Silvers (Coho)

The Goodnews River Lodge may have the best Silver Salmon run on the planet. The first Silvers enter the river by the last week of July, and just keep pouring in until after the camp closes in early September. Averaging 10-15 lbs, these chrome bright, fresh from the Bering Sea fish take a fly or spinner very aggressively. Hands down one of the ultimate fly rod fish, and targeting them with a popper on the surface is a next level adrenaline rush . 50 fish days are the norm in August chucking streamers, and if you can handle more, they are there for the catching.

We fish for Silvers in the tidewater portion of the River, and also follow them up all three branches of the River as far as 25 miles from the mouth. You can find hundreds of them resting in every break from the main River current, and pushing their way into the numerous sloughs and creeks upriver. Fresh fish are constantly moving into these spots, so if the action slows down, it’s easy to find another pod of fish who want to play.

For the fly angler, as with most of the other salmon species (except the King), an 9 WT rod with a floating line is ideal, especially if you plan to fish poppers. A handful of sink tips (ranges T8-T12) in 6 foot sections will help get the job done, but if throwing the Popper is on your to-do list, Rio makes a terrific shooting head called Outbound. This is thee line for top water. For the spin fisherman, a medium weight rod with 12-15 lb mono or braid is ideal.