Ard
Administrator
Whether you are catching Pacific Silver Salmon or Great Lakes Coho this is your thread.
I'll prime the pump;
That oughtta do for a starter.
I'll prime the pump;
That oughtta do for a starter.
Silver Salmon Photos;
- Thread starter Ard
- Start date
mcnerney
Administrator
Ard
Those Coho's are awesome, thanks for sharing!
Those Coho's are awesome, thanks for sharing!
Ard
Administrator
Hey Larry 
I was looking at the trout and steelhead threads and thought maybe we had enough people catching silvers / Coho's to get a thread going. Putting them into the 'Other fish than trout' thread didn't cut it for me.
It's surprising how many silver pictures I have so I picked a few that I liked from this past year. I do hope a few more people post some, I'd love to see some Great Lakes fish.
I was looking at the trout and steelhead threads and thought maybe we had enough people catching silvers / Coho's to get a thread going. Putting them into the 'Other fish than trout' thread didn't cut it for me.
It's surprising how many silver pictures I have so I picked a few that I liked from this past year. I do hope a few more people post some, I'd love to see some Great Lakes fish.
Ard
Administrator
Hi Joe,
That was a nice one, it hit the fly within seconds of it (the fly) landing all the way over at the gravel on the other side of the river. I caught that fish right in the spot I can be seen casting in the video about streamer techniques posted here. I had hopped we could rais a fish while filming but the video was made in October which is not prime time for hooking up in that run. There are always a few trout in there but the salmon move on up and most trout follow them.
I haven't heard a peep about Coho fishing in the Great Lakes for a very long time. Are there still runs of them? I used to catch them in the Salmon River 25 years ago but recently have heard nothing about them. I remember one October day in the 1990's catching a nice salmon way down on the Douglaston Water and when I brought it to the shoreline I wasn't sure of what I had there. After looking it over my friend and I agreed that it was an Atlantic Salmon. Whether or not it was a St. Lawrence fish or not I didn't know. It was small, maybe 7 - 8 pounds and perhaps 28" or there about. I believe the river is still getting some of them today but would love to see what the modern GL Coho's look like.
That was a nice one, it hit the fly within seconds of it (the fly) landing all the way over at the gravel on the other side of the river. I caught that fish right in the spot I can be seen casting in the video about streamer techniques posted here. I had hopped we could rais a fish while filming but the video was made in October which is not prime time for hooking up in that run. There are always a few trout in there but the salmon move on up and most trout follow them.
I haven't heard a peep about Coho fishing in the Great Lakes for a very long time. Are there still runs of them? I used to catch them in the Salmon River 25 years ago but recently have heard nothing about them. I remember one October day in the 1990's catching a nice salmon way down on the Douglaston Water and when I brought it to the shoreline I wasn't sure of what I had there. After looking it over my friend and I agreed that it was an Atlantic Salmon. Whether or not it was a St. Lawrence fish or not I didn't know. It was small, maybe 7 - 8 pounds and perhaps 28" or there about. I believe the river is still getting some of them today but would love to see what the modern GL Coho's look like.
dennyk
Well-known member
Hi Ard, The Michigan Coho fishery is alive and doing well where I live in SW lower Michigan.
--Beautiful pictures of Silvers!
Denny
--Beautiful pictures of Silvers!
Denny
Ard
Administrator
Hi Denny,
If you have any photos..................
If you have any photos..................
dennyk
Well-known member
Ard, I promise, I'll take some this fall.
Denny
Denny
Ard
Administrator
I have some "other people" pictures........
I always look so incredibly goofy that I no longer will look at the camera, duh.
Same guy different year;
Nancy with a dead one, it was bleeding really bad and ended up as smoked salmon. The river that one came from is in no danger of running out of fish for the foreseeable future so.............
As they begin to color they become even more aggressive, I catch a lot while trout & steelhead fishing.
I do not mess with spawning fish but in deep runs when you are swinging a fly for trout they can surprise you.
What you see here is perhaps the best example of a full Fire engine Red salmon I've ever caught. I swam away from the brief encounter with the gravel but I had to take a picture.
Not just the perfect color of that boy but look at the size and girth of it. I was catching trout using my 7'9" Orvis Far & Fine five weight when he took my little Nine Three streamer. I can tell you that the distance from the butt cap to the stripper guide is 36" and change. It may be the largest fish I ever landed with that rod by accident.
This is a pair of male fish that ended up on the dinner table, trust me there were a lot I left go.
So will a bamboo rod work for them?
I need to look in some other folders for more pictures, there have been so many caught that pictures only happen on occasion so the supply is limited I guess.
I always look so incredibly goofy that I no longer will look at the camera, duh.
Same guy different year;
Nancy with a dead one, it was bleeding really bad and ended up as smoked salmon. The river that one came from is in no danger of running out of fish for the foreseeable future so.............
As they begin to color they become even more aggressive, I catch a lot while trout & steelhead fishing.
I do not mess with spawning fish but in deep runs when you are swinging a fly for trout they can surprise you.
What you see here is perhaps the best example of a full Fire engine Red salmon I've ever caught. I swam away from the brief encounter with the gravel but I had to take a picture.
Not just the perfect color of that boy but look at the size and girth of it. I was catching trout using my 7'9" Orvis Far & Fine five weight when he took my little Nine Three streamer. I can tell you that the distance from the butt cap to the stripper guide is 36" and change. It may be the largest fish I ever landed with that rod by accident.
This is a pair of male fish that ended up on the dinner table, trust me there were a lot I left go.
So will a bamboo rod work for them?
I need to look in some other folders for more pictures, there have been so many caught that pictures only happen on occasion so the supply is limited I guess.
Unknownflyman
Well-known member
Nice pics, wish I would of hooked up last fall, they did nt want what I had. Oh and a chrome coho would go home with me. No shame in that.
Duluth area coho. Lake Superior. Not my fish.
Duluth area coho. Lake Superior. Not my fish.
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Ard
Administrator
Hi Steve,
I took just one last year and left all others go. For 6 years now I've been relying on sockeye for the food fish. There are still a couple river systems on the mainland that are getting 2+ million returns each season so I go get fish to eat where there are still a lot of them. Silvers are good fish but a sockeye is a little better I think. The best is the king but this will be my sixth season coming that I will not kill any kings. We don't have any returns here over 20,000 any longer and killing them, especially the females seems like a bad idea if you want to be able to fish for them in the future. I'd love to see the numbers turn around because it would be nice to have one for eating.
Just to stay on topic here's another fish being caught and released.
Sometimes they do a lot of jumping
I took just one last year and left all others go. For 6 years now I've been relying on sockeye for the food fish. There are still a couple river systems on the mainland that are getting 2+ million returns each season so I go get fish to eat where there are still a lot of them. Silvers are good fish but a sockeye is a little better I think. The best is the king but this will be my sixth season coming that I will not kill any kings. We don't have any returns here over 20,000 any longer and killing them, especially the females seems like a bad idea if you want to be able to fish for them in the future. I'd love to see the numbers turn around because it would be nice to have one for eating.
Just to stay on topic here's another fish being caught and released.
Sometimes they do a lot of jumping
chi flyfisher
Well-known member
That's a good looking reel on that SpeySame guy different year;
I love those shots, Ard. Love 'em. Someday I'll drag Jason up with me to Alaska for some fishing. 50th birthday perhaps.
Unknownflyman
Well-known member
Sockeye are my favorite too. But they don't swim here. Cohos do just fine on their own like pinks.
Ard
Administrator
Whatever you do don't wait until I'm 70 Mike, this isn't getting easier year after year.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
Not that this is a harvesting thread, but is there really a lot of difference in the quality of salmon met from one species to the other? Most salmon I eat is commercially harvested and I rarely know what species it actually is.
I shouldn't type while I am hungry. Got me thinking about Humpys I've eaten there three or four times but never salmon. Man they can cook some fish! One of the best tips you gave me for Anchorage places to go. Ard and Nancy's smoked salmon dip is memorable too. Ashton and I have tried to copy it a few times. We fall short but not too bad considering we are using vacuum packed AK salmon..
I shouldn't type while I am hungry. Got me thinking about Humpys
I've eaten there three or four times but never salmon. Man they can cook some fish! One of the best tips you gave me for Anchorage places to go. Ard and Nancy's smoked salmon dip is memorable too. Ashton and I have tried to copy it a few times. We fall short but not too bad considering we are using vacuum packed AK salmon.. 
Frank Whiton
Administrator
Hi Ard,
Thanks for the really great pictures. Some fine looking water there. Sorry to hear the King runs are so low.
Frank
Thanks for the really great pictures. Some fine looking water there. Sorry to hear the King runs are so low.
Frank
ptarmigan
Well-known member
I really only eat Kings, Reds, and Silvers. I would rank them in that order as well. I love fresh King Salmon, it's ok after it's been frozen. Reds are fantastic table fare as well, not as much oil and fat in them which I believe lends to better flavor after they've been frozen. Silvers are good fresh, though I usually only eat a few that way each year and will freeze a few more for the smoker. Fresh Pinks that are still dime bright are pretty decent though the texture is softer than say a Sockeye. They do take on smoke very well and make a fine product if done right.Not that this is a harvesting thread, but is there really a lot of difference in the quality of salmon met from one species to the other? Most salmon I eat is commercially harvested and I rarely know what species it actually is.
I shouldn't type while I am hungry. Got me thinking about Humpys
Silvers are my families favorite to fish for though! I don't have many C&R photos of them I guess. Here are a few that came home with us.
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Frank Whiton
Administrator
We use to smoke Pinks more than anything else.
Frank
Frank
mlob1one
Well-known member
Here's a couple chrome coho I caught up in Sitka last week. The water was as beautiful as the weather and the buck took me for three long tears nearly to the backing.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
Didn't fish on Coho this year but a couple weekends. I took home limits each time but I injured my leg and haven't been out for the last 9 weeks now or so.
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