Area Sport Fishing Reports
Yakutat

April 10, 2024

Freshwaters

Steelhead Trout

Welcome to the 2024 Yakutat fishing report. Lets talk about the only game in town, steelhead. What are the highlights entering the 2024 steelhead season? Well, the first noiticable thing is the lack of snow pack. In recent seasons prior, there is typically a healthy layer of snow across the river banks and along the trails making it difficult getting around by foot. That is definitely not the case this year. Staff was able to easily access fishing locations above the 9-mile bridge this past weekend. So walking conditions are excellent on land in that regard. However, its never always that easy. A large number of trees have fallen during the winter due to high winds and have blocked some of the trails along the river so anglers will need to do some bush-whacking. And wading the river above 9-mile is still challenging due to more trees falling across the river. More fishing holes it seems have either been blocked by trees or have filled in due to high flows pushing gravel into them. Its challenging to find good fishing locations up high is the take home.

Water conditions on the Situk are excellent right now for walking and wading. The current water level on the Situk River is 276 cfs/in, which is close to prime for fishing and is excellent for wading. Boat travel is also good at these levels. Water temperatures are decent as well, with temps similar to those seen the previous two years. Adding all the environmental cues together one could surmise this sets up for slightly earlier run-timing or at least average run-timing.

So with regards to run-timing, what are we seeing in fish numbers so far? Well, there are some fish that have moved downstream from the lake earlier than we've seen in the previous few years. Staff observed fish spread throughout the upper section of the Situk above 9-mile Bridge. Reports have also been confirmed that there are some lake fish below 9-mile Bridge earlier than the previous few years. The Lower Situk river has been sparse in terms of reports and angling effort, so we don't have much information from down low. With water conditions and terrestrial conditions how they are currently and with the chilly weather that has persisited in the last week or more, I would guess run-timing to be average to maybe a slightly more earlier run. That means fresh spring run fish should start entering in good numbers down low around the 3rd week of April and end around the middle of May.

Saltwaters

King Salmon

Sportfishing for king salmon is open in Yakutat area marine waters. The staff has received no reports of sport fishing out in Yakutat Bay. Most anglers troll spoons or herring behind a flasher.

Halibut

Halibut fishing is slow.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing is closed until May 16th.

Rockfish

Fishing for rockfish should be excellent in the Yakutat area.

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