Rockfish Fishing in Valdez, Alaska

Valdez charters most often bring in yelloweye, black, tiger, china, yellowtail, and dusky rockfish. Black rockfish run roughly 3 to 8 pounds and come on jigs in shallow water near rocky structure, fast light-tackle fishing that fills the box between halibut drifts. Yelloweye, the big orange prize of the bunch, are readily available out of Valdez but favor deep water, and local operators say the long-range trips toward the outer Sound produce them most consistently.

Regulations split rockfish into two groups: pelagic species (blacks, duskys, yellowtails) with more liberal limits, and nonpelagic species (yelloweye, tiger, china, and other bottom-dwellers) that are slow-growing, long-lived, and closely managed. Which group a fish falls into sets your bag limit, so it pays to know the difference.

In Prince William Sound, the published rockfish limit is 3 per day and 6 in possession, of which only 1 per day and 1 in possession may be a nonpelagic rockfish. Yelloweye retention is closed early in the year and opens July 1, running through the end of the year, so if a big yelloweye is on your list, book July or later. Rockfish rules have been tightened in recent years and can change again; confirm current Prince William Sound regulations with ADF&G before your trip.

One more thing to expect on board: rockfish brought up from depth suffer barotrauma and usually die if released at the surface, so out-of-limit fish get sent back down at depth of capture with a deepwater release device. ADF&G requires release gear on saltwater boats, and your charter will have it rigged, so let the crew handle releases.

Rockfish rarely headline the trip. The standard Valdez day pairs them with halibut from May and June onward, and with lingcod once that season opens July 1, since the same reefs that hold lings hold rockfish. Shallow jigging for blacks is about the most beginner-friendly fishing in the Sound: constant action, modest depths, and no heavy weights to crank.

Deep yelloweye fishing is more work: several hundred feet of hand-cranking, since electric reels aren't standard on Alaska charters. Boats provide rods and tackle. Whatever mix you catch, rockfish are excellent eating, and the daily limit of three per person adds up to a respectable pile of fillets alongside your halibut.