Species guide · Alaska
Rockfish fishing in Alaska
Sebastes spp., a nearshore species also called rock cod, rockcod and black bass. Listed for the Alaska region. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Port Heiden to Nelson Lagoon out to 15 NM at 67, one of 38 Alaska bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Shoulder seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Alaska
Shoulder season, about 1 more week- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Off season
- Apr: Off season
- May: Peak season
- Jun: Peak season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Off season
- Nov: Off season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: May to Aug. In season (shoulder or peak): May to Sep.
Research notes, Alaska region
Aggregate of the Sebastes species anglers catch together. Alaska: black, dusky, dark and yellowtail (pelagic) plus yelloweye, quillback, copper, China, canary and tiger (demersal). Pacific NW: black, blue/deacon, canary, copper, quillback, yellowtail, china, vermilion. California: blue, black, gopher, kelp, olive, copper, brown and vermilion nearshore; bocaccio, chilipepper, starry, greenspotted and vermilion on the shelf. Sitka: best May to August, and rockfish go much deeper in winter. Southeast demersal shelf rockfish (yelloweye and relatives) have a short 2026 season (Jul 1 to Aug 25, nonresident annual limit of one) and deepwater release devices are required.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 38
Alaska bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's rockfish score this hour.
Best window today 8-11 PM (68) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 9 AM (69) · 29 named spots
Best window today 7-10 PM (68) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 8 PM (68) · 50 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (68) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 9 PM (68) · 42 named spots
Best window today 7-9 PM (68) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 8 PM (68) · 7 named spots
Best window today 8 AM-12 PM (65) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 9 AM (66) · 40 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (63) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 9 AM (67) · 112 named spots
Best window today 1-6 PM (65) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (69) · 423 named spots
Best window today 8-9 AM (61) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 10 AM (66) · 18 named spots
Best window today 2 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 10 AM (67) · 184 named spots
Best window today 1-6 PM (65) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (69) · 378 named spots
Best window today 3 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 1 PM (69) · 33 named spots
Best window today 1-6 PM (64) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (67) · 81 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (65) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (69) · 37 named spots
Best window today 3-7 PM (65) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 12 PM (68) · 28 named spots
Best window today 3-7 PM (61) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 11 AM (68) · 36 named spots
Best window today 1-6 PM (63) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (67) · 151 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 5 PM (67) · 186 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (65) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 10 AM (68) · 114 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (63) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (66) · 34 named spots
Best window today 9 AM-1 PM (65) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 12 PM (66) · 28 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (64) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (68) · 23 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (64) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 10 AM (67) · 215 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (64) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (68) · 108 named spots
Best window today 8 AM-6 PM (57) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 5 PM (67) · 153 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (64) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 9 AM (68) · 44 named spots
Best window today 2-7 PM (62) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 10 AM (69) · 84 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (63) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 8 AM (67) · 100 named spots
Best window today 1-6 PM (62) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (68) · 12 named spots
Best window today 8 AM-12 AM (58) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 8 AM (66) · 55 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (63) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (67) · 130 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (61) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 8 AM (67) · 3 named spots
Best window today 1-6 PM (60) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 10 AM (65) · 8 named spots
Best window today 2-6 PM (61) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 8 AM (67) · 5 named spots
Best window today 8 AM-12 PM (58) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 9 AM (68) · 162 named spots
Best window today 8-10 AM (47) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 7 AM (58) · 2 named spots
Best window today 9-11 AM (57) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (65) · 4 named spots
Best window today 6-10 PM (55) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 3 PM (61) · 39 named spots
Not scored in this forecast: Adak to Kiska Bering Side, Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin out to 15 NM, Cape Espenberg to Motherwood Point out to 10 NM, Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island out to 15 NM, Cape Krusenstern to Cape Thompson out to 15 NM, Cape Stephens to Moses Point out to 15 NM, Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort out to 15 NM, Dall Point to Kwikpak Pass out to 15 NM, Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point out to 15 NM, Guam Coastal Waters, Kiska to Attu Pacific Side, Koror Palau Coastal Waters, Kwikpak Pass to Cape Stephens out to 15 NM, Moses Point to Sledge Island out to 15 NM, Motherwood Point to Cape Krusenstern out to 10 NM, Nikolski to Seguam Bering Side out to 15 NM , Nikolski to Seguam Pacfic Side out to 15 NM, North Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM, Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 NM, Rota Coastal Waters, Saipan Coastal Waters, Sledge Island to Wales out to 15 NM, South Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM, Tinian Coastal Waters, Unalaska Bay, Unimak Pass, Wales to Cape Espenberg out to 15 NM and Yap Coastal Waters.
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 44°F to 64°F, best between 48°F and 58°F.
- Water depth
- 10 to 400 ft of water.
- Structure
- Reef, pinnacle, kelp, ledge, jetty, point, bank and wreck, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and moving water, with light current.Schooling black and blue rockfish rise off the up-current side of reefs when water is moving. ODFW notes incoming tides fish best for black rockfish from shore. On the outer coast, drift speed from wind and current matters more than tide stage.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 6 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
- Methods
- vertical jigging, drift fishing, dropper-loop shrimp fly rigs, casting swimbaits over kelp, shore fishing from jetties, fly fishing for black rockfish
- Lures
- lead-head jigs with plastic grubs or worm tails, shrimp flies, metal jigs, swimbaits, casting jigs
- Bait
- squid strips, herring, anchovy, sand shrimp, marine worms, octopus
Regulations
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Synced with ADF&G Sep 18, 2026.
No reviewed rockfish rule for Alaska is on file yet. Check with ADF&G before you keep one.