How to catch Coho in Alaska

By Spencer DeVito - Professional Alaska Fishing Guide

Catching silver salmon (Coho) is one of my favorite fish to enjoy. They are acrobatic and make spectacular runs as well as the occasional 'jump'. There are several methods used to catch silvers but I would imagine you will be trolling for them in your particular location. Local knowledge is always important concerning tackle size and color but here is some very important and valuable advice:

Coho salmon are commonly taken in the saltwater by trolling spoons. Trolling with a streamer fly is popular at times, especially during the height of the feeding periods but some spoons are dynamite! Surface activity generally lasts from one to two hours and begins an hour before the change of tide to an hour after at either high or low stages.

Troll at a rapid pace! A zigzagging course is recommended and your boat should circle or try to cross ahead of the feeding school. No. 1 to 3/0 single Siwash hooks are a preference. Color varies with the amount of sunlight but gold/silver is always a favorite as is plain silver. Keep your spoons highly polished and Gibbs quality allow that. I always carry a polish cloth with me to give my spoons a high gloss! However, Coho like color so the reds and greens and blue/white colors can also be very effective at times, especially at the 30' level. They will be taken as deep as 90' with down riggers. If you fish down riggers a flasher or dodger should be used followed by your bait/fly or lure. Follow the recommended distance from the dodger to the bait as recommended by the manufacturer on the package when you open it. The distance from the dodger to the bait is critical. For example the closer you get to the flasher the more action that is produced so if you are too far away the lure becomes 'lazy' and if too close it becomes too active. Fishing a Gibbs Highliner RS Red Striper Flasher Size # 1 is excellent and I prefer a Herring Dodger when I fish bait and a Skipper with a fly or lure.

Crocs and Kohos are also excellent depending on what type of fishing you will be doing. You do not want to get too large for Coho. Size 3 1/2 ...Colors in order of preference are Sterling Silver, Brass, Chartreuse/green, fire orange/chartreuse......SINGLE HOOK for trolling TREBLE HOOK for spin casting and if you spin cast, reel in a frantic change of pace with lots of change of direction, not a typical retrieve for example. One of my all-time favorite spoons for trolling is the CLENDON STEWART 50/50 HAM BRASS/CHROME and STEWART 50/50 NICKEL/BRASS kept highly polished. It will take just about any hungry fish...... always feeding salmon and its exceptional on Lake trout! The Koho should be in the 1 1/2 oz weight with a preference in silver then blue scale followed by green scale........

If you are casting into a river also take along some SIL-VEX in Silver, Silver/Chartreuse and fire orange/chrt fused......Silver Fox is popular as well but not a Gibbs product. You are making a good choice with Gibbs, I have been a professional fisherman for over half a century. One thing for certain, Gibbs products are made of excellent quality, a quality that is far superior to most other manufacturers. "Keep your tackle highly polished and new looking" for the most effective results! Over the years, I have been on numerous fishing ventures around the world from Labrador to S. America. I always bring more tackle than I ever need but often wish I would have brought that one particular lure that I wasn't sure of!

Good luck! You will simply enjoy fishing for Coho salmon...and don't forget to search out the local knowledge when you arrive.