Silver
Salmon Fishing in
Alaska
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, (from
the Russian кижуч kizhuch) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also
known as silver salmon or
"silvers".
The Silver salmon or “Coho” is a
game fish and provides fine sport in fresh and salt water from 
June to December,
especially with light fishing tackle. It is one of the most popular sport fish
in
Alaska and the
Pacific
Northwest. Its popularity is due in part to the reckless abandon
which it frequently displays chasing bait and while in salt water, and the large
number of coastal streams it ascends during its spawning runs. Ocean caught coho is regarded as excellent table fare. It has a
moderate to high amount of fat, which is considered essential when judging
taste. Only Spring King salmon and Sockeye salmon have higher levels of fats in
their meat.
Historically, the coho, along with other species, has been a staple in the
diet of several Indiginous People who would also use
it to trade with other tribes farther inland. The coho salmon is also a symbol of several tribes, representing life and
sustenance.
Silver salmon fishing at
Alaska’s fishing lodge, Kingfisher Lodge in
Craig,
Alaska is an ideal
Alaska
adventure trip for first-timers or experienced fisherman. At Kingfisher Lodge,
your Alaskan fishing guide, will usually make salmon fishing the first order of
the day, allowing members of his daily fishing expeditions to limit out on their
daily Silver salmon quota, before moving on to other species, like halibut, ling cod , red snapper,
black bass or other rock fish.
Silver salmon here in Alaskan waters are in their prime
and are the acrobats of the
North Pacific
Ocean. Showing up in early June at about 5 pounds they continue to
grow in numbers and size until they enter into the many streams they will spawn
in.
Silver salmon are caught with the same gear and
technique that you’re Alaskan King Salmon is caught. Loomis rods, shimano reels,
with 6’ leader and 3/0 hooks, cut plug herring with a nice roll will produce
your limits of silver’s.
Mooching is the preferred method used at Kingfisher Lodge with excellent
results. Silvers can be caught as deep as 300’ to as shallow as the surface, so
mooching makes the most sense and with the thrill of feeling the bite and having
the ability to hook the fish when sometimes they are not on the bite makes a
very satisfying experience. Guests who fish using the mooching method seldom
want to go back to trolling.
Description
of the Silver
During their ocean phase, Coho have silver
sides and dark blue backs. During their spawning phase, the jaws and teeth of the coho become hooked, and they develop bright red sides,
bluish green heads and backs, dark bellies with dark spots on their back.
Sexually maturing 
coho develop a
light pink or rose shading along the belly and the males may show a
slight arching of the back. Mature coho salmon have a
pronounced red skin color with darker backs and average 28 inches in length and
seven to 11 pounds in weight, although coho weighing
up to 36 pounds have been reported. Mature females may be darker than males,
with both showing a pronounced hook on the nose.
Reproduction
The eggs hatch in the late winter
or early spring after 6 to 7 weeks in the redd. Once hatched, they remain mostly immobile in the redd as the alevin life-stage, which lasts for 1-2 weeks. The alevins no longer have the protective egg shell, or chorion, and rely on their yolk sac for nourishment during
growth. The alevin life stage is very sensitive to
aquatic and sediment contaminants. When the yolk sac is completely resorbed by the alevin it will
swim up out of the redd.
Young coho spend one to two years in their freshwater
natal streams,often spending
the first winter in off-channel sloughs, before undergoing a transformation to
the smolt life-stage. Smolts are generally 100-150mm and their parr marks are faded
and the silver scales characteristic of the adult life-stage start to dominate.
Smolts migrate to the ocean in late March through
July. Some fish leave fresh water in the spring, spend summer in brackish
estuarine ponds and then migrate back into fresh water in the fall. Coho salmon
live in the salt water for one or two years before returning to spawn. Some
precocious males known as "jacks" return as two-year-old spawners. Spawning males develop a strongly hooked snout and
large teeth.
Range
The traditional range of the coho salmon runs from both sides of the North Pacific ocean, from
Hokkaido,
Japan
and eastern Russian,
around the Bering sea to mainland
Alaska, and
south all the way to
Monterey
Bay,
California.
References
- "Pacific salmonids threats".
U.S.
National
Marine Fisheries Service.
- "Evolutionary Significant
Units".
U.S.
National Marine Fisheries
Service.
- "Coho
salmon ESUs".
- "Endangered Species Act".
- "2005
status review report".
- "Species of Concern".
