Story and photos by Pat Hoglund
Seeing is believing. There’s no other way to put it. How else can you wrap your head around the rumors that fly out of Alaska’s Situk River? For years I’ve sat stateside and listened to friends and acquaintances tell of 20 and 30 fish days on the Situk. I would sit and shake my head in disbelief all the while wondering if they were true.
To make it even more enticing reports of wild steelhead runs that surpass the 10,000 mark in an eight-week period bring a blank stare to your face leaving you to wonder if such a place really exists. When you factor in a river that is approximately 20 miles long, no more than 50 yards wide, and is 100 percent accessible, the Situk starts to become bigger than life. In your mind’s eye you’re suddenly shooting fish in a barrel. But like most things related to fishing, I figured the rumors were too good to be true. But still the thought of fishing over that many fish, in that small of a river, lingered in the back of my mind for years.
It wasn’t until last spring that I’d be able to find out for myself if the rumors were true. The moment of truth came this past May when Jack Hanselman and I flew from Portland to Yakutat. It was at a time when steelhead were supposed to be stacked in the river. The run peaks every year in May so our timing was right. We also managed to time our trip in between storms so the river was in great shape. After we checked in with Yakutat Lodge, which put us up for five nights and four days, we loaded into an eight-person passenger van and drove to the mouth of the river. With expectations that were on par with every story we’d ever heard we followed the river trail up to the fish weir. We were expecting to see steelhead stacked like cord word. But strangely enough, every hole was void of fish. It was, shall we say, a little disappointing.
We decided to walk out and drive to 9 Mile bridge where a series of trails led you to holes on the upper river. Again we anticipated the holes being full of fish, but they too were empty. It was at that point I blindly cast a Yarnie into a run on the opposite side of the river that I was introduced to my first Situk River steelhead. A cherry-striped buck burst out of the water and came crashing back down, then ran upriver with my hook embedded in its jaw. It not only caught me by surprise but it broke my heart when it swam under a log and snapped my leader. The weightless feeling left me shaking and disappointed. If nothing else, it gave me a sliver of hope that we’d catch some steelhead on our trip. Twenty fish days? We’d have to wait and see.
The next morning Jack and I ate breakfast, grabbed a drift boat from Yakutat Lodge and headed back to 9 Mile Bridge. This time we were going to float the river, which is a good 12 miles of river from the bridge to the mouth. We were loaded with just about every color known combination of jigs, pink worms and Yarnies. We were ready.
It wasn’t until we rowed about two miles downriver that we saw a hole full of steelhead. It was just like I heard. It was full of steelhead. Literally. Jack and I looked at each other in disbelief. “Holy shit.” Those were the only words I could muster. At that point we did what any two guys would do in that situation. We started casting to them. Fish in a barrel, right? They may have been thick as cordwood, but they were about as interested in our offerings as a school of coho in the Clackamas. I can’t remember how many casts we made, but we came to the conclusion that these fish weren’t going to bite. So we moved down river until we came to another hole that was loaded with steelhead. Funny thing happened. We didn’t catch a fish. So we moved downriver and again the same thing happened. Nothing.
Now keep in mind, the Situk River is a fairly shallow river and it’s crystal clear. It’s very easy to spot fish, and when you see 30 steelhead in one hole it’s easy to lose your head. You tend to think catching them will be like picking berries. It reminded me of my first college party. There were so many girls I had a hard time deciding which one to chase. Truth be told they wanted nothing to do with a freshman, so I sulked in the corner and drank beer with a bunch of my pledge brothers. The Situk was a lot like that. Tons of pretty girls, but most of them had plans that didn’t include me.
Later that afternoon we pushed around a corner and ran into Chris Young, a guide in southern Oregon who was on his own fishing vacation. He had just released a steelhead, and it was the sixth or seventh fish of the day. Chris offered up a handful of trout beads, and a couple rigging tips. We had plenty of floats and split shot, but in the bead department we had none. Chris was also fishing a centerpin outfit. Chris and his party rowed downriver and Jack and I started rigging up our spinning rods with size 8mm trout beads. The very next hole I hooked a steelhead, followed by Jack landing a nice steelhead. It was as if our luck was about to change. We had two more full days left to fish and we were excited about our chances.
We continued to work our way down the Situk stopping to fish over schools of steelhead that would make your head swim. Despite our best efforts our success was limited to the one hookup, and one landed fish. As we pulled the drift boat onto the trailer we couldn’t help but look forward to the next day. We had arranged to fish with Aaron Shook from Yakutat Lodge. He’s one of the most tenured guides on the river and he knows the river as well as anyone. We liked our chances even better.
That next morning we launched the drift boat at 9 Mile Bridge and Aaron started pushing downriver passing up hole after hole. My head was on a swivel. I couldn’t believe how many fish we passed up. Aaron is convinced that the most aggressive steelhead will always be in the lower river where they enter on the tides; so he made a beeline to the middle of the river before we strung up a fishing rod. He was right, too. Once we got to about the mid-way point we started fishing beads under a float. As he rowed downriver we cast to the edges where the water was deeper, there were more snags, and you couldn’t see any fish holding. After I hooked my first steelhead of the day the proverbial light came on in my head. Duh. I had to laugh. For two days the sheer volume of steelhead in the river blinded Jack and me, and we abandoned all common sense. Once Aaron reminded us that if we fished water with cover and depth our luck would improve. And it did. At the end of the day I don’t really recall how many steelhead were hooked, but it was a lot. As we pulled the boat onto the trailer that evening Jack and I were armed with enough information and enough optimism that would serve us well on our last day.
The next morning we launched the boat at 9 Mile Bridge and made our way down river. Because I'm bull headed, I couldn’t help myself. I stopped at the first hole knowing there were steelhead stacked up in it. I have always subscribed to the “don’t leave fish to find fish” theory and when you live in Oregon it’s a hard habit to break. So I cast into the hole and my rod buckled. Slightly. I hooked a 15-inch Dolly Varden. “Are you through screwing around?” asked Jack. I couldn’t argue so we rowed downriver to where Aaron put us onto our first fish the day before. And guess what? We hooked another fish there, and another and another. For the remainder of the day we pledged to fish spots that had two things in common: depth and cover. And you know what? We caught so many steelhead that we didn’t bother to count.
As we worked our way downriver we passed a lot of steelhead fishermen who were doing exactly what we did the days before. They were fishing big runs full of fish that it’s easy to lose count of how many steelhead were in it. They, too, had blank, dejected looks on their faces. Which leads me to the lesson I came away with after four days on the Situk: seeing steelhead is one thing, but not seeing them takes on an entirely different meaning.
Guide Post
Getting There: Located in southeast Alaska, the Situk River is accessible only by air or boat. It is the smallest community in the world to receive large commercial air service. There are several options available, but Alaska Airlines is your best bet to fly to Yakutat. Two flights per day from Anchorage and Juneau service Yakutat.
Access: Once in Yakutat you can access the river by vehicle. Trails originating at the mouth of the river access much of the river, as do trails starting from 9 Mile Bridge.
Drift Boat Rental: Several companies rent drift boats for a nominal fee. Contact Yakutat Lodge for more information, 907.784.3232.
Car Rental: Situk Leasing, 907.784.3316; Yakutat Auto Leasing, 907.784.3698.
Season: The steelhead season runs from late March through the first part of June, however the best fishing is in April and May. Snow can be a limiting factor in late March and early April.
Fish Counts: Steelhead are counted at the weir on the lower river. You can keep track of fish counts by logging onto the ADF&G’s website [www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FishCounts/]. To put in perspective the fish counts for the following years are listed: 2010: 5,250; 2009: 7250; 2008: 7,300; 2007: 12,500; 2006: 15,100; 2005: 12,300; 2004: 12,500; 2003: 8,000; 2002: 6,150; 2001: 6,400; 2000: 6,750; 1999: 9,200.
More Information: Situk River Fly Shop, 907.784.3087. Contact the US Forest Service in Ketchikan for camping, fishing and miscellaneous information, 907.225.3103.
Lodging: Contact the Yakutat Lodge for information on lodging and fishing packages, 907.784.3232 or 800.YAKUTAT. You can also log onto the lodge’s website [yakutatlodge.com] for more information.
Camping: For those anglers who don’t mind sacrificing comfort to be closer to the fish, there are several options to spend the night along the Situk. At a cost of $35 a night the Eagle and Raven USFS cabins offer a warm dry place to stay. They are located a little over three miles downstream from Nine Mile Bridge. Call the US Forest Service in Ketchikan for information, 907.225.3103.
Bears: Brown bears are very common in the Yakutat area, so it’s a good idea to carry bear spray with you should the need arise to ward off bears.
Non-Fishing Attractions: The Hubbard Glacier is probably one of the most spectacular non-fishing sight-seeing opportunities in the Yakutat area. Tours are readily available throughout the area.
Tackle Box
What to bring: Waders, boots, bug spray, bear spray, polarized sun glasses, stocking cap, rain jacket, camera, fleece jacket and plenty of clothes that can be layered.
Flies: Egg patterns fished under indicators seem to be the most common flies fished on the river, however in deeper water you can swing flies.
Fly Tackle: Fish a 9½- or 10½-foot, 7- or 8-weight fly rod. Fish a floating line with an indicator, or a short sink tip line with a 4-foot leader.
Center pin tackle: Fish a size 8mm trout bead under a float using split shot to float your bead straigt up and down in the water column. Fish 15-pound mono on your reel and use a 13-foot float rod.
Spinning gear: Fish a 9½- to 10-foot medium light spinning rod. On a 2500 or 3000 series reel run 20-pound braided line.
Spin Gear/Centerpin Tackle: Fish 8 mm trout beads pegged 2 inches above a size 4 hook. Fish those under a float. 3/8-ounce and smaller marabou jigs work well. 4-inch pink worms also work.
Regulations: Bait is not allowed and only single hooks are legal. All steelhead must be released.
River Flows: Flows above 200 cubic feet per second (CFS) are considered good in the spring which help to draw steelhead into the upper river. Anything between 200 and 300 is ideal. For more information go to [nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/ak/nwis]
License requirements: Resident Annual Sport Fishing License, $24; Nonresident 1 Day Sport Fishing License, $20; Nonresident 3 Day Sport Fishing License, $35; Nonresident 7 Day Sport Fishing License, $55; Nonresident 14 Day Sport Fishing License, $80; Nonresident Annual Sport Fishing License, $145.
Who to call: ADF&G in Yakutat, 907.784.3222