Hey Folks,

If you're watching the indicators, you probably know that bushels of silvers are beginning to pour into a lot of the rivers - even some with pretty low flows - but the streams that have spiked recently, or sustain a large flow are doing better than others.

Since most folks don't appreciate kiss and tell fishing, I daren't mention any river names. But you know where the major hatchery systems are, and that seems to correlate with some big pushes of silvers this past week.

Now catching them - sheesh - that's another story. Get out there, and come back and tell me how it's done!

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Salmo
Since your a fly guy I will tell you about the silver I saw on fly gear. The fly was a small shrimp pattern on a dry line. For me I was tossing 1/4 oz. mangler spinners & dark colored jigs.
Tight Lines

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Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

[This message has been edited by smilesforu (edited 09-19-2000).]

*#$!!* silvers, how in the hell do you get these finicky fish to bite? I've tried eggs, spinners, small spoons what else. River fishing for silvers is much harder than I thought. You have to have your presentation perfect for them to hit anything! Can anyone help me out with this problem. I've been fishing a small trib. of the Snohomish system. If you know fishing then you know where I'm fishing. Anyway can someone help me please! Tight lines!

Brian, FYI, unless something has changed recently, the entire Snohomish system is closed for coho this year, at least until further notice. Rumor has it that the Skagit might open this week though. Coho in rivers are frustrating. First I'd try the second to the smallest **** nite, 50/50, on as long a leader as you can cast with, fish it just like drift gear. Next I'd go in the other direction and cast wiggle warts or magnum wiggle warts if your on shore or troll/back troll them from a boat in traditional coho holding areas.

Good luck!
Beezer

Salmo thanx for the posting alway enjoy your input. Heres a question does water flow or water temp trigger the fish to come up the river and if water temp what temp do they go at? Also I was fishing in the salt the kings that were stacked up there were dark the hatchery is close I though the fresh water trigger the fish to turn dark

Thanx for the info and tight lines

I didn't want to attract anymore people to this little river but I thought that the Wallace was part of the Snohomish system, am I wrong?

Brian your not wrong, just keep at them with spinners and spoons. The fish aren't in there real good yet. Good luck.

[This message has been edited by Swami (edited 09-19-2000).]

You are probably fishing real low clear water for the silvers in smaller rivers. After you have tried small egg clusters, black W/ flash jigs, and size 3 silver w/ chartruse tape Vibrax spinners, then it's time to mop up with small Hot Shots. After letting the water rest a bit, stealthily wade out well above the silver holding water and work a small size 50 Hot Shot with one size larger hook than stock and 8 lb. to 10 lb. line (size 30 if the water is fairly deep in the pools) down into the holds. If there is enough current just slowly back reel it down, hovering it in likely spots or right in front of a fish that you can see. If the current gets too weak for proper action, the fish will definitely take ones casted way down to the lower end of holes and slowly reeled up thru the holds. Good colors are chrome/met.blue, silver/chartruse nose, and RT "injured baitfish". - RT

Hey guys thanks a bunch, I'll try to be a little more patient and try a different approach this time! Good luck and tight lines!!! Good fishing to all.

You can try the Carbon method. bumpjerkbumpjerkbumpjerkbumpjerk. Just kidding, I'm still hot about those idiots. I have had great luck free drifting bait. Eggs or shrimp. Just a tiny splitshot for wieght.

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Just because I look big, dumb, and ugly, doesn't mean I am. It means I can stomp you for calling me it!

Is there any chance of the Sky opening up for silvers?? I find it hard to believe that there are not going to be enough fish to sustain a season. From what ive seen, there are plenty of fish rolling in the Lower Sky/Sno to have a season and its only mid Sept! Last year they should have shut it down.

- BW

Brian,
Keep at it. Especially on the Wallace. That can be some skinny water for silvers. Another technique to try is maribou jigs in pink or a lead head jig with a pink squid skirt 2 1/2" long. Of course you need water atleast 4' for this. Also make sure you are fishing them silvers from the lowest railroad bridge upto the railroad bridge below hwy 2. If you fish them and retain one below the lowest rr bridge you are fishing the Skykomish. Got that from both of the local gamies and you will be ticketed if caught. Don't want that.

Good luck and tight lines!

Oscar

Chumkiller thanks for the info on the Wallace. I sure wish the Regs were more specific were the mouth is located at. I was there last Wednesday and fished where I think the mouth is and didn't see a lot of silvers. Sure glad I didn't keep any.

I hear that two small dime size black & silver corky with shrimp work well. I go with orange,green,& brown corks and blue shrimp. I don't know the name for the blue shrimp I just call em that,they have black mixed in the shell. They are about 3"to 4" inches long or longer. Note these work even better for chum. I go to this when spinners,and spoons don't work. I'm not the best fisherman in the world, don't hold me to a sure thing ,but give it a try. Stop by safeway they are frozen and remember the blue & black tint on the shell. I use the ends off them, About the last 3" of them. The good thing is they last for ever. You can freeze them over and over. The meat is hard and the hook stays in them when casting the heavy plunk gear. J.C.B

One of the best strategies to employ when silvers stop biting is to give them a changeup. Switching from one presentation to another will often yield results. But most of the time just a subtle change with the current presentation is all that is necessary. On the Sky, (yes, I know it's not open!!!) in years past, I have used subtle changes quite effectively. One of these is employs the use of two types of spinners, a #3 vibrax and a 1/4 ounce roostertail. Switch them often while working a stretch of water, so that holding coho get a good look at both. The vibrax has lots of flash and vibration, whereas the roostertail has a "buggy"-look to it (and runs deeper too).

Salmo G. - I hear ya. This year, I've never seen so many coho but I've also never experienced so little success. Nothing but jacks for me this year. Nothing seems to be working. From what I've seen, I'm not alone. Lots of other folks are getting skunked also.

In years past I've done what Hohwaiian has suggested. Switch lures often. One day last year I was throwing orange or charturese spinners into a pool with lots of rolling coho with no success. I switched to a green pixie spoon and landed two nice coho bucks on three casts. But this year even that hasn't worked. The only people I see with fish are the snaggers.....


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MSB

All I have to say, is corky and yarn.. Consistently outfishes almost all other methods of fishing for them... Especially in both the Dungeness and Elwha... At least for me, and my buddies... Who knows! everyone has a best way to catch them... =)

Tom