Area Sport Fishing Reports
Yakutat

Archived Sport Fishing Report

April 07, 2015

Marine fishing

Chinook trolling has been good all last week and into this week. Trollers are getting limits of Chinook in the inner bays and up towards Chicago Harbor. Herring schools are still spread out in various areas but have not yet spawned. The spawn may temporarily slow angling as it typically attracts predators, but for now the feed fish are just attracting Chinook!

Mooching for Chinook can also be effective this time of year if you can find the baitfish schools.

Halibut angling has also reportedly been fair. Early season flatfish anglers may find halibut in shallower depths as they also come up for the spawning herring. Anglers have also caught good fish this time of year from shore by casting large spoons and bouncing them along slowly back to the beach.

Freshwater Fishing

Dolly Varden are starting to build up in high numbers in local streams. Salmon fry are abundant in the lower river stretches and are attracting the feeding Dollies. Dollies will greedily take fry pattern flies that are dragged quickly across the surface of the water, imitating an escaping salmon fry.

Cutthroat trout have moved up into spawning sites and are less abundant for now. Expect that they will move back out into holding pools as the spawn ends in a few weeks

Situk Steelhead Update

Steelhead angling has been very good for this time of year. Anglers have found fish in most stretches of the river although the higher than normal water flows have let the fish get up stream quickly, and the lower sections of the river have been slower. There seems to be a lot of smaller male fish up stream, although recent days have brought some larger females up into the spawning stretches. A few spawners have started already, which is a bit early. Heavy rains this week could slow the angling for a time.

Weather conditions in Yakutat in the early spring can limit your access to the Situk River. Anglers should be prepared for potential weather related delays and be aware that roads may become totally impassable quickly, with little warning.

More information is available on fishing opportunities by clicking on the link to the left, Information By Area,... and navigating through links for Yakutat,... Fishing Opportunities.

For further information, anglers can call Brian Marston at the ADF&G, Division of Sport Fish in Yakutat, at (907) 784-3222.