About Coho Salmon
Coho are the silver salmon. They are smaller than Chinook, with a bright chrome flank and a metallic blue-green back. NOAA lists adults at roughly 8 to 12 lbs and 24 to 30 inches.
California is the southern end of the coho range, which runs from Alaska to central California and peaks from southeast Alaska to central Oregon. The state's ocean salmon rules allow Chinook only, so a coho that eats your troll rig is a release fish. That makes this page about two skills: identifying the fish quickly, and letting it go in good shape.
Coho here are protected. The Central California Coast population is federally endangered and the Southern Oregon and Northern California Coast population is federally threatened (CDFW).
How to Catch
You do not target coho in California. They show up as an unwanted extra while anglers troll for Chinook in open seasons. CDFW suggests fishing deeper, because coho stay in the top 30 feet, and using larger lures that Chinook prefer, to reduce the chance of hooking one.
If one eats, keep it in the water, get the hook out quickly and release it.
Eating Profile
Not applicable in California. Coho cannot be kept from the ocean here, so there is no table fish to talk about. Chinook is the salmon you can keep.
Common Mistakes
- Bringing a coho aboard to check it. Look at the gums and tail while it is still in the water or in the net.
- Playing it to exhaustion. A tired fish handled for photos is less likely to survive. Short fight, quick release.
- Going by size alone. A small Chinook and a coho can look alike. Use the gums and tail spots.
- Putting it in the fish box to sort out later. Retention is prohibited, so it never goes in the box.
Salmon Season Notes
Seasons change every year and sometimes in season, so confirm on the CDFW salmon page before you go. For 2026, the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted these sport openers: April 11 from Pigeon Point south to the Mexican border, June 13 from the Oregon border to the 40/10 line off southern Humboldt County, and June 27 north of Pigeon Point (Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Bodega Bay up to Point Arena). CDFW regional pages updated October 1, 2026 show the recreational fishery closed for the rest of the year in the Pigeon Point to Mexico area and the Klamath Management Zone, with 2027 dates due in April 2027. See Salmon for the Chinook side.
