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Can someone give me a rough estimate of fillet weight of an average size river-run silver? Maybe a close guestimate for how many pounds of fillets for 1/2 dozen silvers. Last time we were up, we got our limit of river silvers, and did well on a halibut/lingcod trip, and came home with @ 80#s of fillets total, but I didn't really pay attention to the weight of just the salmon. Prices on everything have gone up so much that we are trying to figure where we can cut some costs this fall, may not do the sea charter. Thanks in advance.
(Hey Mike, hope all is well with you and family)

What river? Really depends on the size of the fish we’re talking about. 50% of live weight is a rough estimate that will get you in the ballpark.

When y’all coming up? You the tour guide? 🤣

Never weighed filets, but will guess 3-4 lbs per fish?

The last time we were up in that area ,we set up a lean - to shelter and a bear came in the middle of the night. Luckily my friend was part indian ,woke up and started banging pots and yelling into the blackness. I lost the car keys and had to go back alone and get them from the trunk where the car was . We never caught any fish although my friend got one . He never got skunked.
The fillets on a 5 pounder are about 3/4 lbs. ea. We usually bake the fish except for the head.

4-6 pounds for 2 fillets off a mature silver 10-12# average sized fish….I’ve seen some fillet jobs where you’d be lucky to get 1 pound fillets from the same size fish. 😂

Fishing the Kenai, mid Sept. I was thinking we had gotten around 30#s of fillets from a 1/2 dozen fish, but thought maybe I was a little high for an estimate. Sounds like maybe it was close, thanks for the replies.
You know me too well Mike, we are playing guide again this trip, wife's cousin and husband this time. If you have time, maybe you can guide us to good pizza and beer.
Can't believe how much prices have gone up since we were last up, cars, rooms, charters, all have basically doubled, some more-so. Trying to come up with some different plans this trip, to keep costs down, thought maybe two days fishing the river and skipping the sea charter would save some $ and still get us home with a 50# fish box.

Don’t know yet where I’ll be mid-sept. Do you still have my phone number?

Easily doable with a half dozen second run Kenai fish.

Thanks all, for the info on the fish, much appreciated.
Mike, I still have your number, I'll try getting in touch with you when the time is closer.

Silver sizes range wildly, as has been noted... statewide commercial silvers weigh just over 7# average, live weight. Some systems produce far larger, like the Buskin next to the Kodiak Airport. They average double the statewide most years.

A decent knife will yield quite a bit more than 50%. The difference is whether the collars and fins are trimmed. Some also trim bellies...

I cut and process a few thousand a year. 50% is about right with bellies left on but no collar. A hatchery saltwater coho in SE will only give you 2.5 - 3# of fillet on an average year and those are 5-6lb fish. (5lbs mid july versus 6lb early sept) Best year I can remember was 4# of fillet a coho. On depends on the run of coho though. POWHA fish tend to run smaller as they release piles of them and I think it's just a feed issue. Neets or Stikine fish show up and they are big, mean, and fat.

Those are the "weird salties" Calvin.

I caught a couple on the Buskin that were 15-16# fish.
Most were 12-13#

My biggest silver to date was 17 pounds 8 ounces 3 hours after landing it. It was bled immediately….that was caught down here back when our silvers looked more like salmon and less like snakes.

I hope you're booked up already if you want to fish the Kenai in Sept.
That should be prime time to get into some 2nd run fish and I think you'll be happy with the weights of a day's limits.

Hmm. There is an idea. Will have to tell the boss to double our charter rate and our pay then also. Grins.

I hear ya on Bidenflation. Its everywhere.