Of the 5 pacific salmon species on the Nushagak, if I could only chase one with a fly rod the answer would be easy. Silvers.
There are a number of reasons why silvers are so much fun to catch on the fly, but the first would be their willingness to chase and eat a stripped fly.
Silvers are a curious fish by nature, and usually follow a fly or lure for some time before striking. For the fly angler, this adds a visual aspect that is tough to beat. I have watched them chase for long distances before committing – sometimes this will happen right at the boat. Being able to watch the fish follow allows the angler to experiment with retrieves; sometimes they want it sped up, sometimes slowed down. You can learn a lot by watching how the fish reacts to your retrieve.
The second thing I love about silvers is the fight. They are, in my opinion, the bass version of a salmon. Silvers love to get airborne, sometimes jumping 4-5 feet out of the water. On a few occasions, I have actually witnessed a fish jump and clear the gunnel of the boat, landing at my feet. It is exhilarating.
Technique and fly selection for silvers is fairly straightforward. I prefer either an 8 wt or 9 wt single hand rod paired with both a floating and sinking tip fly line. Silvers mainly rest in slow, shallow areas of our river, so many times a floating line with a sinking fly works just fine. However, there are spots on the Nushagak where the current may be faster or the water a touch deeper. This is where having a sinking tip line is very beneficial.
Upon making the cast, I like to let the fly sink for only a second or two, then begin the retrieve back. Silvers are aggressive, so I move the fly fairly quickly. Small, quick strips can be deadly. Another technique I have begun to use over the years is putting a “jigging” motion into the fly. This can be done through a combination of aggressive strips and pauses, as well as putting movement into the fly rod itself. Oftentimes, the fish will hit when the fly begins to pause and fall.
For the fly selection, I keep it fairly simple. Many years ago, a long-time Alaska guide told me that “any color will work for coho, as long as it’s pink.” While pink is certainly my favorite, I do use purples and greens as well, depending on the conditions. I have found that on cloudy days, purple seems to work slightly better than pink, or better yet, a combination of the two colors with some flashy materials.
Streamer patterns like the dolly llama and leeches work great. I like sizes 4 and 6 primarily. Many of these patterns have either a conehead or dumbbell eyes, which allows the fly to sink and can help incorporate that jigging action I referred to earlier.
I run a very stout leader set up, finishing with 20 pound test. Silvers are not line shy, so I am not worried about light leaders and prefer to land them before they are at the point of exhaustion.
Our spacious 20’ river sleds allow plenty of room for the fly angler. Much of our fishing is done from the boat, with the guide controlling and hovering the boat close to the hot spots. While long casts are not totally necessary, they do help. When the run is really thick, catching them from the bank is done easily.
If you are planning a trip to fish with us, I highly recommend packing a fly rod along. It is a fun way to mix up a day on the Nushagak.