For part four of this series I want to talk about stripping and swinging flies for silver salmon. Easily one of my favorite types of fishing here on the Kenai Peninsula. Silvers start to enter the Kenai River in early August and will trickle in all winter long, with September and October being peak months.
SILVER SALMON
September in Alaska. Is there a better time or place for a fly fisherman? I think not. With a plethora of chunky trout in the river, some of us choose to target the fall prince instead. AKA Silver salmon. Some describe silvers as being the most aggressive salmon in the Kenai River. In my opinion, that title belongs to the pink salmon. However, 2nd place would go to the cohos. Big, strong, and a great fish for the fly rod. Kenai silvers typically run a big larger than most Alaskan rivers. Taking a 15 plus pound silver on a fly from the Kenai is not out of reach. As a matter of fact, if you put your time in, it is a very realistic goal. Learning which type of water to fish, along with the right fly and presentation, a trophy silver can be in your future this fall.
First off, lets talk gear. Due to the size of the flies and unpredictable weather conditions, a nine foot eight weight is my go to. The eight weight makes casting big bunny leeches tolerable all day. Not to mention you can punch your cast through the wind a bit better as opposed to using a lighter rod. Lastly, these fish are big and strong. Especially when they just entered the river on high tide. The 8wt should be all you need to put the breaks on a fresh, acrobatic silver.
Fly lines. Anything that can turn over a weighted bunny leech. I’m a fan of Rio’s outbound short. With a short shooting head, it’s great for turning over large flies and casting long distances. There are too many good streamer lines out there to waste time talking about it. Just know that farther you can cast, the more water you cover, the better chance at connecting to a fish. Whichever line allows you to do that is your best bet. If you have never tried a streamer specific line, you are missing out. I get a lot of clients that bring their own rods on silver trips and I would say 90 percent of the lines on their rods are standard wf fly lines meant for nymphing or casting a size 10 wooly bugger. With casting being the name of the game for silvers, make sure you equip your rod with the proper line. It makes life wayyyy easier casting large flies all day.
Okay, onto the flies. As in all salmon flies, fishing for silvers is not much different. It needs to bright, flashy, and have a large enough profile to grab their attention and entice them to take. In the world of flies for silvers, a pink bunny leech rules the day most days. Although I will use purples, blacks, and sometimes white, most of the silvers i’ve seen taken on a fly have come on pink. What’s more important than color is weight and presentation. I use a variety of cone heads to achieve the depth and action I desire. For instance. If I’m on the lower river fishing a large eddy or seam, I want a big fly that will get down to the fishes depth. With a lot of water to cover, I want to make sure i’m at the right depth so i’m not wasting opportunities. That being said. A 3-6” bunny leach with a tungsten cone head. No sink tip. Silvers will suspend in the water column so dredging the bottom is not necessary. On the flip side. If i’m sight fishing a silver on the upper river, I will want a more subtle presentation and just enough weight to keep my fly below the surface and suspended where I can see it. A smaller unweighted or bead headed bunny strip in that case would be my go to. My point is, Its not so much the fly pattern that determines success with silvers as it is achieving proper depth and presentation. Think pink in a multitude of weights and lengths ranging from 2”-6”. The longer you can have your fly undulating in front of the face of a coho, the better your chances of getting that eat. A properly weighted fly based on the water you are fishing will get results.
Part II on silvers when I get some more time. I wanted to touch on top water flies, as well as swing vs. strip presentations. Hope this helps anyone who’s looking to stock a fly box for a trip up to Alaska. Make sure to check out the shop and see what flies we have for silvers. Tight lines.