Species guide · Oregon
Coho salmon fishing in Oregon
Oncorhynchus kisutch, a sea-run species also called silver salmon, silvers and hooknose. Listed for the Pacific Northwest region. Peak season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Coastal waters from Cape Blanco OR to Pt. St. George CA out 10 nm at 58, one of 5 Oregon bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Peak seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Pacific Northwest
Peak season, about 1 more week- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Off season
- Apr: Off season
- May: Off season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Off season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: Jul to Sep. In season (shoulder or peak): Jun to Oct.
Research notes, Pacific Northwest region
Ocean coho off Washington and Oregon June through September, mostly hatchery (fin-clipped) retention with quotas. Buoy 10 coho peak through mid-September. Puget Sound coho peak September into early October. Resident coho are caught in South Puget Sound in winter and spring. California north of Point Conception is not listed because coho retention is prohibited in all California ocean fisheries and its coho are state and federally endangered.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 5
Oregon bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's coho salmon score this hour.
Best window today 7-9 PM (78) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (78) · 18 named spots
Best window today 2 PM-12 AM (69) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 9 AM (77) · 71 named spots
Best window today 8-10 PM (80) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 7 AM (81) · 17 named spots
Best window today 7-11 PM (80) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 8 PM (80) · 9 named spots
Best window today 12 AM-12 AM (20) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (20) · 32 named spots
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
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with ODFW Sep 18, 2026.
No reviewed coho salmon rule for Oregon is on file yet. Check with ODFW before you keep one.