Fishing Report: Snagging in Seward

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A true sign of summer is when the shores of Seward are lined with snaggers hoping to run into a beautiful Sockeye Salmon.

In Thursday’s Fishing Report, reporter Austin Sjong made the short drive down to Seward, parked near McDonald’s Campground, dawned his waiters, and walked across a small channel as the tide came in. Hundreds of fishermen made the same trek as Sjong, lining the narrow channels that come in from the ocean.

From all accounts, fishing activity was hot with many people limiting out on this hatchery run. The Sockeye Salmon or Reds were running back to where they were born to start the process over again. Snagging is said to be allowed in the saltwater, and farther upstream if people use a single hook and a fly to catch them.

Snagging is a very aggressive form of fishing, and while everyone seems to have their own style, the concept is really quite basic. People just need to place a snagging hook into the water as many times as possible and jerk toward themselves in hopes of running into a fish.

The limit for Sockeye Salmon is six per day, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. If fishing activity stays as hot as it was when Sjong visited, then people should have no problem snagging that limit in a few hours. The hardest part will then be carrying all of the fresh catches to the car.