ORION CHARTERS - SALMON FISHING

SILVER SALMON:

   8/31/2001 -  It was too rough to go out for halibut that day, so we switched to Silver's, instead. 
Our only Silver Salmon trip of the season, 30 Silver's 9# to 15# caught in 2 to 3 hours.

The Silver (Coho) Salmon running into Port Valdez are one of  the best size average Silver Salmon runs in the State of Alaska.   These Silvers are huge, they average about 10 to 12 pounds.  There are usually Silver's around 20 pounds or over caught here each year. The run starts usually around the first of August and goes through the first couple weeks of September.   The Silver's normally concentrate off Gold creek and Mineral Creek, just several miles outside Valdez.  These Silver's are mostly caught from boats, trolling, mooching, or casting.  Some fish are available by casting from shore.  The 2000 season had the best return since 1985. The ADF&G estimated that 358,980 returned to Port Valdez, more then double the projected return of 160,000.  Dave Cobb (Manager of Valdez Fisheries) estimated that the average size for the 2000 season was close to 15 pounds.  We sometimes catch silvers while halibut fishing in July and August.

16 Silver Salmon up to 12# - 8/17/99 Valdez Narrows

THE SILVER SALMON DERBY in 1998 produced a 19.5 pound Silver, which won the $10,000 Valdez Silver Salmon Derby.  In 2000 a 20.7 pound monster Silver won the $10,000 Derby. The 2001 Derby produced a 19.40# and 19.36# Silver's.  There are also daily and weekly Derby prizes that make buying a derby ticket a must.  The daily Silver limit has been 6 fish per person in recent years.   A lot of people will go to Valdez and take a 1/2 day salmon charter to see how to catch the fish, then take their own boat, or a rental out, to catch fish on there own.  Depending on the condition, trolling with downriggers, Dipsy Diver type divers, trolling plugs, "mooching", or casting may produce.

1992 - 17.7# (34.5") Silver Salmon, casting off Allison point      

PINK SALMON
The Pink (Humpy) Salmon run in Valdez is huge.  Each year approximately 10 million Pinks return to the Allison Creek (Port Valdez) area.  The run starts around the fourth week of June and continues into late July.  Six fish limits are common.  Most people fish from shore around Allison Point.  Casting small Pixies, or Vibrex spinners work well.  The size average of these fish is 3 or 4 pounds.  In 1999 approximately 14 million Pink Salmon returned to Port Valdez.

KING SALMON:
King (Chinook)Salmon currently don't run into the Port Valdez or Eastern Prince William Sound, in large numbers.  There are however, resident or "feeder kings" present in Eastern PWS all year long.  The Valdez Hatchery has released King Salmon into Port Valdez several times in the last 10 years.  The Valdez Hatchery released 50,000 King Salmon into the Lowe River, in the Spring of 1999. 150,000 King's were released during the 2000 season.  Additional King Salmon stocking is expected to continue.  The Kings released in 1999 will return to Port Valdez, in the year 2003.

28# King Salmon, Valdez Arm 1997

RED SALMON:
There are several streams in Prince William Sound that get runs on Red  (Sockeye) Salmon.   A productive way to harvest these fish is to get dropped off at the mouth of the stream and use various fly fishing techniques.

ORION CHARTERS is currently not booking Salmon fishing charters for the 2005 season. 

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ORION CHARTERS
Dave & Frieda Wiley
P.O. Box 3577
Valdez, AK 99686

EMAIL:      dave@orioncharters.com or
                 frieda@orioncharters.com

PHONE:              (907) 835-8610                         

Check out these other pages for pictures and information.

FISHING INFO:
 Halibut, Lingcod, Salmon Shark, Rockfish, Salmon, Unusual Fish

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND INFO:        
   Sceenery, Glaciers, Whales, Sea Lions

ORION CHARTERS INFO: 
 Catch Statistics,  Prices, Terms & Conditions, Boat Info, Politics

This page was last updated on 10/06/06.