Stream Fishing
Prince of Wales Island offers the chance to pursue wild steelhead amid Southeast Alaska’s forests and freshwater streams. These sea-run rainbow trout grow in the Pacific Ocean before returning to their home waters to spawn, bringing the strength and fighting spirit that make them so sought after by anglers. Spring is the island’s main steelhead season, with April often a highlight, although run timing and fishing conditions vary from year to year with water levels and weather. The appeal is as much in the setting as the fishing: quiet water, forested banks, and the anticipation of a powerful fish on the line. Unlike Pacific salmon, steelhead can survive spawning and return again, making careful handling and prompt release a valuable part of the experience.
Fishing background: Alaska Department of Fish and Game — steelhead.