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Situk River Fishing Report

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

Yakutat’s legendary river: the Situk packs steelhead and all five salmon into eighteen miles.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
168 cfs
Air / High
63 / 64 F
Wind
WSW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 15129500, 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Situk River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 168 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 5 mph, falling pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 64. Water sits around 66 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 salmonExcellent

Peak interception: downriggers on the feeding lanes, mooching where the fleet permits. River mouths stage fish late summer: the estuary bite runs on tide changes.

Rainbow troutExcellent

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

SteelheadFair

First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 59 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 from Situk River near Yakutat.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 15129500.

96163231168 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp63 F
High / Low64 / 47 F
WindWSW 5-11 mph
Pressure1021.0 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:22 / 20:11
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 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 · Overcast, 64/47 F, wind 8 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Situk River: 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. Peak interception: downriggers on the feeding lanes, mooching where the fleet permits. River mouths stage fish late summer: the estuary bite runs on tide changes.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Best: Oct-Apr

Lake-run rainbows that turn tributaries into winter fisheries. First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

When to come: the Situk River 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
Rainbow trout
Steelhead
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Situk River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Chinook salmon led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Chinook salmon led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Chinook salmon led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 plus king salmon stamp where applicable. Steelhead and salmon rules per current ADFG Yakutat-area regulations.

Access

Road access from Yakutat to several river points; walk-in trails and raft floats with local shuttles.

About this water

An eighteen-mile river from Situk Lake to the Gulf of Alaska near Yakutat, Alaska.

Fishing Situk River: the full guide

A short river with enormous runs

The Situk River runs just eighteen miles from Situk Lake to the Gulf of Alaska near Yakutat, and into that short distance crowd runs that make it one of the most productive rivers per mile in North America: steelhead in spring and fall, all five Pacific salmon species, plus Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout. Anglers fly to Yakutat specifically for it.

Steelhead first

The spring steelhead run, peaking in April and May, is the river’s signature: thousands of fish in a small river, taken on flies, jigs and bait through the runs and pools. A fall run follows in September and October. The river is small enough to fish thoroughly and crowded enough during the peak that etiquette matters.

Salmon and Dollies

Sockeye arrive in June, kings in June and July, then pinks, chums and coho through late summer and fall: the river essentially never lacks fish between May and October. Dolly Varden follow the salmon, feeding on eggs, and provide excellent action on beads and small streamers behind the spawners.

Yakutat logistics

Access is by road from Yakutat to several points, with a rough road reaching the upper river and a walk-in trail system. Rafts float the river, and local outfitters provide shuttles. Yakutat is reached by scheduled flights from Juneau or Anchorage: there is no road connection. Brown bears are numerous: fish accordingly.

Common questions

Why is it so famous?

Enormous runs in a tiny river: steelhead in spring and fall plus all five salmon species in eighteen miles of water.

When is the steelhead peak?

April and May for the spring run, with a fall run in September and October.

How do I get there?

Fly to Yakutat from Juneau or Anchorage: there is no road connection to the rest of Alaska.

Is fishing good at Situk River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Sitka227 miSeward346 miKenai Lake349 miLittle Susitna River362 miRussian River366 miSkilak Lake379 mi
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