Generally, anglers troll for coho from 1.5 to 3.0 mph and are usually more effective when trolling with the current, as coho face into the current. Trolling is the general term for putting baits and / or lures in the water and using the boat’s motors (or human power via oars) to move the boat and impart action to the lures. We’ll start by examining these techniques as well as the basics of gear and tackle. Additional techniques include jigging, power mooching, and casting and retrieving spinners, spoons and flies. Tide change is also a particularly effective time to target silver salmon.įor the most part, anglers in saltwater catch coho by trolling and mooching. In low-light conditions, particularly dawn and dusk, baitfish often congregate in the top 30 feet of water and so do the coho. Coho can congregate anywhere from the surface to several hundred feet down, but in general, they are found higher in the water column. Start high in the water column and work your way deeper. Finding the depth where the silvers are schooled is another important element for success.

Coho will also venture into open water without structure. Successful anglers look for schools of bait, bait congregation structure, migration lanes, birds working bait, and rip lines.

As a general rule, coho get larger the longer they remain in the food-rich saltwater surrounding much of Alaska, so fish caught in the latter half of the season are generally larger. In some cases, this means six coho per angler, as the species is fairly plentiful across Alaska and limits are generous. When the bite is white-hot, a boat can be limited in a few hours. I landed one just south of 21 pounds in Sitka in 2014 that had me thinking I was fighting a hefty Chinook, and needless to say, the fish will remain forever etched in my memory. I’ve been lucky to witness wide-open bites in many salty locales around the Great Land, and a battle with any chrome buck in the 15-pound-plus range will give you plenty to remember. Coho fishing in the saltwater can often be spectacular.

Flat fish by luhr jensen