As the day's first sunshine hit the water, I began wading downriver in search of fresh fish and indelible memories. Dolly Varden are easily taken on beads and egg imitations when they match spawn in the river, and small swung streamers that resemble baitfish. This new direction is wonderful news for places like the Yakutat Forelands and so many others across the Tongass National Forest. Parts of steelhead resolve into whole fish. Tie into a long egg loop knot then dunk it and wring it out and trim it up to a smooth round ball. Single-hooks only. This trail follows the river for a mile then turns inland, crosses the Old Situk, and returns to the river at the Forest Service's Eagle and Raven Cabins. This area includes numerous streams and rivers that have similar characteristics as the Situk: clean water, a meandering channel, perfect spawning gravel and slow tributaries. We do have drift boats for you, he said. There were a lot of fish compared to what Ive grown accustomed to in the Lower 48, but there were a lot more people than I am accustomed to. It took real persistence and attention to detail to hook fish on the third day. is considered the best in the world. We took turns rowing through log jams and one time in a long, shallow rapid when I was on the sticks and Shannon was watching for rocks, we missed one, or rather, we didnt miss it. It might be the land of giants but a person should keep expectations in check. Drifting down this clear water river with is pools and runs provide the perfect arena for catching one of the hardest fighting, fast action fish there is to catch. Five or six boats may go over a pod of fish in 15 minutes. The spring steelhead season extends through the end of May, during which, the saltwater fishing halibut . Closer to the weekend, and with the river low and clear, our hook-up ratios dropped considerably. My brother-in-law caught one that day and lost a couple of others. Fishing on six fabulous river systems of the Yakutat Alaska area is just a short flight with our air taxi partner. The natural-run Yakutat steelhead fishing is considered the best in the world. There are multiple bank access fishing spots along the Situk River Trail, beginning at the Nine Mile bridge. Riverbed's trained technical support staff is committed to providing world-class expertise and assistance. Fall fish enter the Situk from August through December, while spring fish come in as early as March and as late as mid-June (with the majority arriving in late April and early May). 4Be sure to preface this number with the international access and carrier code for your network. The Situk River is one of the most prolific and popular salmon and trout systems in the National Forest System. Jake looked at me. None of us would have met each other except for steelhead. While we were there, both fish moved up into the next long run, headed upstream to spawn. The Situk is accessed at the top end via a nine-mile bridge and the float to the bottom takeout is 14 miles. Accelerator, Bulk Token Vernon Scharp with a bead-caught steelhead. Then for no apparent reason at all, fish will hit anything and everything you drift their way. Federal Building Every year anglers flock to Yakutat to cast their chance at catching a trophy steelhead or to fill their freezer with wild salmon. The lodges depend on happy customers. Truly a trip of a lifetime. The Situk can be crowded in the spring. Steelhead runs are categorized as spring, summer, fall, or winter and in southeast Alaska only fall and spring runs occur. With an annual return of 4,500-8,000 fish, the Situk hosts the largest steelhead run in the state. Support. Pro-tip:Fish Alaskasfavorite fishing lodges to visit. All five species of Alaskas Pacific salmon can be found in Yakutat, in addition to rainbow trout, steelhead trout, coastal cutthroat trout, and Dolly Varden. The river can be dangerous for . From swinging flies like the Dirty Hoh and Mini Intruder, to smaller offerings like our custom Liquid Wrench and of course the crazy but effective Garcia Glo Bug. To contact Gary Lewis, visit his website here. Shannon fought the fish in close after a five-minute battle and then turned it loose in the soft water. The Riverbed SteelHead CX series features dedicated WAN optimization appliances, ideal for organizations that want to improve application performance and data transfers served over a wide area network. Over the course of the rivers run, it only loses 1,640 feet of elevation. Two roads access the river, one at the mouth near the ocean and one about 12 miles upriver. ) or https:// means you've safely Alas, the Situk is not for the faint at heart or easily ruffled as it definitely takes more than it gives but again the reward of an ocean bright wild steelhead on the line is well worth all the efforts. As soon as it was gone, I fired a cast into the same run, hooked one and lost it. TTY:907-228-6222 My dad caught what may have been the biggest fish of the trip on the third day when the water was skinny. Official websites use .gov A .gov It was written in April 2017. Salmon runs fill the river from June through October and steelhead filter in beginning in the fall and in a larger spring run. Do the different thing to achieve different results. Kenai Peninsula Steelhead Fishing is primarily a fall pursuit and takes place on the southern Kenai Peninsula rivers: The Anchor, Deep Creek, Ninilchik and the Upper Kasilof. Alaska Fishing Steelhead Fishing Alaska. Contact Brocade for assistance. Over the course of the river's run, it only loses 1,640 feet of elevation. Over the years I have fine-tuned my technique and maximized my efficiency at hooking steelhead in this river; now a dozen hookups per day is not uncommon. Riverbed Global Support Email: support@riverbed.com. Shannon and I traded places at the oars, pointing the bow at a new obstacle at every turn, pulling away from it. Fortunately, the Forest Service is now listening to Alaskans and is moving to restore roadless-area protections for the Tongass. Use of bait is prohibited. These guys are the most popular fish on the market. There is heavy equipment in the boat launch area so anglers are being asked to not park near the launch or on the launch and yield space so the equipment can move around. And research indicates that a lot of Situk fish are caught many times. You can submit asupport case online. Trey, a 40-something from Wyoming, his dad, Vernon Scharp, my dad, Don, my brother-in-law Shannon Winters, and our friend Gary Davis shoved oars into oar-locks and threw our tackle bags into bow and stern. Photos by Gary Lewis & Trey Scharp. It was a portent of things to come. The SteelApp product line has been acquired by Brocade. Information, Mailing This makes boat travel very difficult, both drift and power boats. One of three steelhead hooked in front of a root wad, this 8-pounder went airborne time and again to throw the hook. With 4 species of wild salmon, the largest wild steelhead run in Alaska, resident Rainbows, Cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden, its no wonder so many anglers venture from far and wide to fish it. The rain had stopped and the river was dropping on Thursday, which was our best day. This trail joins up with the 10 mile ATV Trail and continues on to the Middle Situk Cabins. These fish winter beneath Situk Lake . to fit the number of guests, there are no traffic jams in the mornings when the fish are calling to you. These prodigious runs of fish, largely a function of the high quality habitat found in the Situk watershed, draw both anglers and wildlife. Marian Giannulis is the Alaska Communications & Engagement Director for Trout Unlimited. Subscriptions, Software & (That fish was first labeled a chinook salmon and, being the boy's first king, the party took it to town to get it weighed. We were hungry for steelhead. If you only know the names of two fish in the world, they'll probably be Salmon and Trout. The rainbow-striped 13-pounder (as told by the length and girth formula) took a deep-running Wicked Lures spinner and battled back and forth across the river, thrashing at the surface, taking dad a considerable ways downstream before it was brought to hand. So many times in my life I have found snappy fish with other snappy fish. United States. Add to that our top choices for custom beads along with hooks, pegs and indicators. Caught in the lower river, this fish was part of a group of grabby steelhead holding in front of a root wad. (0011 800 4 RVBD TAC) 1300 007 823 (RVBD) (3) What the longest game in MLB history says about baseball today, Fantasy women's basketball: Why to focus on guards early in your draft, Miami Heat celebrate Florida Panthers while trolling Boston Bruins and Milwaukee Bucks, Transfer Talk: Manchester United see Lautaro Martinez as a striker option, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Experience Management, Control There is no road that follows the water. Huge trees lay on their sides with limbs bare and curled, like rib cages of long-dead dinosaurs. Most of the Yakutat Forelands is within the Tongass National Forest and considered a roadless area, which means it has been spared from industrial logging and most road construction. Toll. Just being able to see the fish does not always mean they can be caught and there is always a certain degree of timing and perfection to every hook up which makes each fish very rewarding. The spring is the most popular and productive time to fish because it has a larger return of fish and longer and "warmer" days on the water. Anglers often float the stretch of river between the two access points. 5928 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Large Edward, . The Situk River: An Alaska Steelhead Mecca, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Skip to Main ContentSkip to Site NavigationSkip to Section Navigation State of Alaska myAlaska Departments State Employees Statewide Links Alaska Department ofFish and Game Search Terms Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Fishing Guides Nice report, always looking for new steelhead areas! Color and sizes of spinners, beads, worms, etc? The Yakutat Forelands, which are part of the Tongass National Forest, stretch from Yakutat Bay in the north to Dry Bay in the south. Call usabout family discounts, senior rates, & package fishing trip offers. Enterprises, Client Particularly when the water is low, anglers tend to pound the best steelhead water, ignoring the places where Dolly Varden seek refuge. Everywhere, rainbow-striped shadows darted through grasping roots and submerged branches, spooky in the clear water. But most would simply take off downstream, and sometimes upstream, never to be seen again. The downstream trail system is more extensive. Country / Region. On your own time, or accompanied by one of our experienced Yakutat fishing guide partners, you'll have absolutely the best time of your life. My first cast answered that query by producing a nice, dime-bright steelie. After rearing anywhere from one to four years in freshwater, these fish migrate to sea and grow at accelerated rates. The lower 14 miles are floatable from the Nine Mile Bridge down almost to the ocean and while that is not so unremarkable, the river is choked with wood. Some stocks of steelhead can travel hundreds of miles upriver to reach their spawning grounds. The only consolation was now he could cut 10-pound mono with that tooth. The Roadless Rule, which the Forest Service originally passed in 2001, prohibits commercial logging and new logging roads in 9.4 million acres of roadless areas in the Tongass. Where the river bent hard left, I had Shannon hold back while I fired a spinner into deep water along a log. The next days would be clear and warm. Photo courtesy of Trey Scharp. I turned the handle of the reel, felt the slow thump of the blade in the soft rod tip, felt it load up. Roads have already left their mark on Yakutat. Anglers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world come to the Glacier Bear Lodge each. This river, defined as it is by wood which can move around from day to day or week to week, changes so much that good holes come and go faster than any river I have ever seen. In any pod of fish, I like to think that at least one is a biter. The Situk River is one of the most productive and popular salmon and trout systems in Southeast Alaska and the National Forest System. Stream-side cabin accommodations. There could be fresh fish in the river any day of the season and the first person on any stretch of water has the best shot at the biter. Ketchikan, AK 99901-6591, Phone:907-225-3101 Steelhead Trout. "After Tony hooked his second fish in the first 10 minutes of our float, I started to believe in the magic of metal," author Randall Bonner writes of their experience. Miller, the founder of the non-profit museum and owner of the shop, sells gear and provides fishing reports for thousands of anglers who visit or wish they could visit the Situk River, a 16-mile river famous for its massive production of steelhead trout and salmon. 50, Man United in pole position for top four, but can't take their eyes off Liverpool, The VAR Review: Red cards for Jota, Skipp; Richarlison penalty claim, Zags, Vols have gained spots in men's WTE Top 25, Titans quarterback Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day, After hoopla of going No. One trip for me and I have life-long friends.
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