Waterlands

Species guide · Alaska

Coho salmon fishing in Alaska

Oncorhynchus kisutch, a sea-run species also called silver salmon, silvers and hooknose. Listed for the Alaska region.

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

Alaska

  1. Jan: Not present
  2. Feb: Not present
  3. Mar: Not present
  4. Apr: Not present
  5. May: Off season
  6. Jun: Off season
  7. Jul: Shoulder season
  8. Aug: Peak season
  9. Sep: Peak season
  10. Oct: Off season
  11. Nov: Not present
  12. Dec: Not present

Peak: Aug to Sep. In season (shoulder or peak): Jul to Sep.

Research notes, Alaska region

Sitka: coho show in the catch mid-May through June, build through mid-August, peak around the third week of August, and saltwater fishing is essentially over by the end of September. Resurrection Bay (Seward): late June to mid-September with boats peaking in August and beach fishing peaking mid-September. Prince William Sound (Cordova) peaks mid-September.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 0

The Waterlands engine isn't scoring coho salmon in any Alaska bay system in the current 14-day forecast, which usually means the species is out of season.

Not scored in this forecast: Adak to Kiska Bering Side, Adak to Kiska Pacific Side, Barren Islands East, Bristol Bay from Cape Chichagof to Cape Pierce out to 15 NM, Bristol Bay from Port Heiden to Cape Chichagof out to 15 NM, Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin out to 15 NM, Cape Espenberg to Motherwood Point out to 10 NM, Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island out to 15 NM, Cape Krusenstern to Cape Thompson out to 15 NM, Cape Stephens to Moses Point out to 15 NM, Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort out to 15 NM, Castle Cape to Cape Tolstoi out to 15 NM, Central and Eastern Prince William Sound, Chiniak Bay, Clarence Strait, Cook Inlet Kalgin Island to Point Bede, Cook Inlet North Kalgin Island, Cross Sound, Dall Point to Kwikpak Pass out to 15 NM, Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point out to 15 NM, Frederick Sound, Glacier Bay, Guam Coastal Waters, Icy Cape to Cape Suckling out to 15 NM, Icy Strait, Kachemak Bay, Kiska to Attu Bering Side, Kiska to Attu Pacific Side, Koror Palau Coastal Waters, Kwikpak Pass to Cape Stephens out to 15 NM, Marmot Bay, Moses Point to Sledge Island out to 15 NM, Motherwood Point to Cape Krusenstern out to 10 NM, Nikolski to Seguam Bering Side out to 15 NM , Nikolski to Seguam Pacfic Side out to 15 NM, North and West of Nunivak Island, North Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM, Northern Chatham Strait, Northern Lynn Canal, Northwest Prince William Sound, Passage Canal, Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 NM, Port Heiden to Nelson Lagoon out to 15 NM, Port of Valdez, Pribilof Islands Nearshore Waters, Resurrection Bay, Rota Coastal Waters, Saint Matthew Island Waters, Saipan Coastal Waters, Shelikof Strait, Sledge Island to Wales out to 15 NM, South Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM, Southern Chatham Strait, Southern Lynn Canal, Southwest Prince William Sound, Stephens Passage, Sumner Strait, Tinian Coastal Waters, Unalaska Bay, Unimak Pass, Valdez Arm, Valdez Narrows, Wales to Cape Espenberg out to 15 NM, West of Barren Islands Including Kamishak Bay, Yakutat Bay and Yap Coastal Waters.

How and where it feeds

Water temperature
Feeds from 45°F to 63°F, best between 50°F and 58°F.
Water depth
5 to 600 ft of water.
Structure
Rip, point, kelp, open water, estuary, bay and beach, in that order of preference.
Tide and current
Prefers moving water and incoming tide, with moderate current.ADF&G's Sitka guide says the best coho fishing is usually an hour or so before or after a tide change, in areas where currents and shoreline shape concentrate fish and bait. WDFW advises finding tide and current rips. When the run peaks, tide matters less.
Light
Bites best around dawn and dusk.
Pressure
Little response to pressure changes.
Wind and sea limits
20 kt of wind and 7 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

Coho feed in the top 30 to 50 feet along tide rips, kelp edges and bait schools, and often hit within a few feet of the surface. Troll faster than for Chinook, 2 to 4 mph, with a small flasher and hoochie, bucktail fly or herring, or cast spinners and flies from beaches near stream mouths as fish stage in late summer. The hour around a tide change is often the best window.

Methods
trolling, casting from shore, fly fishing, mooching, drifting herring
Lures
small flasher with hoochie, bucktail flies, trolling spoons, spinners, streamer and needlefish flies, casting jigs
Bait
whole herring, cut-plug herring, herring strip, anchovy

Regulations

Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Synced with ADF&G Nov 4, 2026.

No reviewed coho salmon rule for Alaska is on file yet. Check with ADF&G before you keep one.

Other Alaska species