07 May Alaska Fishing Report: May 7, 2016
Spring is definitely upon us here in Alaska. Another mild winter and warmer than normal spring weather has things happening earlier than normal. This includes everything from the steelhead on the Situk to green leaves on the trees here on the Kenai Peninsula. Indeed, the summer fishing season is rapidly approaching and we cannot wait to see what unfolds. Before we turn our focus to the Kenai and fishing here in south central Alaska, lets first take a look at the 2016 steelhead season in southeast Alaska as it was one of the better trips we have seen down there in many years.
Much like our winter here on the Kenai, winter in Yakutat was very mild with little to no snow and plenty of open water on the Situk River. Much like last season, the steelhead run was earlier than normal and anticipating this trend, we moved our dates into early April this year. Our timing was excellent. We arrived just after a huge rain event and the water was higher than we have seen it in several years. The high water triggered huge schools of ocean bright steelies from the Pacific and fortunately, we were there to greet them with open arms and bent rods! The fishing was as good as it gets and we enjoyed excellent success with a variety of methods. As every seasoned steelhead angler knows, timing is everything with these anadromous rainbows and even though this trip is always a success and tons of fun, when you hit the run just perfect it is indeed something very special. If you missed out on this amazing adventure this year, here are some pictures to motivate you for 2017!:
