Valdez shrimping and halibut spots

[fish2keel]

Hey guys,

I just got my boat up here from florida. I live in Slana and have for 6 years now but I just got my boat up here since i was waiting for my slip in valdez. Now that its here I was wondering If I could get some help from yall. What are some good shrimping and halibut/ling cod/rock fish spots for valdez in prince william sound? Im not going to go out in the big ocean yet until I get more familar with the waters so just looking for some protected waters to fish for now.

My boat is a 2008 31 foot Rabolo express fishing boat with twim 350 yamahas. It purrs light a kitten!

Thanks again guys!

F2k

P.s. ive fished in valdez before but only charters

[AK2AZ]

I would say first...what`s your fuel range???
Shrimping should be decent just a couple miles from the harbor. The rest can be had in Jack`s bay and just outside a bit . If you pay close attention to tides and bottom contour you`ll do better for halibut. Your boat will have no problem with PWS waters...but as always check the forecasts. Would absolutely love to run a boat like your`s out there....I came from Mako family.

[Bullelkklr]

With 700 horsies you should be able to fly out to Montague into the Gulf and catch some halibut.....salmon shark....

I bet she sucks some fuel down.

[Paul H]

I've usually had better luck finding my own fishing spots than trying to fish someone elses coordinates. So, what to look for:

For shrimp, relatively close to a glacier with a sloped bottom, set between 350-500 feet.

For rockfish and lings, look for underwater pinnacles and cliffs, good current, and generally further away from the glaciers. Points of islands and peninsulas seem to be good locations, I try to find areas that from a shallow of 50-150 to 600+ feet.

Anytime you see a spot on a chart with interesting underwater contours, it's worth dropping a hook. If you're not catching something within 15 minutes, try another location on the chart. It never hurts to drop a 3-4 oz jig to 30-40 feet to see if there are any black bass, or perhaps a silver or pink salmon swimming by.

[akfishin]

I don't want to derail the thread, but do folks actually retain pinks out in the salt or am I just being a snob for releasing them?

[RustyMonkey]

Keep them I say!! That is if you are going to eat them. I smoke/can them. They work well in my earthquake kit as well as in the camper. Nice for easy food. The dogs love them as well, I suplement dog food with pinks. Just dont let them goto waste.

[Paul H]

I don't want to derail the thread, but do folks actually retain pinks out in the salt or am I just being a snob for releasing them?

Normally I throw them back, but if you're out for a long weekend, cooking up one fresh over a wood fire on shore isn't a bad way to go. To me they taste like a rainbow trout. They also aren't 1/2 bad smoked and canned.

My kids have a blast catching them on lightweight spinning gear.

[Floridascuba]

Use pinks for bait

[Floridascuba]

Oh and I am from a Mako family too. Currently have 2.