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Valdez sits at the head of a fjord at the eastern edge of Prince William Sound, a vast, island-studded body of water surrounded by the Chugach Mountains and tidewater glaciers. The town is small (population 4,000) and the setting is extreme, mountains rise straight from the waterline, waterfalls pour off the cliffs, and the annual snowfall measured in feet, not inches.
The fishing is equally extreme. Valdez receives one of the largest pink salmon runs in Alaska, millions of fish flooding into the harbor, the streams, and the nearshore water every summer. The run is so dense that it transforms the town's shoreline into one of the most accessible fishing spectacles in the state. Add strong silver salmon and halibut fisheries, and Valdez becomes a destination that punches well above its population.
Pink Salmon, The Deluge
The pink salmon run in Valdez is not a figure of speech, it's a phenomenon. Pinks begin showing in mid-June, build through July, and by late July the streams, harbor, and nearshore water hold so many fish that the water appears to boil.
Allison Point is the epicenter. This rocky shoreline across the harbor from town becomes the most popular bank-fishing spot in Valdez when the pinks are running. Anglers line the rocks shoulder-to-shoulder, casting small spinners and spoons into the current, and the fish hit on nearly every cast during the peak. It's combat fishing, tight quarters, crossed lines, and pandemonium, but the action is unlike anything else in Alaska.
Pinks average 3 to 5 pounds, and while they're the smallest Pacific salmon, they're plentiful enough to make up for size with sheer numbers. A 50-fish afternoon is not unreasonable during the peak. They're also excellent eating when caught in their bright, ocean-fresh phase, the flesh firms up quickly after catching, and a pink salmon grilled on the beach that evening is a Valdez tradition.
The streams, Crooked Creek, Allison Creek, Mineral Creek, fill with spawning pinks from late July through August, and the fishing is accessible from the road system without a boat or a guide. This accessibility, the ability to walk to world-class salmon fishing from your campsite, is what makes Valdez unique among Alaska fishing towns.
Silver Salmon, The Main Event
While the pinks draw the crowds, silver salmon (coho) are the fish that serious anglers come to Valdez for. Silvers enter Valdez Bay in early August and the run builds through mid-September, with the peak in mid-August through early September.
Valdez and Prince William Sound boast one of the strongest silver salmon runs in the state. The fish average 8 to 12 pounds, with occasional silvers pushing 15, and they fight with the acrobatic intensity that makes coho the most exciting salmon to hook, explosive jumps, screaming runs, and a refusal to come to the net easily.
Silvers are caught both from shore (Allison Point transitions from a pink spot to a silver spot as the season progresses) and by boat. Charter boats troll the Valdez Narrows and the passages of Prince William Sound, working the current edges and underwater structure where silvers stage before pushing into the streams. The boat fishery accesses fish that the bank anglers can't reach, and the average size tends to be larger.
Halibut, Prince William Sound
The halibut fishery in Prince William Sound is outstanding and underappreciated relative to the Kenai Peninsula and Homer. The sound's protected waters, extensive bottom structure, and relatively light charter traffic produce halibut of 20 to 100 pounds as standard fare, with fish over 150 pounds caught every season.
Charter boats run from the Valdez harbor into the sound's bays and passages, Anderson Bay, Jack Bay, Galena Bay, and the deeper channels between islands. The fishing is bottom work in 100 to 300 feet over gravel and sand, and the sound's calm, protected water makes for comfortable halibut fishing even when the outer Gulf is too rough.
Combo trips, trolling for silvers or king salmon, then anchoring for halibut, are the most popular charter format. King salmon are available from May through July, trolled near the shoreline and around the Valdez Narrows.
Rockfish and Lingcod
The rocky reefs and pinnacles in Prince William Sound hold rockfish (yelloweye, black, quillback) and lingcod that are caught as bonus species on halibut trips. The sound's clean, cold water grows these fish slowly but large, yelloweye rockfish over 20 pounds and lingcod over 30 are caught from the deeper reef structure.
The Setting
Valdez's setting amplifies the fishing. Prince William Sound is ringed by the Chugach Mountains, with glaciers calving into the water and waterfalls cascading off the cliffs. Sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, humpback whales, orcas, and bald eagles are regular sightings on any charter trip. The Columbia Glacier, one of the largest tidewater glaciers in Alaska, is accessible as a day trip from Valdez, and some charter operators offer combination fishing and glacier-viewing excursions.
The drive to Valdez on the Richardson Highway is itself one of the most scenic drives in Alaska, crossing Thompson Pass (where the state's snowfall record was set) and descending through Keystone Canyon with its roadside waterfalls.
When to Go
- May–June: King salmon in the Narrows, early halibut, pre-season solitude
- July: Pink salmon tsunami, the biggest run of the year, halibut consistent
- August: Peak silvers, the main event, pinks still running, halibut strong, the best overall month
- September: Late silvers in the streams, halibut finishing, the season winds down
