Saltwater Fishing

Along the West Coast of Prince of Wales Island, extreme tides and surging ocean currents create a habitat for millions of bait fish that attract annual returns of trophy-size salmon, halibut, red snapper, and ling cod. These natural phenomena, which first attracted commercial fishermen, offer premier fishing grounds in Alaska for some of the best salmon and halibut sport fishing in the world.

Fishing for salmon, halibut and other species is what has made Waterfall famous for over 80 years, first as a cannery and now as one of the finest sportfishing destination in the world. Come and be a part of the legend. Our fish chart shows an overview of the various runs of fish in our area.
All mentioned non- resident sportfishing limits below, are as of April 13, 2009 and reflect upon the upcoming 2010 season.

KING (CHINOOK) SALMON:

The largest species of salmon averages 20-40 pounds and is 3-4′ long. The king is known for their powerful, often drawn out fights.
Waterfall Resort’s King of Kings weighed in at a whopping 79.2 pounds.

• The non-resident bag limit is: one king salmon a day, 28 inches or greater in length, and three king salmon per year

SILVER (COHO) SALMON:

Averages 8-12 pounds and measures 2-2.5’ long. Silver salmon are the acrobats of the salmon species. They are well known for jumping out of the water during their exciting fight.
The Waterfall Resort record on this fun fish is 22.1 pounds.

• The non-resident limit is: six per person per day, with no annual limit.

HALIBUT:

The most popular bottom feeder can weigh over 100 pounds with adults weighing in at well over 300 pounds. Reeling in one of these fish can test any angler’s stamina.
The Waterfall Resort record stands at 366.8 pounds.

• The non-resident limit for halibut is one per person per day. There is no annual limit on halibut.

LING COD:

Typically inhabiting near shore rocky reefs, this voracious predator may reach a length of 5 ft and can weigh over 80 pounds.
The Waterfall Resort record: 69.3 pounds.

• The non-resident limit on ling cod is: a daily and annual limit of one between 30”-35” and one “trophy” size ling cod over 55 inches.

YELLOW-EYE ROCKFISH:

Otherwise known as the “red snapper”, this bright red schooling fish may grow to be 2 ft long and averages 10-12 pounds.
The Waterfall Resort record catch tipping the scales as 30.5 pounds.

• The non-resident yellow-eye rockfish limit is: one per person per day, with an annual limit of two.

MISC. ROCKFISH:

These often overlooked species are made up of many different types of rockfish. They  typically inhabit near shore and around rocky reefs. Rockfish average 1-6 pounds, with some species weighing in 15 pounds and 2’ long.

• The non-resident limit for pelagic rockfish is: five per day per person, with no annual limit.

• The non-resident limit on non-pelagic rockfish is: two per day per person, of which only one may be a yellow-eye rockfish.

• Non-pelagic rockfish have no annual limit, except for the yellow-eye, which is two.