30-35 inches, one 55 inches or longer). Sitka (Central Southeast Outside) lingcod open May 16 - Jun 30 and Sep 1 - Nov 30.
- Nonresident demersal shelf rockfish (yelloweye, quillback, etc.): Jul 1 - Aug 25 only, 1 a day, 1 a year. Deepwater release device required on all boats.
- Cape Edgecumbe Pinnacles (box 56°55.5'-56°57'N, 135°54'-135°57'W): closed to halibut and all bottomfish; boats with halibut aboard may not anchor.
- Sitka area: Kasnyku Bay and Mist Cove closed to all salmon fishing. Ketchikan area: Northern Behm Canal and nearby bays closed to all salmon fishing; Herring Cove Creek closed to sport fishing.
- Terminal harvest areas can have special king rules (Herring Bay at Ketchikan: 3 kings a day Jun 1 - Jul 31).
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 5 boat ramps and 5 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- ANB Harbor
- Boat ramp near Sealing Cove
- Boat ramp near Starrigavan Bay
- Boat ramp near Whiting Harbor
- Crescent Harbor
- Eliason Harbor
- Sealing Cove Harbor
- Thomsen Harbor
Sources
- https://newsrelease.adfg.alaska.gov/Static-sf/EONR/PDFs/2026/R1/01-KS-R-07-261.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Static-sf/EONR/PDFs/2026/R1/1-KS-R-21-26.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Static-sf/EONR/PDFs/2026/R1/1-KS-R-24-26.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Static-sf/EONR/PDFs/2026/R1/01-KS-C-23-26.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southeast/2026se_sfregs_general_freshwater_saltwater.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southeast/2026se_sfregs_sitka.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southeast/2026se_sfregs_ketchikan.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southcentral/2026sc_sfregs_licensing.pdf
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishregulations.se_sportfish
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ByAreaSoutheastSitka.main
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ByAreaSoutheastSitka.fishingInfo
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ByAreaSoutheastKetchikan.main
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ByAreaSoutheastKetchikan.fishingInfo
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/fishing/pdfs/sport/byarea/southeast/sitka_guide.pdf
- https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-05803.pdf
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.