Where is the herring for Ocean Coho Opener?

[Orca]

Anyone have any leads on getting some good looking herring for the 22nd Ocean Coho season? Bi-Mart has some worn-out specimens, but maybe they would work OK. Or, will the large sardines they have work since they look better than the herring? I can't find anyone else that has any in the Albany/Corvallis area. Even Harry's in Newport is unsure whether they will get any in the next 2 weeks.

What other options for lures are workable?

Thanks in advance.

[drift boat]

We have started getting some at are G.I.Joe's here. They said that they will have enough to get thru the summer.
[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[bait boy]

I heard that they are going to be useing anchovies due to the shortage on the coast.

[Hookset]

Anchovies are a great bait for coho. In fact anchovies were hot at bouy 10 last August for coho. I like solid tied 4/0,maybe 5/0 (I like large hooks) 2 hook leaders and of course, fish them whole. Keep the space between the hooks small enough to match the bait size. Run the top hook under the mouth, out the top of the head and between the eyes. Bend the fish in the desired arc, run the bottom hook tip through the side along the latteral line, out the other side and back through so the hook anchors the bend. A little practice and you'll get this down. With the right bend you can get some tight fast rolls which really worked great catching coho last year at Buoy 10. Did you ever see the charters doing well last year and wonder what they were doing different? Can't say I really know for sure, but was told this is one of the tricks.

There are lots of bait fish to be found in the ocean. I really believe we fish herring just becuse they are easier to catch commercially and locally, easy to rig up and fish well. Pretty good reasons sure. But herring are just part of the diet for salmon. If you could place candle fish on a hook, they'd catch fish, shrimp, squid, anchovies, sardine and numerous other small fish all play a roll.

I already mentioned this in another post, try also using spoons. Last year I saw a charter boat using 3.5 inch hot pink with black dot spoons and limiting out.

best of luck,

hook