Species › North America · Freshwater › Coho Salmon

Freshwater · #30 most targeted in the US

Coho Salmon

Oncorhynchus kisutch · silver salmon, silvers, hooknose (spawning male)

Water temp
46–57°F
Peak season
Jul–Oct
Best light
Dawn · Dusk
IGFA record
33 lb 4 oz (15.08 kg)
Coho Salmon (Salmon coho fish oncorhynchus kisutch.jpg)

Photo: Knepp Timothy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Coho are a bright silver salmon with a metallic blue back, small black spots on the back and the upper lobe of the tail only, and white or gray gums at the base of the lower teeth. They are slimmer than chinook, with a thicker tail wrist, and rarely exceed 20 pounds. In fresh water spawning males turn deep red with a dark head, develop a strongly hooked nose and big teeth, and are called hooknoses; females go bronze-red.

The native range runs from central California north to Alaska and across the Bering Sea to Japan and Russia, with the strongest US runs in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Coho were planted in the Great Lakes in 1966 and are now the main salmon in Lake Michigan's southern basin and a strong presence in Lakes Superior, Huron and Ontario. California and Columbia River wild coho are listed under the Endangered Species Act and are protected in many rivers.

Coho spend a year or two in fresh water and typically 18 months at sea, feeding near the surface on herring, anchovies, sand lance, squid and krill. They school in the top 30–60 feet of the ocean and the Great Lakes, which puts them in range of flatlines and shallow downriggers, and they return to rivers from late summer through fall, often on the first big rain. Unlike chinook, coho stay aggressive in fresh water and will chase and strike lures in the lower rivers and estuaries.

For anglers, coho are the fun salmon: they hit spinners, spoons, twitched jigs and flies, jump repeatedly and run in schools, so when one bites, more follow. They are the mainstay of Alaska's late-summer river fishing, the Pacific Northwest's September beach and river fishery, and the spring and fall Great Lakes trolling seasons, and their orange flesh is excellent on the grill.

Typical size6–12 lb (2.5–5.5 kg); 24–30 in
Trophy15 lb+ is a trophy; 20 lb+ fish come from Alaska, British Columbia and Lake Ontario
Table fareExcellent — firm orange flesh, milder than chinook; best when fresh from the ocean

Where & when

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Ocean coho fishing opens in early summer and river runs peak from late July in Alaska to September and October in Washington, Oregon and the Great Lakes tributaries; fall rain events pull fresh schools into the rivers, while Lake Michigan also fishes well in April and May along the southern shore.

Kenai River and Kasilof River, AKTwo coho runs from late July through SeptemberColumbia River estuary (Buoy 10), WAHuge August and September coho fishery at the river mouthTillamook Bay rivers, ORFall coho and chinook in the Trask, Wilson and KilchisLake Michigan (Chicago to St. Joseph), ILSpring and fall coho trolling along the southern shoreSalmon River, NYLake Ontario's big-fish river and home of the record cohoSituk River, AKYakutat river with a famous late-summer silver run

How to catch

Casting spinnersA size 4–5 inline spinner in pink, chartreuse or silver, cast across a river pool and retrieved slowly so the blade just turns, is the classic coho method in Alaska and the Northwest. Fish the soft water on the inside of bends and the tailouts; coho hit it hard and immediately.
Twitching jigsA 3/8–1/2 oz marabou or hoochie jig in pink or purple, cast into slack water and holding pools and worked with sharp upward twitches and a slack-line fall, is the hottest coho technique of the past decade. Fish bite on the drop; set on any tick or weight.
Trolling flashers and hoochiesIn the ocean and the Great Lakes, troll a dodger or flasher ahead of a hoochie, fly or small spoon at 2.5–3.5 mph in the top 30–60 feet. Coho like speed and flash. Run flatlines and planer boards off the sides to reach surface schools away from the boat.
Fly fishing with flash and attractor fliesStrip pink and chartreuse flash flies, Clousers and egg-sucking leeches through estuary and river pools on a 7–8 weight with a sink-tip. Coho chase a stripped fly aggressively, especially fresh fish in tidewater. A popping fly on the surface can draw spectacular takes in clear water.
Drift fishing eggs and beadsIn the Great Lakes tributaries and West Coast rivers, drift a roe cluster, Corky or bead under a float or on a bottom-bouncing rig through holding water. Fresh fish in low light take eggs readily; a fluorescent yarn adds visibility in colored water.
Beach and estuary castingAlong Puget Sound beaches and in tidal estuaries, cast Buzz Bombs, spoons and jigs into schools staging off river mouths on the incoming tide. Look for jumping fish and birds; coho mill at the surface before pushing upriver.

Gear

Rod8'6"–9'6" medium casting or spinning; 8-weight fly rod
Reel3000–4000 spinning or 300-size level-wind; large-arbor fly reel
Line15–20 lb monofilament or 30 lb braid with a 12–20 lb leader

Lures

Inline spinnerTwitching jigTrolling spoonHoochie behind a flasherCasting spoonBuzz BombFlash fly or ClouserEgg-imitation beads

Baits

Cured salmon roeHerring (whole or cut-plug)Sand shrimpAnchovy

Regulations

A state license plus a salmon stamp or report card is required; seasons, daily limits and hatchery-only retention rules (adipose fin clipped) vary by river and ocean zone and change in-season. Wild coho are ESA-listed in California and the lower Columbia, where many rivers are closed or catch-and-release.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 33 lb 4 oz (15.08 kg) — Salmon River, Pulaski, New York, September 27, 1989 (Jerry Lifton). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What is the best lure for coho salmon?

In rivers, a pink or chartreuse inline spinner and a twitched marabou jig are the two most reliable coho lures. In the ocean and Great Lakes, a flasher trailing a hoochie, fly or small spoon trolled fast near the surface takes the most fish.

How can you tell a coho from a chinook?

Look in the mouth: coho have white or gray gums at the base of the lower teeth, chinook have black gums. Coho have spots only on the upper lobe of the tail and a thicker tail wrist, while chinook are spotted on both lobes. Coho rarely exceed 20 pounds.

When do coho salmon run?

Alaska's runs start in late July and run through September. Washington, Oregon and British Columbia rivers peak in September and October, often after the first big fall rain. Great Lakes tributaries fill from September through October, and Lake Michigan's southern basin fishes well in April and May.

Do coho salmon eat in fresh water?

They stop feeding in earnest once they enter rivers, but unlike chinook they stay aggressive and strike lures out of territorial instinct, especially fresh fish in the lower river and tidewater. That is why spinners, twitched jigs and flies work so well on coho that are no longer eating.

Bite forecast — Coho Salmon

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Coho Salmon.

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