Steelhead & salmon
11′–13′6″ two-hand rod, 7–8 weight, Skagit head + sink tips · Steelhead and Pacific salmon
Open checklist
Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley
Juneau, Alaska's capital, has no road connection to the rest of the state.
- Alaska · West
- 6 waters
- 10 guides nearby
- 2 shops nearby
- JNU airport · 7 mi
Photo credit
The Mendenhall River below the Mendenhall Glacier and Mount Wrather, Tongass National Forest, Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Juliet Harrison, USDA Forest Service, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
More about Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley
Juneau, Alaska's capital, has no road connection to the rest of the state; north-west of downtown the Mendenhall River drains Mendenhall Lake below the Mendenhall Glacier, Montana Creek joins it in the valley, and the Glacier Highway runs north toward Cowee Creek.
Waters around Juneau
About this
Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.
Special-regulation trout waterPhoto credit
Pink salmon running up Montana Creek, Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Montana Creek
Alaska · 8 mi from Juneau
Special-regulation trout waterPhoto credit
Cowee Creek near Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cowee Creek
Alaska · 27 mi from Juneau
Steelhead / salmon waterPhoto credit
Windfall Lake in winter below the Coast Range, near Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Special-regulation trout waterPhoto credit
Mendenhall Lake and the Mendenhall Glacier in rain, seen from the visitor center, Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Jsayre64, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mendenhall Lake
Alaska · 10 mi from Juneau
Catch and releasePhoto credit
A Forest Service public-use cabin on West Turner Lake, near Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not McGinnis CreekPhoto credit
The Indian River in Sitka, Alaska. Photo: James Crippen, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not McGinnis Creek.
McGinnis Creek
Alaska · 13 mi from Juneau
Distances and official pages
The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Juneau. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.
- Montana Creek8 mi from Juneau in a straight line
- Cowee Creek27 mi from Juneau in a straight line
- Windfall Lake18 mi from Juneau in a straight line
- Mendenhall Lake10 mi from Juneau in a straight line
- McGinnis Creek13 mi from Juneau in a straight line
- Turner Lake20 mi from Juneau in a straight line
All gauge readings
The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage. Open a water for what the level means.
Reading the gauges around Juneau…
Meet local guides
About this
10 guide listings within 60 miles (0 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.
Fly shops nearby
About this
2 shop listings in the towns around Juneau, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.
Fish around Juneau
About this
Species the state agency lists on the waters here. A species listed for one water is not a promise for every water.
Sockeye salmon
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), illustration by Timothy Knepp for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Timothy Knepp of the Fish and Wildlife Service., public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cutthroat trout
Listed on 1 water here
Photo credit
Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii), photographed by James E. Johnson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: James E. Johnson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Agency species and seasons (8 waters)
Taken from the state agency pages of 8 waters around Juneau, each on its own water page with the agency link. Seasons are quoted word for word and apply to the water named.
- Rainbow trout2 waters
- Cutthroat trout1 water
- Sockeye salmon1 water
Species guides mention (10)
Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch.
- Chinook salmon9
- Halibut9
- Coho salmon6
- Rockfish & lingcod4
Things to know
Fishing license: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Fees on the agency page.
Getting there
JNU Juneau International Airport · 7 mi
Regulations and access
Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.
Official license and rules pages
Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.
Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.
Veteran-owned and veteran programs
About this
Near Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley. Each fact comes from the business's own website, an official register or an approved claim; the listing page links the source.
- 49th Fathom ChartersGuide · Juneau · 10 miMilitary discount · from their website
- Anglers Choice AlaskaFly shop · JuneauMilitary discount · from their website
The Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley area
About this
The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Juneau. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.
Map of the Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley area: its waters, shops and guides
Map of Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.
Restrooms near Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley
Restrooms near Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley
Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of 8 restrooms near Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 8 restrooms near Juneau & the Mendenhall Valley, numbered as in the list, with the town centre marked.
Restroom
0.2 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.3 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.3 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.5 mi away in a straight line- Flush toilet (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.5 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.6 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.8 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
1.1 mi away in a straight line- Wheelchair accessible (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Base yourself nearby
About this
Downtown Juneau has the most places to stay; Auke Bay and the Mendenhall Valley put you closer to Montana Creek and the Glacier Highway streams. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.
Nearest airports
About this
Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.
- JNU Juneau International AirportJuneau, AK · 7 mi · regionalSearch flights
- GST Gustavus AirportGustavus, AK · 47 mi · regionalSearch flights
- HNS Haines AirportHaines, AK · 76 mi · regionalSearch flights
Rough out the trip
About this
Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.
Estimates, not quotes
- Fishing licenseSee sourceAgency page
Source
One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by Alaska Department of Fish and Game; see the agency page.
Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Guided days5 rates pagesAlaska Bucket List AdventuresAdventures in AlaskaMiddle Island Lodge49th Fathom Charters
Source
1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 5 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.
Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied) - Find lodgingSee sourceSearch lodging
Source
Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.
Source: Lodging search link - FlightsSee sourceSearch flights
Source
Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to JNU (Juneau International Airport).
Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)
No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.
How we estimate
Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.
Parks, forests and visitor offices
About this
For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.
Gear checklist
About this
A steelhead and salmon fly-fishing checklist: a switch or spey rod (or 9′6″ single-hand) in 7–8 weight, Skagit lines and sink tips, swing flies, studded boots and cold-weather layers, with estimated prices and where to buy.
Watch: swinging flies for steelhead
About this
Two-hand casting, sink tips and the swing.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
How To Swing Wet Flies | Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube S4 E9 How To Maximize The SwingEmbedded from YouTube · RIO Products · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
Not sponsored All videos on steelhead
Stories from Alaska
About this
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in Alaska.
No Alaska stories yet.
Sources for this page
All 8 sources
Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game: fishing licensesAlaska Department of Fish and Game
- Southeast Alaska sport fishing regulationsAlaska Department of Fish and Game
- Sport fishing emergency orders (in-season changes)Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- Tongass National ForestUSDA Forest Service
- Mendenhall Glacier Visitor CenterUSDA Forest Service
- Alaska Marine Highway System (state ferry)Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
- OurAirports open data (airport locations)OurAirports, public domain
- Overture Maps places (guide and shop map records)Overture Maps Foundation, CDLA-Permissive 2.0
Links checked 23 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.