Area Sport Fishing Reports
Yakutat

Archived Sport Fishing Report

September 08, 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

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon fishing on the Situk River is winding down for finding fresh fish. Most pinks in the river have "turned" and are nearing spawning. Try pitching any brightly colored lure or drifting small flies or hooks with yarn in deep runs or holding water.

Coho Salmon

Silver fishing is decent right now on the Situk River at the time of this writing, but things are changing. Last weeks atmospheric river dropped over eight inches of rain in two days causing the Situk and other streams in the area to rise significantly. The river was almost unfishable for the entire weekend until about Tuesday of this week. The issue in the coming days is the next rain event which has started today and will last through Friday dropping about 3-4" of rain. Water levels will rise again but not as high as last weekend. Foot anglers are expected to have the more diffcult time reaching fish over the next few days, with boat anglers doing better.

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 have indicated that catch rates have slowed. Most kings being caught are done while trolling for coho. 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 picked up over the last week, but is still slower than normal. Anglers are doing alright along the outside of Kahntaak Island, but limits are not being attained. Other locations to try include the pinnacles and around Ocean Cape. Try trolling herring or spoons or hoochies 20-30 feet down in about 30-60 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 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 continued to be good this last week. Pacific dogfish and skates continue to make it a little difficult to get past them to get into halibut but have not deterred anglers from going out front. Some anglers are moving further back into the bay near the glaciers to get into colder water where the dogfish tend to avoid. The weather over the next two days will make it difficult to get out for halibut, but this weekends weather looks decent.

Halibut are being 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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