CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Village Cove, St Paul Island, AK Daily Water Report — October 8, 2026

Village Cove is a selective yes for experienced sailors, but a firm no-fuss day for everyone else: the sea state is doing the talking. Sailing carries the strongest activity score at 7.8/10, while boating is 4.7, diving 5.1, fishing 5.6 and kayaking just 3.3. Those are planning signals, not safety clearances, and the 3.9 m combined sea is the main reason to take them seriously. A southwest wind around 16 knots, gusting 21 knots at the representative reading, is only part of the story. Winds range much higher through the day, with a 56-knot gust forecast around 3:00 AM, while wave heights run 3.4 to 4.9 m. The calmest water is near midnight at 3.42 m—not exactly a glass-off—and the dominant southwest swell is 2.98 m at 9.8 seconds. Add nearly a metre of short-period wind wave and a north-northeast-setting current near 0.58 m/s, and small-craft comfort is in short supply. The most workable daylight interval is after the late-morning low tide at 11:14 AM and into the early-afternoon solunar major period, 12:46 to 2:46 PM, before the 5:43 PM high tide. That is the best timing available for fishing, but falling pressure near 1001 hPa and the exposed marine conditions keep the outlook moderate rather than rosy. Air visibility is forecast around 32 km under clear skies, though that says nothing about underwater visibility. Water is cold at 7.1 C, and the air feels closer to 2.4 C than its 7.8 C reading. Compared with the recent CatchWindow record, sailing is essentially steady from yesterday’s 7.9, boating is unchanged at 4.7, and fishing has edged up from 5.4. Kayaking, however, has slipped from 4.4 as the water has become less forgiving. Friday and Saturday remain rough, with waves generally 3.7 m or higher. A more meaningful easing arrives Sunday, then improves further Monday and Tuesday as seas trend toward 1.3–2.3 m Tuesday, though temperatures stay chilly. Best bet: if you have the vessel, experience and margin for this sea, use the early-afternoon tide-and-solunar overlap; otherwise, let Village Cove keep its whitecaps to itself.