Port Valdez

This Series Port Valdez

Fishing in Valdez

While the town is famous for the catastrophic oil spill of 1989, Valdez is also a popular fishing spot. Each year waves of salmon charge through Port Valdez on their way upstream to spawn. Fisherman from all over the world converge each summer to scoop up their limit of salmon, halibut, rockfish and lingcod. The fish are easy to catch due to their sheer number and the readily available knowledge of which lures to use for each type of fish. It's a bonanza!

No Room at the Inn

My dad and I arrived in late afternoon from Anchorage via Richardson Highway. At the height of the Coho (silver) salmon run not a single room was available at any of Valdez’s half-dozen lodgings. We ended up backtracking for an hour to a quaint bed and breakfast called Tiekel River Lodge where we had stopped for gas earlier that day. This turned out to be a positive experience since the lodge is far more scenic than any of the hotels in town.

Tiekel River Lodge & Proprietor

That Gorgeous Day

The next day was a beautiful Sunday and the first after more than a week in Alaska that we saw blue sky and direct sunlight. On the return to Valdez we passed Worthington Glacier, Horse Tail Falls in Keystone Canyon near Thompson Pass, and a whole lotta magnificent scenery that Alaska is famous for.

View All Sizes

Fishing for Silver Salmon

The town was bright and cheerful with an air of prosperity. People were out on walks. All around were vivid panoramic mountains and glistening water.

Where the Action Is

The harbor was bustling with activity. Piers and waterways were busy with fisherman reeling in silvers hand over fist. Charter boats unloaded sportfishermen and their freshly caught prizes onto the docks. Near the harbor master’s building a skilled pro would expertly filet a fish within seconds for only a buck!

Bound for Kenai

Since we were passing through and reserving our fishing adventures for the Kenai Peninsula, we secured passage for early the next morning aboard the ferry Aurora. This excursion would take us through Prince William Sound to Whittier and Kenai.

Tags Driving, Cities, Fishing, Ocean