Ketchikan Fishing Reports Rockfish 2024

Welcome to a truly special Ketchikan fishing report. At Campbell’s Fishing Charters, we are passionate not only about finding you the biggest fish in the ocean but also about protecting our incredible fishery. This post features a true “conservation catch” that my family—including my brother Lance and daughter Emma—recently experienced.

A Conservation Victory: The Giant Yelloweye While rockfish can be caught year-round, most anglers know that the magnificent Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) is currently closed to retention for all anglers in our region. These slow-growing, deep-water giants can live to be over 100 years old and have a bright, vibrant orange color that is unmistakable.

The photo featured on this page shows a truly massive Yelloweye that we recently hooked. We didn’t keep it for the dinner table. Instead, we used a deep water release device to safely return this prehistoric fish to the bottom. These devices, which are a mandatory piece of gear on all sportfishing vessels on the 4 C’s, reverse the effects of barotrauma (the “bends” for fish), allowing them to swim away completely unharmed.

2026 Rockfish Regulations in Ketchikan

Understanding which rockfish you can keep is a key part of your Ketchikan fishing report plans. While the Yelloweye is always a mandatory release, other species remain a popular and delicious target for our guests.

• Pelagic Rockfish (like Blacks and Dusky’s):

  • Daily Limit: 5 per day.

  • Possession Limit: 10 in possession.

• Slope Rockfish:

  • Limit: Bag limit of 1 (possession of 2).

• Demersal Shelf Rockfish (DSR):

  • Non-Yelloweye DSR: Residents have a limit of 1 (possession of 2).

  • Nonresident Anglers: Nonresident retention is currently prohibited.

Join a Captain Committed to Conservation

On the 4 C’s, we are dedicated to sustainable fishing practices that ensure the Salmon Capital of the World remains a premier destination for generations to come. This story of releasing that giant Yelloweye is exactly the kind of adventure we love to share with our guests.