ANDYCOHO
09-16-2005, 10:09 PM
Right now thousands of Coho are staged just off of many local tributaries, some coho have already started their migration upstream. Thousands of people will head to the rivers in the next month to do battle with a feisty, acrobatic and good tasting silver salmon. Make sure your one of the successful ones!
Here are some tips for catching Coho in the river:
Setting the hook: This is my biggest aggravation fishing the river for Coho, sitting across from some guy that is setting the hook on every bump from a rock or fish. Please don’t do this, I guarantee you will hook more Coho (IN THE MOUTH) and save a lot more bait if you just WAIT. Yep, wait a second, if your rig stops, wait, pull up your slack line slowly and steady keeping your rod at eye level. If you feel tension and a fish swimming with your bait, then set the hook. If you feel nothing it’s a rock, gently wiggle it free, 70% of the time it will, it’s those quick knee jerk hook sets that sets a snag. You will be amazed how long a Coho will hold onto good bait.....till your bait is gone!
Drift Fishing: This is my preferred technique for putting Coho on the bank. I start with a #1 Owner or Gami hook with 26-30 inches of 8-pound leader. I thread on a small corkie and tie this to my 10-pound mainline with a small snap swivel. I use rubber tubing to hold my pencil lead and use the smallest amount of lead that will still put me on the bottom.
For bait I only use eggs, preferably very small skeins (BB sized eggs) that I have set aside throughout the year just for coho. Using a quarter size cluster of eggs seems to be the most conservative and consistent producer.
When I approach the river, I know that coho will be throughout the hole, even back-eddies and frog water. But I want to catch the most aggressive fish in the hole first (why make things hard on yourself). So I look to the uppermost part of the holding water. I then cast well above it, most likely into the fast ripples above and by the time my bait hits bottom it’s in “Tthe Zone”.
If a couple of casts don’t produce a fish or a Coho bite, I move down the hole, till I’m fishing “Frog water”.
Fishing “Frog Water” takes a little different technique since there is no current or very little. Cast to the deepest part of the frog water, or directly next to a steep bank that borders this water. Let your bait fall to the bottom, then slowly raise your bait off the bottom, then drift to the bottom again. Very similar to fishing for Bass. When you feel the slightest resistance, take all slack out of your line and wait. If a Coho has picked up your eggs they will swim once they feel the tension of your line. Once you feel the fish swim away set the hook. Don’t, I repeat, Don’t set the hook the second you feel something “Fishy”, you will quickly foul hook a “Sucker fish” or a Coho, you will also save the amount of eggs you use in a day by not setting the hook on every bump. Fishing “Frog Water” can be very productive, just ask Fish Hawk, we have literally limited in minutes in water ignored and shunned by other anglers who have been fishing unsuccessfully all morning.
Spinners: I will quote Mark FishinMission here: “Fish "frog" water with #3 or #4 Blue Foxes...with either black or chartreuse bodies and black blades. Cast them into the deep water...let 'em sink.
Reel them in slow enough that you can see your rod tip throbbing slowly as your spinner blade rotates. If it stops on the way back to you...set the hook!”
I have seen some masters and some snaggers who throw spinners. I do exactly what Mark mentions above but in all types of current. I have seen excellent success drift fishing spinners as well in very fast chutes.
Dont forget to cast a few plugs through those holes before moving on! Flo-Orange seems to the top producer.
When your plug or spinner is getting within the last couple feet of you, slow down or stop the retrieve. I have seen many Coho follow a plug or spinner back, but spook away as soon as they see me. Just holding the plug or spinner just under the water for a couple of second gives that Coho the oportunity they were waiting for.
Bobber and eggs: If you use Bobber and Eggs for Chinook and can catch fish, you are one step ahead of most “Coho bobber and egg fisherman”. The biggest mistake I see folks due with bobber and eggs for coho is that they are using too light of rod and too light of lead. When your attempting to catch Chinook you use a 4oz bobber and 4oz’s of lead (or larger), because you want to get that bait down quick to where the fish are. Same applies to Coho! Bring your Chinook bobber rod the next time Coho fishing and I guarantee you will catch more Coho than with a ˝ oz egg sinker and small bobber.
Be Prepared: This sounds redundant, but if you want to be a successful Coho fisherman, show up a ˝ hour early, have everything rigged on your rod and plenty, I mean plenty of extra leaders pre-tied. Also have your eggs and your lead pre-cut.
Please pick up other’s trash and keep your cell phone charged up so you can call in poachers/ snaggers and brag to your buddies about your success!
Good luck!
Andy
Here are some tips for catching Coho in the river:
Setting the hook: This is my biggest aggravation fishing the river for Coho, sitting across from some guy that is setting the hook on every bump from a rock or fish. Please don’t do this, I guarantee you will hook more Coho (IN THE MOUTH) and save a lot more bait if you just WAIT. Yep, wait a second, if your rig stops, wait, pull up your slack line slowly and steady keeping your rod at eye level. If you feel tension and a fish swimming with your bait, then set the hook. If you feel nothing it’s a rock, gently wiggle it free, 70% of the time it will, it’s those quick knee jerk hook sets that sets a snag. You will be amazed how long a Coho will hold onto good bait.....till your bait is gone!
Drift Fishing: This is my preferred technique for putting Coho on the bank. I start with a #1 Owner or Gami hook with 26-30 inches of 8-pound leader. I thread on a small corkie and tie this to my 10-pound mainline with a small snap swivel. I use rubber tubing to hold my pencil lead and use the smallest amount of lead that will still put me on the bottom.
For bait I only use eggs, preferably very small skeins (BB sized eggs) that I have set aside throughout the year just for coho. Using a quarter size cluster of eggs seems to be the most conservative and consistent producer.
When I approach the river, I know that coho will be throughout the hole, even back-eddies and frog water. But I want to catch the most aggressive fish in the hole first (why make things hard on yourself). So I look to the uppermost part of the holding water. I then cast well above it, most likely into the fast ripples above and by the time my bait hits bottom it’s in “Tthe Zone”.
If a couple of casts don’t produce a fish or a Coho bite, I move down the hole, till I’m fishing “Frog water”.
Fishing “Frog Water” takes a little different technique since there is no current or very little. Cast to the deepest part of the frog water, or directly next to a steep bank that borders this water. Let your bait fall to the bottom, then slowly raise your bait off the bottom, then drift to the bottom again. Very similar to fishing for Bass. When you feel the slightest resistance, take all slack out of your line and wait. If a Coho has picked up your eggs they will swim once they feel the tension of your line. Once you feel the fish swim away set the hook. Don’t, I repeat, Don’t set the hook the second you feel something “Fishy”, you will quickly foul hook a “Sucker fish” or a Coho, you will also save the amount of eggs you use in a day by not setting the hook on every bump. Fishing “Frog Water” can be very productive, just ask Fish Hawk, we have literally limited in minutes in water ignored and shunned by other anglers who have been fishing unsuccessfully all morning.
Spinners: I will quote Mark FishinMission here: “Fish "frog" water with #3 or #4 Blue Foxes...with either black or chartreuse bodies and black blades. Cast them into the deep water...let 'em sink.
Reel them in slow enough that you can see your rod tip throbbing slowly as your spinner blade rotates. If it stops on the way back to you...set the hook!”
I have seen some masters and some snaggers who throw spinners. I do exactly what Mark mentions above but in all types of current. I have seen excellent success drift fishing spinners as well in very fast chutes.
Dont forget to cast a few plugs through those holes before moving on! Flo-Orange seems to the top producer.
When your plug or spinner is getting within the last couple feet of you, slow down or stop the retrieve. I have seen many Coho follow a plug or spinner back, but spook away as soon as they see me. Just holding the plug or spinner just under the water for a couple of second gives that Coho the oportunity they were waiting for.
Bobber and eggs: If you use Bobber and Eggs for Chinook and can catch fish, you are one step ahead of most “Coho bobber and egg fisherman”. The biggest mistake I see folks due with bobber and eggs for coho is that they are using too light of rod and too light of lead. When your attempting to catch Chinook you use a 4oz bobber and 4oz’s of lead (or larger), because you want to get that bait down quick to where the fish are. Same applies to Coho! Bring your Chinook bobber rod the next time Coho fishing and I guarantee you will catch more Coho than with a ˝ oz egg sinker and small bobber.
Be Prepared: This sounds redundant, but if you want to be a successful Coho fisherman, show up a ˝ hour early, have everything rigged on your rod and plenty, I mean plenty of extra leaders pre-tied. Also have your eggs and your lead pre-cut.
Please pick up other’s trash and keep your cell phone charged up so you can call in poachers/ snaggers and brag to your buddies about your success!
Good luck!
Andy