Area Sport Fishing Reports
Yakutat

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 31, 2023

An excellent resource for planning a trip is the gofishak interactive map for Yakutat which provides information on popular fishing locations, species run timing, fishing gear selections and boat and angler access.

Freshwaters

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon fishing is winding down on the Situk River. Fish have turned and are currently spawning.

Coho Salmon

Coho fishing is good on the Situk River right now. Water levels will be refilled this week with expected rainfall which will be good for pushing some coho into the river. Coho ratios in the lower river are good now too with the decline of the pinks. The best area to fish is still the lower river, however, the middle river has fish as well if you can get there.

Saltwaters

King Salmon

Sportfishing for king salmon is open in Yakutat area marine waters. King fishing is very slow. The best location to get into a king would be inside the islands near Log Dump or Johnstone Pass. Most anglers troll spoons or herring behind a flasher in about 40-80 feet of water along the shoreline or around pinnacles.

  • Anglers are required to have a king salmon stamp when targeting king salmon.
  • All king salmon less than 28" must be released.

Coho Salmon

Fishing for coho continues to be red hot this last week in the salt water. The best fishing continues to be on the outside of Kahntaak Island, and near Point Munoz and Ocean Cape. Fishing is decent inside the islands as well. Limits are being caught. Anglers are trolling herring, spoons, and hoochies with flashers, or you can mooch for them once you find a school. Anglers should be able to identify the different salmon species so as not to inadvertently or illegally keep a king salmon.

Halibut

Reports from anglers over the last week indicate fishing for halibut has improved a little but is still very tough. The biggest issue continues to be dogfish. They have moved back into the area and are affecting success rates for halibut. The majority of halibut being caught conitnue to be smaller, but some nice ones have been brought in this last week. As the pink and coho salmon move further into Yakutat Bay fishing for halibut should improve within the islands.

Lingcod

Fishing for lingcod continues to be excellent. Try using jigs, darts, or mooching cut-plug herring near rocky structures or pinnacles.

Rockfish

Fishing for rockfish is excellent in the Yakutat area. Try working small jigs or darts or mooching herring near any rocky structures or pinnacles under the water for the best results.

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

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