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Situk River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Yakutat's Situk: an 18-mile river that ADF&G says holds the largest known steelhead population in Alaska.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,110 cfs
Air / High
44 / 50 F
Wind
S 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 15129500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

Situk River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 1,110 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 3 mph, falling pressure near 1030 hPa and a high of 50. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:56 AM-11:56 AM and 10:32 PM-12:32 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

SteelheadGood

Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Chinook salmonSlow

Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Tomorrow: Similar at 46 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Situk River near Yakutat.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 15129500.

6951,4102,1251,110 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 38 years of October 23

At 1,110 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 15129500 (Situk River near Yakutat) is at the 93rd percentile for the date: much above normal. In half of the 38 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 398 cfs; the highest was 1,520 cfs and the lowest 99 cfs.

p10 180median 398p90 1,025

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 15129500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp44 F
High / Low50 / 32 F
WindS 3-9 mph
Pressure1029.5 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 98%
Sunrise / Sunset08:16 / 17:46
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)43 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Situk River this week

The best day on Situk River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:56 AM-11:56 AM and 10:32 PM-12:32 AM
Minor period
4:29 AM-5:29 AM
Sun
08:16 to 17:46
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Storms, 8 mph
Rain chance
98%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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

Seasons follow the runs: spring, summer and fall runs on the West Coast, and late summer into fall in Great Lakes rivers

The largest Pacific salmon, caught by trolling and mooching at sea and by drifting and plunking in rivers as adults return to spawn; also stocked in the Great Lakes. Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Great Lakes tributaries from fall through spring; West Coast rivers have both summer and winter runs

Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate to the Pacific or the Great Lakes to grow, then return up rivers to spawn; unlike most Pacific salmon they can survive spawning and spawn again. Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

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 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 45 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 41 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 34 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 52 F, wind to 34 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 sport fishing license. Situk drainage (ADF&G 2025 Yakutat special regulations): single hooks, unbaited artificial lures or flies only; king salmon closed unless opened by emergency order; coho 2 a day, 16 inches or longer; reach-specific seasons. Check ADF&G emergency orders before fishing.

Access

Forest Highway 10 to Nine Mile Bridge (Forest Service ramp and tent platforms); float to the lower Situk landing; trails on the upper and lower river.

About this water

An 18-mile river from Situk and Mountain lakes to the Situk-Ahrnklin estuary near Yakutat, Alaska.

Fishing Situk River: the full guide

Short river, big run

ADF&G describes the Situk as flowing about 18 miles from two lakes, Situk Lake and Mountain Lake, into the Situk-Ahrnklin estuary on the Gulf of Alaska. The department calls it home to the largest known steelhead population in Alaska and one of the most productive rivers of its size in the state. In its 2018 article, the lower-river weir had counted an average of over 6,000 post-spawn steelhead a year over the previous decade, with a high of over 15,000 in 2006.

Steelhead and other fish

ADF&G refers to spring and fall steelhead seasons and lists all five Pacific salmon, Dolly Varden, rainbow trout and eulachon in the river. Its Yakutat area page points to spring steelhead and Dolly Varden fisheries, and to steelhead, coho and king salmon near the mouth.

Gear and seasons

ADF&G's 2025 Yakutat special regulations make the whole drainage single-hook water, up to two single hooks per line, with unbaited artificial lures or flies only, all year. King salmon fishing is closed unless opened by emergency order, and coho are 2 a day, 16 inches or longer. Three reaches have their own seasons: mouth to the railroad bridge ruins, October 15 to June 14 (anglers 60 and older may fish it all year); from markers 2 miles above Nine Mile Bridge to markers 2 miles below Situk Lake, May 16 to April 14; and within 50 yards of Nine Mile Bridge, August 16 to June 14. In summer 2026 ADF&G also closed water near the weir and Nine Mile Bridge by emergency order.

Getting there

Forest Highway 10 runs from Yakutat across the Situk at Nine Mile Bridge, where the Forest Service keeps a launch ramp and tent platforms; ADF&G describes a 13-mile float from there to the lower Situk landing. The department notes daily jet service to Yakutat from Juneau and Anchorage, three Forest Service cabins in the watershed, and asks anglers to tread lightly and pack out trash and line.

Common questions

Why is the Situk well known?

ADF&G calls it home to the largest known steelhead population in Alaska, and its weir has counted thousands of steelhead a year.

Can I use bait?

No. ADF&G allows only unbaited artificial lures or flies, on single hooks, throughout the drainage.

Can I fish for king salmon?

Not unless ADF&G opens the river by emergency order; the 2025 regulations close it to king salmon fishing.

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

Nearby waters

Sitka227 miSeward346 miKenai Lake349 miRussian River366 miSkilak Lake379 miLittle Susitna River386 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 15129500 — Situk River near Yakutat
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 59.4800, -139.5500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.