SILVER METTLE
Salt Water Sportsman|June - July 2023
A MID THE RICH WATERS OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA, SILVER SALMON FLOURISH IN LATE SUMMER
JIM HENDRICKS
SILVER METTLE

The scene is primordial to its core. Cool ocean currents scour ancient rocky shores draped with kelp. Steep mountains studded with pines sprouting ferns shrouded in mist. Suddenly, the water erupts with showers of candlefish. From the depths, often within yards of shore, arise behemoth humpback whales, bursting upward to engulf terrified mouthfuls of the tiny fish. $ This is Southeast Alaska in late summer. These waters course from the Pacific through an incalculable number of islands, inlets, fjords and channels, a movable feast in the Alexander Archipelago-a mind-boggling biomass of candlefish known to the indigenous Chinook nation as eulacheon.

Easy pickings attract more than humpbacks. It is here that silver salmon mass to feed and fatten in anticipation of the fall migration, which will take them up the coastal rivers and tributaries where they had hatched to complete a primeval, generational pilgrimage of reproduction and complete their life cycle.

Late summer in this temperate rainforest is a time of plenty, and the best sport fishing left for silvers-also known as coho salmon-that can grow to weights of more than 20 pounds. Though silvers don't grow as large as king salmon, they prove more plentiful this time of year and, unlike kings, stage rambunctious aerial displays that delight anglers.

My brother, Joe Hendricks, and I had a chance to sample Southeast Alaska's great late-season silver salmon fishing last August with Capt. Colin McCrossin, who guides out of the remote yet comfortable Waterfall Resort on Prince of Wales Island, about a 40-minute flight by float plane from Ketchikan (see sidebar).

McCrossin has fished these waters for 25 years and knows each nook, cranny and islet of the jagged, barnacle-encrusted shores along which the silvers feed.

BEST SEASON IN YEARS

Denne historien er fra June - July 2023-utgaven av Salt Water Sportsman.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra June - July 2023-utgaven av Salt Water Sportsman.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SALT WATER SPORTSMANSe alt
Jupiter 40
Salt Water Sportsman

Jupiter 40

The new Jupiter 40 shines brightly amid an increasingly crowded orbit of similar-size offshore center-console fishing machines.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2023
Pursuit S 248 Sport
Salt Water Sportsman

Pursuit S 248 Sport

The new S 248 Sport offers a versatile alternative to the growing number of mega-size, multi-outboard center-console fishing boats.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2023
Pressing Pause
Salt Water Sportsman

Pressing Pause

MAKING THE MOST OF THE TIDE'S RUNNING-SLACK PERIODS WILL UP YOUR GAME.

time-read
6 mins  |
August - September 2023
NEED FOR SPEED
Salt Water Sportsman

NEED FOR SPEED

SPEED-TROLLING WITH DIVING LIPLESS PLUGS HAS EMERGED AS THE NEXT BIG THING FOR FINICKY PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA.

time-read
6 mins  |
August - September 2023
FISH WIDE OPEN
Salt Water Sportsman

FISH WIDE OPEN

TODAY'S NEW BREED OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE OUTBOARD BOATS EXPANDS ANGLING HORIZONS

time-read
5 mins  |
August - September 2023
FLORIDA KEYS OVERNIGHTER
Salt Water Sportsman

FLORIDA KEYS OVERNIGHTER

THE DRY TORTUGAS IS NO LONGER THE FINAL FRONTIER, BUT THE BOTTOMFISHING IS STILL WORTH THE TRIP.

time-read
6 mins  |
August - September 2023
A Quiet Revolution
Salt Water Sportsman

A Quiet Revolution

Brushless saltwater trolling motors turn up the efficiency and turn down the noise.

time-read
6 mins  |
August - September 2023
The Right Propeller
Salt Water Sportsman

The Right Propeller

Changing out your props? Here are five things to know first, straight from the experts.

time-read
4 mins  |
August - September 2023
Topwaters for Every Speed
Salt Water Sportsman

Topwaters for Every Speed

There's nothing better than watching a fish slam a plug as it rips across the water's surface.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2023
Don't Let Current Ruin Your Bottom-Fishing Trip
Salt Water Sportsman

Don't Let Current Ruin Your Bottom-Fishing Trip

Lengthen your soak time with this fast-current bottom rig.

time-read
4 mins  |
August - September 2023