David Johnson
07-16-2009, 10:09 AM
Ocean fishing has been “off the hook” for coho salmon. We have been easily getting limits within two hours of fishing.
Talk to anybody who has done some off-shore coho fishing and you will hear about “drive by’s”
They are very common.
There are a few ways of cutting these down, converting some of these missed opportunities. I say some of them. You will always have some drive-by’s. It’s the nature of the fishery. Not only are there small fish out there but also the nature of coho on a feeding frenzy is to slash and kill baitfish. Many times this behavior simply knocks the bait off the hook.
While ocean fishing, like many other fisheries I fish in, you gotta have some give. Actually, since off shore coho have softer mouths, it’s even more important.
There are a few ways you can achieve this. A soft rod, monofilament line or a salmon bungee.
I prefer softer rods, favoring the G Loomis SAR 1084C and SAR 1265C. These rods are made for fishing herring. They have the length and give to allow a fish to take the bait to the bank. I have been using these rods for years and they have accounted for a huge amount of bites converted to fish.
If you are using a stiffer rod try mono or a bungee. I don’t like using mono because after catching several fish and the strain from the diver’s pull the line can get stretched out and weakened.
Use a red bungee for silvers and a chartreuse one for Chinook.
But these remedies don’t do justice compaired to a fine herring rod.
Then there’s the bait fish. Or more specifically the bait. I have heard so many people rave about using fresh bait. In my opinion the bait that is available is too soft. Soft bait gets ripped off during a drive-by.
That is why I always use frozen herring. Frozen herring are starved before they are packed and frozen. Fresh herring are not. In the starving process the fish use up their stored fat, fat is soft. And after the fat is used up they start to absorb their scales. This farther toughens them up.
Speaking of bait. One feeding habit of salmon, like other predators of fish, is to eat their food head first. They like to grab a bait fish by the head. This is why I like to keep the space between the hooks of my mooching rigs fairly close together.
Although I always carry bait and usually always run a rod or two with bait there may be something better when the bite is on, HARDWEAR. Spoons are the most common lures I’ll use. Coyotes, Tom Macks and LG Johnson spoons. With a lure on there you may get hit with a drive by but you are still fishing, no worries.
Get the junk out- When I’m fishing salmon off-shore I usually leave off the flashers. It’s just more junk for a coho to drag around and many times they’ll swim faster than you can reel that stuff in, get slack and “pop” they’re gone.
And lastly, don’t forget to have sharp hooks!
Talk to anybody who has done some off-shore coho fishing and you will hear about “drive by’s”
They are very common.
There are a few ways of cutting these down, converting some of these missed opportunities. I say some of them. You will always have some drive-by’s. It’s the nature of the fishery. Not only are there small fish out there but also the nature of coho on a feeding frenzy is to slash and kill baitfish. Many times this behavior simply knocks the bait off the hook.
While ocean fishing, like many other fisheries I fish in, you gotta have some give. Actually, since off shore coho have softer mouths, it’s even more important.
There are a few ways you can achieve this. A soft rod, monofilament line or a salmon bungee.
I prefer softer rods, favoring the G Loomis SAR 1084C and SAR 1265C. These rods are made for fishing herring. They have the length and give to allow a fish to take the bait to the bank. I have been using these rods for years and they have accounted for a huge amount of bites converted to fish.
If you are using a stiffer rod try mono or a bungee. I don’t like using mono because after catching several fish and the strain from the diver’s pull the line can get stretched out and weakened.
Use a red bungee for silvers and a chartreuse one for Chinook.
But these remedies don’t do justice compaired to a fine herring rod.
Then there’s the bait fish. Or more specifically the bait. I have heard so many people rave about using fresh bait. In my opinion the bait that is available is too soft. Soft bait gets ripped off during a drive-by.
That is why I always use frozen herring. Frozen herring are starved before they are packed and frozen. Fresh herring are not. In the starving process the fish use up their stored fat, fat is soft. And after the fat is used up they start to absorb their scales. This farther toughens them up.
Speaking of bait. One feeding habit of salmon, like other predators of fish, is to eat their food head first. They like to grab a bait fish by the head. This is why I like to keep the space between the hooks of my mooching rigs fairly close together.
Although I always carry bait and usually always run a rod or two with bait there may be something better when the bite is on, HARDWEAR. Spoons are the most common lures I’ll use. Coyotes, Tom Macks and LG Johnson spoons. With a lure on there you may get hit with a drive by but you are still fishing, no worries.
Get the junk out- When I’m fishing salmon off-shore I usually leave off the flashers. It’s just more junk for a coho to drag around and many times they’ll swim faster than you can reel that stuff in, get slack and “pop” they’re gone.
And lastly, don’t forget to have sharp hooks!