CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Port Alexander, AK Daily Water Report — October 6, 2026

Port Alexander gets a qualified go for fishing and shoreline exploring, but it is not a mellow-water day. Fishing leads the board at 7.6/10 and wildlife at 7.4/10, while boating, kayaking and diving sit in the middle range. The reason is simple: winds are generally manageable after the overnight blow, but a substantial southwest swell remains in charge. The best all-around daylight window is late morning, roughly 8:45 to 10:45 AM, overlapping a solunar major period and the 10:54 AM high tide of 2.89 m. Pressure is rising toward 1019 hPa, and the representative south-southwest wind is only 5 knots, though gusts remain a consideration after a 30.5-knot gust around 3 AM. A second fishing-oriented window arrives from 3:16 to 4:16 PM, close to the 4:43 PM low of 0.95 m. The evening major period, 8:46 to 10:46 PM, lines up with the 10:39 PM high tide of 3.10 m, but darkness, rain and exposed-water swell make that a more demanding proposition. The tradeoff is the sea state: waves are running about 2.74 m at 9.75 seconds, driven largely by a 2.66 m swell from 245 degrees. That is not a small-craft detail to wave away. Boating scores 5.8/10 and kayaking 5.5/10 despite lighter daytime wind because the swell is persistent; the day’s calmest wave height is still 2.4 m near midnight. Diving also reaches 5.8/10, but 11.4 C water, rain through the day and only 5.46 km atmospheric visibility argue for conservative expectations. That visibility figure is not an underwater-clarity reading. Compared with the last few days, conditions improve notably from the windier October 3–5 stretch: fishing, boating, kayaking and diving scores all rise, while sailing slips to 4.4/10 because the sea has more authority than the breeze. Expect damp, cool air around 9–12 C and a gray sky to keep the comfort margin narrow. The outlook improves steadily for sea conditions: waves ease to 1.3–1.7 m Wednesday, around 1.2–1.3 m Thursday, and 1.0–1.2 m Friday before building again Sunday. Rain chances remain high Wednesday, then drop sharply Thursday through Saturday. Best bet: fish the late-morning high-tide window, but treat the southwest swell like the skipper in charge.