CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Nome, Norton Sound, AK Daily Water Report — October 4, 2026

Nome gets a qualified go for boating, sailing, kayaking and diving today, with the usual October footnote in capital letters: the water is cold, the air is colder, and a decent-looking forecast is not a safety certificate. The best all-round window is late morning into early afternoon. The 10:21 AM high tide overlaps the 9:04–11:04 AM solunar major period, while daylight is established after the 9:18 AM sunrise. North-northeast wind is a manageable 6 knots representative, though gusts have reached 20 knots around midnight and the day’s wind range runs to 11.4 knots. Seas are modest rather than glassy: 0.46 m at 4.2 seconds, with a 0.38 m short-period swell from the east-southeast and 0.22 m wind waves. The day’s calmest wave height is forecast near 10 PM at 0.42 m, but that comes after sunset and is not much use for most daylight water plans. Boating leads the board at 8.5/10, followed by sailing at 7.7, wildlife at 7.3, kayaking at 7.2 and diving at 7.0. Those scores reflect workable wind and waves, but the 6.6 C sea-surface temperature demands serious exposure protection and conservative margins. Diving conditions may be orderly on the surface, yet the reported 79 km atmospheric visibility says nothing about underwater visibility. Fishing is a middling 5.8/10: the late-morning solunar period and high tide help, while falling pressure near 994 hPa and the cool, shifting setup keep expectations measured. The 6:08 PM low tide is another timing point for shoreline-oriented plans, close to the 15:34–16:34 minor period. Compared with the recent CatchWindow record, boating improves from 7.1 yesterday and kayaking rebounds from 5.7, while fishing remains below the stronger scores seen earlier in the week. Sailing eases from yesterday’s 9.2 but remains favorable. Monday through Wednesday look comparatively gentle, with waves mostly 0.2–0.6 m and light peak winds. Conditions turn notably rougher Thursday into the weekend, when waves may reach 2.1 m, winds strengthen and precipitation chances rise. Best bet: launch late morning, use the high-tide window, and treat warm dry gear as essential equipment—not an optional accessory.