Seward Alaska provides direct access to Resurrection Bay and many more of Alaska’s most productive halibut fishing grounds. What’s unique about Seward is that it offers anglers a large variety of coves, sounds, and narrows where monster halibut thrive — all within a relatively short boat trip from Seward Harbor. In Seward, giant halibut are quite literally only a rod cast a away.
Even though Seward doesn’t have quite the reputation as Homer for halibut fishing, given its easy access and proximity to Anchorage, many anglers consider Seward the best halibut fishing location in Alaska.
Using Seward Harbor as a launching point, fisherman can access productive halibut fishing grounds throughout Resurrection Bay and along the entire Kenai Peninsula. Some of the top fishing spots accessible from Seward include Lowell Point, Thumb Cove, Fox Island and Rugged Island, to name just a few. Serious anglers will often venture into Prince William Sound to target monster halibut — but most fisherman stay within the vecinity of Resurrection Bay.
The following Seward Alaska halibut fishing map provides the location and GPS coordinates for the top halibut fishing spots near Seward Alaska and throughout Resurrection Bay. Click on a map marker for location details.
The following table provides the name and coordinates for each of the halibut fishing spots in the map above. To view the location in Google maps click the “Directions” link in the Location column.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Lowell Point | Can fish from shore but better success from boat 3 miles from Seward Coordinates: 60.07072704098399, -149.43417900149865 Directions |
| Tonsina Point | Good fishing at Tonsina Point but the water is a little shallow. For larger halibut fish deeper waters 4 miles from Seward Coordinates: 60.04795669943266, -149.43960421274076 Directions |
| Derby Cove | Halibut fishing is better toward the north bording Tonsina Point 5 miles from Seward Coordinates: 60.032695045102784, -149.43869323328911 Directions |
| Thumb Cove | Halibut fishing is descent but it tends to be overfish. An occassional halibut can be caught from shore 8 miles from Seward Coordinates: 60.00816990203647, -149.31122416058287 Directions |
| Caine's Head | Halibut fishing is best in deeper water past 300 feet 9 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.98274817659934, -149.38455072846332 Directions |
| Fox Island | Occasional halibut is caught from shore Sunny Cove on the south end is great for halibut fishing and setting anchor 12 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.91324430525854, -149.34946810405762 Directions |
| Calisto Head | Halibut fishing is best out to sea away from the boulders at the point 14.5 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.91921280655735, -149.46019931830034 Directions |
| Humpy Cove | Can try your hand at halibut fishing by kayak here 10 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.971683596648546, -149.305299843397 Directions |
| El Dorado Narrows | Descent area for halibut fishing 13 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.91815488075037, -149.31132346727986 Directions |
| Hive Island | Halibut fishing is best between 250-300 feet around the island 16 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.885347145111346, -149.36572735147047 Directions |
| Rugged Island | Halibut fishing is best at Mary's Bay and along the shelf that runs from the entrance of Mary's bay to the northern peninsula 17 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.859761437985114, -149.3853412734718 Directions |
| Emerald Cove | 17.5 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.875654691572336, -149.2910833730132 Directions |
| Cape Resurrection | Descent halibut fishing 18 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.86612742536893, -149.29185554241116 Directions |
| Day Harbor | 28 miles from Seward Coordinates: 60.008373775880706, -149.11844901063031 Directions |
| Agnes Cove | 24 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.778848028228005, -149.57925419956257 Directions |
| Cheval Narrows | Rocky bottom so watch your tackle 25 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.77299334533292, -149.52551488410558 Directions |
| Pony Cove | Descent halibut fishing and great anchorage location. Tends to get relatively crowded 27 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.750294539079306, -149.55510375013588 Directions |
| Pilot Rock | 28 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.74216334227661, -149.467331 Directions |
| Aialik Cape | Halibut fishing is best off sandy beach areas 30 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.707999828684265, -149.52264684510737 Directions |
| Aialik Bay | Halibut fishing is best in deeper waters off sandy beach areas 34 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.768996262129, -149.70884531151393 Directions |
| Chat Cove | Halibut fishing gets better as you move south into deeper waters towards Chat Island 33 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.72398380796152, -149.55597914275373 Directions |
| Cliff Bay | One of the deeper bays in the area (400'). Fishing is easier as you move into shallower waters in the bay 34 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.73080898559607, -149.5920488427186 Directions |
| Three Hole Bay | Halibut fishing is best at the north end of the bay where there are sandy bottoms 37 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.76406958071863, -149.62735471534214 Directions |
| Paradise Cove | Fish the southern end of the cove where the bottom is clay and gravel 39 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.75723446050227, -149.59172383219604 Directions |
| Bear Cove | Great place to anchor and fish for a while. 40 miles from Seward Coordinates: 59.79211863624994, -149.63676925397363 Directions |
Resurrection Bay is by far the most popular fishing location for anglers launching from Seward Harbor. Many anglers have pulled in catches from Resurrection bay weighing in over 350 lbs. However, most halibut caught in Resurrection bay weigh in between 20 and 35 lbs. For larger halibut, most anglers will move south east toward the Gulf of Alaska where waters are deeper.
Since the waters surrounding Seward Harbor and Resurrection Bay are typically calmer with less tide fluctuation and current than other fishing grounds, lighter weights and tackle can be used when fishing these waters for halibut. Where 4- to 5-lb sinkers are required to get bait on the bottom in open Alaska waters, a 2- to 3-lb weight in Resurrection Bay is usually sufficient.
The slower current in Seward and surrounding waters also allows anglers to use jigs to target large halibut. Jigging is an effective fishing method for targeting halibut in and around Seward.
For the adventurous angler, Seward is a top destination for halibut fishing from kayak. Seward has several beaches, coves, and inlets that are ideal for targeting halibut from kayak. With kayaks specially rigged for halibut fishing, anglers can target halibut from various locations in Resurrection Bay safely and effectively.
