COHO SALMON (SILVERS)

After the July 31 closure of King Salmon fishing, the hordes of fishermen quickly dissipate. Not too long thereafter most of the RVing tourists start thinking about heading back South. The long and the short of it is that just when the Silver Salmon fishery in the Kenai River starts cooking, there are very few folks left to fish it. This is bad for those who leave, but great for those who stay. It is like fishing an entirely different river. So few boats, so few fishermen. This is one of my favorite times on the Lower Kenai River.

So lets talk about why you should stay and fish for Silvers on the Kenai River? The fact that the hordes of King Salmon fishermen have departed is one big reason. The solitude on the River is truly enchanting. But an even better reason is that the Silver Salmon of the Kenai River are big and brawny, and easy to catch. And when you catch one, watch out! They are jumping acrobats of the finest order. When you have a 12-pound buck Silver jump five times in the first few seconds of feeling your hook, now that is excitement.

But another great reason for fishing when the Silvers are running is that the Rainbow trout are absolutely gorging themselves on salmon eggs at this time of year. You can double up, and catch both Silvers and big Rainbows.

A boat is helpful for catching Silvers, but it is by no means essential. Scores of Silvers are caught each year by bank fishermen. Silvers can be found all across the River, but they tend to be in shallower water than the giant Kings. The Kings seek out the deepest holes. The Silvers tend to frequent shallow to medium depth water. I have notices that the Silvers right next to the riverbank tend to be smaller ones than the ones that are in medium depth water. But this is just a tendancy, not a rule. Every year some really big Silvers are landed by bank fishermen.

Use a medium-wieght salmon rod, one with a 12-20 pound weight rating. Twenty-pound test line is plenty heavy. You won't be "combat" fishing like during the Red Salmon season, so you can let your fish run more. It is much more enjoyable to let the fish run. Terminal rigs are identical in setup to those used for Kings, only using smaller hooks and smaller rigging. Where the King Salmon bait would be a big Spin-n-Glo and a silver-dollar size dollop of eggs, a rig for Silvers would be a small Spin-n-Glo and a quarter-size dollop of eggs. Just size everything down.

Every year scores of Silvers are caught on Pixie spoons cast from shore, and on eggs plunked from shore. It has always seemed to me that the bait is less important that the time of day one fishes. Silvers are very light sensitive. Very early morning--like right at dawn--or very late evening are the best times to fish for Silvers--usually. Overcast and rainy days are better than bright, sunny days. A rising barometer is better than a falling one.

If you fish for Silvers by casting spoons, you will know without a doubt when you get a strike. It will be savage and strong. If you fish bait, however, watch for slack line. Silvers often pick up an egg bait and swim upstream with it. Your line goes slack, slightly. If you are not watching your line, the current soon puts a bow in the line, and the slackness disappears. Then the Silver swims a bit further upstream, and your line slacks momentarily again. An inattentive fisherman may never see this slackening and tightening, and when he decides to check his bait, suddenly a Silver jumps out of the river upstream of him. These jumpers are often lost, as the line has a huge bow in it, and the fisherman simply cannot set the hook properly. Keep a sharp eye on your line, and if it momentarily slackens, tighten it gently and feel for the pulse of a fish. If you feel any pulse at all, bury the hook and hang on.

In the sections on King Salmon and Red Salmon I talked about promptly killing and gilling your catch, so I won't repeat it all again. Just go to those sections and read it if you have not read it already.

Although you can very successfully fish for Silvers from the riverbank, you really owe it to yourself to get out on the River with a guide at least one time during the Silver Salmon season. The River is uncrowded and the fall colors are starting to set in. It is an experience everyone should have at least once, to be on this great river when few others are. Your guide will stop at a favorite fishing area, set anchor, and shut off the boat motor. Silence sets in. You stay quiet and just let the wilderness soak into you. It is good for the soul.

Hopefully we can keep some of this great river the way it is for future generations. We think we are so important. Then we get out on the River, alone, and in the silence. We feel the timelessness of the river's flow. We get in tune with the moods of nature. We sense the awe of being witness to the marvel of salmon runs that have repeated themselves for tens of thousands of years. By this experience one is either humbled, and senses the importance of keeping this great marvel alive in some of our rivers--or one is simply a hopeless boor. I am a realist, and I know that development must come to many areas of our country, and it will come to many areas whether we want it to or not. But if we let development overtake all of nature's marvels that are not already locked into National Parks, then we will be the poorer for it.