Waterlands

Species guide · Alaska

Pacific cod fishing in Alaska

Gadus macrocephalus, a bottom species also called P-cod, gray cod and grey cod. Listed for the Alaska region. Off season, about 25 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Adak to Kiska Bering Side at 35, one of 66 Alaska bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Off season
Where it's scoring nowAll Alaska waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

Alaska

Off season, about 25 more weeks
  1. Jan: Off season
  2. Feb: Off season
  3. Mar: Off season
  4. Apr: Off season
  5. May: Shoulder season
  6. Jun: Peak season
  7. Jul: Peak season
  8. Aug: Peak season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Off season
  11. Nov: Off season
  12. Dec: Off season

Peak: Jun to Aug. In season (shoulder or peak): May to Sep.

Research notes, Alaska region

NOAA: cod spawn on the outer shelf and upper slope in 300 to 800-plus feet in winter and move to 300 feet or less to feed in summer. Charter boats out of Homer and Kodiak commonly catch them in 100 to 300 feet alongside halibut. Washington and Oregon catches are incidental, and Puget Sound cod stocks are depressed, so those regions are not listed.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 66

Alaska bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's pacific cod score this hour.

1
35Fair
Adak to Kiska Bering Side

Best window today 5 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 AM (35) · 214 named spots

2
35Fair
Adak to Kiska Pacific Side

Best window today 5-10 PM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 9 AM (35) · 162 named spots

3
35Fair
Barren Islands East

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 114 named spots

4
35Fair
Bristol Bay from Cape Chichagof to Cape Pierce out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 50 named spots

5
35Fair
Bristol Bay from Port Heiden to Cape Chichagof out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 7 named spots

6
35Fair
Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 21 named spots

7
35Fair
Cape Espenberg to Motherwood Point out to 10 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 6 named spots

8
35Fair
Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 29 named spots

9
35Fair
Cape Krusenstern to Cape Thompson out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 4 named spots

10
35Fair
Cape Stephens to Moses Point out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 15 named spots

11
35Fair
Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 5 named spots

12
35Fair
Castle Cape to Cape Tolstoi out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 112 named spots

13
35Fair
Central and Eastern Prince William Sound

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 130 named spots

14
35Fair
Chiniak Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 28 named spots

15
35Fair
Clarence Strait

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 423 named spots

16
35Fair
Cook Inlet Kalgin Island to Point Bede

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 18 named spots

17
35Fair
Cook Inlet North Kalgin Island

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 40 named spots

18
35Fair
Cross Sound

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 153 named spots

19
35Fair
Dall Point to Kwikpak Pass out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 21 named spots

20
35Fair
Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 40 named spots

21
35Fair
Frederick Sound

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 81 named spots

22
35Fair
Glacier Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 44 named spots

23
35Fair
Guam Coastal Waters

Best window today 12 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 12 AM (35)

24
35Fair
Icy Cape to Cape Suckling out to 15 NM

Best window today 6-9 PM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 4 PM (35) · 2 named spots

25
35Fair
Icy Strait

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 37 named spots

26
35Fair
Kachemak Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 36 named spots

27
35Fair
Koror Palau Coastal Waters

Best window today 11 AM-11 PM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 5 AM (35)

28
35Fair
Kwikpak Pass to Cape Stephens out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 14 named spots

29
35Fair
Marmot Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 84 named spots

30
35Fair
Moses Point to Sledge Island out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 10 named spots

31
35Fair
Motherwood Point to Cape Krusenstern out to 10 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 14 named spots

32
35Fair
Nikolski to Seguam Bering Side out to 15 NM

Best window today 5 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 4 PM (35) · 10 named spots

33
35Fair
Nikolski to Seguam Pacfic Side out to 15 NM

Best window today 5 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 2 PM (35) · 7 named spots

34
35Fair
North and West of Nunivak Island

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 42 named spots

35
35Fair
North Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 3 AM (35) · 27 named spots

36
35Fair
Northern Chatham Strait

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 151 named spots

37
35Fair
Northern Lynn Canal

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 34 named spots

38
35Fair
Northwest Prince William Sound

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 100 named spots

39
35Fair
Passage Canal

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 8 named spots

40
35Fair
Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 40 named spots

41
35Fair
Port Heiden to Nelson Lagoon out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 29 named spots

42
35Fair
Port of Valdez

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 5 named spots

43
35Fair
Resurrection Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35)

44
35Fair
Rota Coastal Waters

Best window today 12-9 PM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 5 AM (35)

45
35Fair
Saint Matthew Island Waters

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 6 AM (35) · 4 named spots

46
35Fair
Shelikof Strait

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 184 named spots

47
35Fair
Sledge Island to Wales out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 1 AM (35) · 9 named spots

48
35Fair
South Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 2 AM (35) · 25 named spots

49
35Fair
Southern Chatham Strait

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 186 named spots

50
35Fair
Southern Lynn Canal

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 23 named spots

51
35Fair
Southwest Prince William Sound

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 215 named spots

52
35Fair
Stephens Passage

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 108 named spots

53
35Fair
Sumner Strait

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 378 named spots

54
35Fair
Tinian Coastal Waters

Best window today 12-9 PM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 4 AM (35)

55
35Fair
Unalaska Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 4 PM (35) · 85 named spots

56
35Fair
Unimak Pass

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 203 named spots

57
35Fair
Valdez Arm

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 12 named spots

58
35Fair
Valdez Narrows

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 3 named spots

59
35Fair
West of Barren Islands Including Kamishak Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 33 named spots

60
35Fair
Yakutat Bay

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 12 AM (35) · 55 named spots

61
34Fair
Yap Coastal Waters

Best window today 12 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 6 AM (35)

62
32Fair
Saipan Coastal Waters

Best window today 12-5 PM (35) · Best day Sun, Nov 1 at 5 AM (35)

63
31Fair
Kiska to Attu Bering Side

Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (34) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 2 AM (35) · 39 named spots

64
30Fair
Kiska to Attu Pacific Side

Best window today 5 PM-12 AM (33) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 3 AM (35) · 53 named spots

65
30Fair
Pribilof Islands Nearshore Waters

Best window today 6 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 10 PM (35) · 28 named spots

66
29Fair
Wales to Cape Espenberg out to 15 NM

Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 31 at 8 AM (35) · 2 named spots

How and where it feeds

Water temperature
Feeds from 34°F to 52°F, best between 38°F and 46°F.
Water depth
60 to 400 ft of water.
Structure
Bank, ledge, channel, shoal and canyon, in that order of preference.
Tide and current
Prefers high tide and low tide, with light current.Fished on the same drifts and anchorages as halibut, so the windows near slack when a jig or bait holds bottom fish best. Tide response itself is not documented by agencies.
Light
Little tied to dawn and dusk.
Pressure
Little response to pressure changes.
Wind and sea limits
20 kt of wind and 7 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

Pacific cod school over mud, sand and gravel bottoms and shelf edges, moving shallower than 300 feet in summer and deeper to spawn in winter. Drop a heavy metal jig or a lead-head with a herring or squid strip to the bottom in 100 to 300 feet and work it a few feet up. They often come up on the same drifts as halibut, and a school can mean fast fishing once you find it.

Methods
jigging, bottom bait fishing, drift fishing
Lures
metal diamond or cod jigs, lead-head jigs with grubs, shrimp fly teasers, glow hoochies
Bait
herring, squid, octopus, clams

Regulations

ADF&G saltwater regulations Buy a Alaska fishing license License types

Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Synced with ADF&G Oct 31, 2026.

No reviewed pacific cod rule for Alaska is on file yet. Check with ADF&G before you keep one.

Other Alaska species