Species Guide
Jigging rocky structure in Prince William Sound's protected water.
Rockfish are the reliable third leg of a Whittier fishing day. Almost no one books a rockfish-only charter here; they come along on combo trips with halibut and salmon. But Prince William Sound's rocky fjord walls and kelp edges hold enough of them that many boats count on rockfish to fill the cooler when tides or weather slow the other fishing.
The Sound holds both kinds that matter to anglers: pelagic species like black and dusky rockfish that school over structure and hit aggressively, and non-pelagic bottom-dwellers like yelloweye and quillback that live deep, grow slowly, and are managed tightly for exactly that reason.
Boats out of Whittier fish rocky structure in Passage Canal and the western Sound, including sheltered spots like Shotgun Cove, generally in 60 to 300 feet of water. The standard technique is simple and fun: drop metal jigs (diamond jigs, Crippled Herrings, flutter jigs), bait like squid strips or herring, or heavy soft-plastic swimbaits down to the rocks and work them until something slams it. Shrimp-fly dropper rigs above a heavy sinker catch numbers when the school is thick.
Yelloweye are notably abundant in Prince William Sound, and they are the prize of the bunch, but they grow very slowly, so recent regulations have kept limits tight. In recent years the Prince William Sound sport limit has been around three rockfish per day with only one non-pelagic (yelloweye or quillback type) allowed. These numbers change, so confirm current regs with ADF&G before your trip.
Rockfish are the least seasonal thing swimming in the Sound. They are catchable from the start of the charter season in early May through early September, roughly the same window the Whittier fleet operates, with midsummer trips getting the most consistent weather. Because rockfish don't depend on a run arriving, they are a good insurance species for early- and late-season dates when salmon timing is uncertain.
A typical Whittier combo day leaves the harbor around 7 a.m. and returns between about 5 and 7 p.m., mixing halibut, salmon in season, and rockfish stops. Rockfish fishing itself is light-tackle work by Alaska standards, jigging in a few hundred feet or less rather than cranking from the deep, which makes it a favorite stretch of the day for kids and first-timers.
One regulation worth knowing before you go: every saltwater sport boat in Alaska must carry a functional deepwater release device, and released rockfish must be sent back down to the depth they were hooked, or at least 100 feet. It matters. An ADF&G study found yelloweye released at depth survived at 98 percent, versus 22 percent for fish released at the surface. Charter crews handle this, but expect to release some fish this way once limits are reached.
| Period | What's happening | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Early May – June | Charter season opens; rockfish steady on structure | Good target while salmon runs are still building |
| June – July | Peak of the season for consistent action and weather | Usually fished as part of halibut/salmon combo days |
| August | Rockfish still reliable while silvers peak | Combo trips stack species this month |
| Early September | Season winds down with the charter fleet | Weather windows get shorter |
Seasons and limits change — always confirm current regulations with ADF&G before booking.
Any time the charter fleet is running, roughly early May through early September. Rockfish live on structure year-round rather than arriving in runs, so June and July mostly win on weather, not on fish.
Mostly black and dusky rockfish (the schooling pelagic types), plus non-pelagic bottom dwellers like yelloweye and quillback. Yelloweye are abundant in the Sound but tightly limited because they grow so slowly.
In recent years the Prince William Sound sport limit has been around three rockfish per day with only one of them non-pelagic, but rockfish limits are adjusted frequently, so check the current bag limit before your trip.
No. Charters supply rods and jigs, and rockfish gear is lighter than halibut tackle. The one legally required item, a deepwater release device for sending released rockfish back to depth, is the boat's responsibility to carry.
whittier, Alaska
whittier, Alaska
whittier, Alaska