Area Sport Fishing Reports
Yakutat

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 11, 2022

Check out the new gofishak interactive map to discover popular fishing locations and information on species run timing, fishing gear selections, and boat and angler access tips!

Freshwaters

Sockeye Salmon

Fishing for sockeye salmon is winding down. Too many pinks in the river will make it hard to hook into sockeye. Fishing may be better in the upper reaches above 9-mile bridge. Try using coho flies or single octopus hooks with brightly colored yarn attached, with split-shot weights positioned about 3-4 feet up from the hook. Try drifting your gear through holding waters or runs that have decent current to decrease the likelihood of snagging the fish.

King Salmon

King salmon fishing opened on the Situk River downstream of the weir on Sunday, July 24th, at 12:01am. The daily bag and possession limits are one king salmon 20 inches or greater in length and 10 king salmon less than 20 inches in length. Nonresident anglers have an annual limit of two fish over 20” in length. Fishing above the Situk River weir remains closed to the retention of king salmon. Any king salmon caught upstream of the weir must not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Anglers are reminded that in order to sport fish for king salmon you must be in possession of a valid 2022 king salmon stamp.

Fishing has been very slow due to the high water and the run has essentially ended.

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon have flooded the Situk River over the past week. The Situk River weir stopped counting fish on August 5th. At that time over 85k pinks had been passed through the weir with thousands arriving every day. Try pitching any brightly colored lure or drifting small flies or hooks with yarn in deep runs or holding water. Fishing is excellent right now.

Coho Salmon

A few silvers have entered the Situk River, but not many have passed the weir. As of August 5th, the last day of counts, only 42 silvers had passed the weir. Some smaller silvers were landed this week in the lower Situk. Silvers are notoriously aggressive fish so really anything can be used to catch them. If pitching lures like spinners, spoons, jigs, or plugs don't work, try using smaller gear like drifting flies or octopus hooks with a little brightly colored yarn or corkies along the bottom. Remember, no treble hooks are allowed on the Situk River, so switch out your treble hooks off your spinners and other lures with single siwash hooks.

Saltwaters

King Salmon

Sportfishing for king salmon is open in Yakutat area marine waters. Reports of fishing by trollers and sport anglers in Yakutat Bay continue to be good over the last week. Kings have been reported to be caught in the islands, out front, and out near the pinnacles in the middle of Yakutat Bay. Most anglers are trolling spoons, hoochies, or herring behind a flasher 20-30 feet down along the beaches in about 40-60 feet of water.

Anglers are reminded that in order to sport fish for king salmon you must be in possession of a valid 2022 king salmon stamp.

Coho Salmon

Fishing for silvers in the salt has been spotty over the last week. Typically silver fishing is good right now, but they haven't moved into the bay in great numbers yet. Try trolling herring or spoons or hoochies in about 40-60 feet of water or try mooching when you find a school of silvers.

Make sure you know how to identify between silvers and smaller chinook and pink salmon. If you do not have a valid 2022 king salmon stamp you may not fish for or harvest king salmon. Also, only king salmon greater than or equal to 28" may be retained in salt waters.

Halibut

Halibut fishing has has improved some over the last week. Pacific dogfish have diminished some but still make it difficult to get past them to get into halibut. Anglers are moving further back into the bay near the glaciers to get into colder water where the dogfish tend to avoid. Halibut, however, have started to be caught within the islands and closer to shore inside the bay and might be a good place to get away from the dogfish while halibut follow pink and coho salmon salmon closer inshore. Try soaking all sorts of baited circle hooks with bait such as herring, salmon heads, carcasses, octopus, squid, etc.

Lingcod

Fishing has been excellent for lingcod in the Yakutat area, with good catches being reported. Try using all sorts of jigs, darts, or cut-plug herring while mooching

Rockfish

Fishing for pelagic rockfish should be excellent in the Yakutat area. Try using all sorts of jigs, dart, or cut-plug herring while mooching.

For further information, please contact the Yakutat Area Sport Fish management biologist Jason Pawluk at (907) 784-3222.

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