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Sitka Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The outer-coast jewel: Sitka's ocean kings, halibut barn doors and whale-blown mornings where Alaska's blue water meets the volcano.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 2:02 AM
Air / High
70 / 71 F
Wind
WNW 5 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 9451600, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Sitka feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 71. Tides: high 7:13 AM and 6:31 PM, low 12:38 AM and 12:00 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 56 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Chinook salmonGood

Runs push upriver: back-bounce roe through the deep slots, pull plugs in travel lanes, twitch jigs in the frog water. Fresh fish move on every rise of water.

Rockfish (Pacific)Good

Fall's flat days produce the year's best quality: bigger baits, deeper structure, lings mixed in. Jetty and shore casters score blacks in the wash on swimbaits.

SurfperchFair

Prime time builds: bigger barred perch school ahead of spawning. Fish the storms' edges: two days after a blow, the rearranged holes hold concentrated fish.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 9451600 (Sitka). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW12:38 AM0.7 ft
HIGH7:13 AM6.7 ft
LOW12:00 PM4.4 ft
HIGH6:31 PM9.6 ft
Sat
LOW2:02 AM0.8 ft
HIGH8:57 AM6.6 ft
LOW1:32 PM4.9 ft
HIGH7:54 PM9.3 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp70 F
High / Low71 / 52 F
WindWNW 5-17 mph
Pressure1019.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:10 / 19:49
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~56 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 71/52 F, wind 7 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Sitka: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Chinook salmon illustration

Chinook salmon

Best: Jun-Sep ocean runs

The king: the Pacific's heavyweight, intercepted trolling the ocean feeding lanes or swinging rivers on the spawning run. Runs push upriver: back-bounce roe through the deep slots, pull plugs in travel lanes, twitch jigs in the frog water. Fresh fish move on every rise of water.

Rockfish (Pacific) illustration

Rockfish (Pacific)

Best: Apr-Oct open season

The Pacific reef's crowd: black, blue, vermilion and twenty cousins stacked on structure, biting like they mean it. Fall's flat days produce the year's best quality: bigger baits, deeper structure, lings mixed in. Jetty and shore casters score blacks in the wash on swimbaits.

Surfperch illustration

Surfperch

Best: Dec-Apr spawning surf

The Pacific surf's honest wage: barred and redtail surfperch schooling in the wash, paying anglers who read the beach. Prime time builds: bigger barred perch school ahead of spawning. Fish the storms' edges: two days after a blow, the rearranged holes hold concentrated fish.

When to come: the Sitka calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Chinook salmon
Rockfish (Pacific)
Surfperch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 56 F (estimated, not a reading).

405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~56 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Sitka today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Chinook salmon led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Chinook salmon led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Chinook salmon led the card at good. High of 61 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Alaska requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Alaska license + king stamp. Halibut: federal charter rules (size/day limits): check current. Rockfish: descending devices required.

Access

Crescent, ANB, Eliason harbors: charter fleet throughout: Starrigavan ramp north.

About this water

The outer-coast port of Baranof Island, AK. Ocean kings at the volcano's foot.

Fishing Sitka: the full guide

The outer coast advantage

Sitka faces the open Pacific from Baranof Island's outer shore: no long inside passage runs: the ocean fishery starts at the harbor mouth. Kings feed here year-round (the winter fishery is a local secret), the summer charter season stacks silvers and chinook at the sea-lion rocks, and halibut grounds spread within sight of Mount Edgecumbe's cone.

The salmon program

May-June kings run the outer coast's bait (herring balls under birds: trolled or mooched), July-August silvers school everywhere (limits by mid-morning routine), and the terminal returns bring fish to the harbor's doorstep. Sitka's fleet fishes tides and bait, not luck: the ocean's pantry sits unusually close.

Bottom and barn doors

Halibut trips work the 200-400-ft flats (whole herring and jigs: 100-pound fish true annually), yelloweye and lingcod fill the rockfish grounds (descending devices mandatory: the ethic is law here), and black bass swarm the kelp lines for light-tackle days. The combo trip: salmon dawn, halibut midday: is the Sitka standard.

Island practicalities

Sitka's harbors (Crescent, ANB, Eliason) serve the charter fleet and DIY skiffs: the ferry and jets connect: and the weather rules everything: the outer coast takes its swells seriously: fish the windows, respect the bar-less but reliable ocean. Bears on the streams and whales on the bait are the commute's scenery.

Common questions

When is king salmon season in Sitka?

May-June peaks the ocean troll, but Sitka's outer coast holds feeding kings essentially year-round: the winter fishery is the town's quiet pride. Check current AK/charter rules.

How big are Sitka halibut?

Charters average 20-40 pounds with 100-plus-pound fish weekly: the barn-door photos are real. Federal charter limits apply: check the current year's rules.

Is fishing good at Sitka right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Ketchikan185 miSituk River227 miSeward549 miKenai Lake556 miRussian River573 miLittle Susitna River582 mi
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