More than 200 coho counted at Bear Creek weir near Seward

Freshwater coho fishing near Seward is slow but improving, and Resurrection Bay saltwater fishing has picked up, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in its Sept. 10 North Gulf Coast report. "There are already over 200 fish that have passed through the Bear Creek weir with fishing expected to improve in the next few weeks," Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth wrote.

The Resurrection River up to Nash Road is open to all salmon except kings. Only unbaited, single-hook artificial lures or flies are allowed, and freshwater snagging is prohibited; the limit is three salmon, at most two coho. Resurrection Bay allows six salmon daily, all coho. An emergency order effective Sept. 8 extended the youth-only Seward Lagoon fishery 28 days, through Oct. 5, for anglers 15 and under.

The weir, operated by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, supplies broodstock. Only 693 coho had entered by Oct. 17, 2024, short of the season's goals, though Fish and Game says statewide coho populations remain healthy.