We did fine with white at times. Also a combo of pink. and green. Either a green(ish) spinfish or brads cutplug with a pink hootchie or vice versa. Pink spin with green hootchie. Blue hootchie at times also.

 

The other day fishing for coho, straight spinfish out fished spinfish/hoochie 3-1. I was pretty surprised. Just one day, so not much of an experiment, but I won't go back to the spinfish/hoochie combo

 

This combo has killed a lot of fish. We've also caught a lot with no hoochie.

 

I've only been at this for three or so years and the double trouble with no hoochie catches me Chinook, and the double trouble with pink hoochie catches me Coho. I know I'm a small sampling, but that's how it's been working out for me, oddly. 🤔

 

I'm not sure it matters a whole lot for ocean coho. We've deployed white and pink and they both worked well. Ocean coho will bite anything you put down. I think finding the fish is more important than the gear being used.

Interesting to hear about Starr's experience - I'll have to experiment with running them without hootchie more.

 

Normally agree on the ocean coho and they hit just about anything. Was surprised though with the white, have had definite times when it is hot, then when it goes cold on white its off. Pink and orange always seem to work. Had the white bite happen couple weeks back while we were there. And Two years back was a "hot" bite off the lighthouse There was a big hatch of some sort of little white minnowy fish. I cut off three or 4 tentacles from a large white hootchie and tied them on a 5/0 hook with fishing line. It wouldn't be deployed a minute before it was crushed by a coho. Was a neat experience not sure will be replicated again. So color can be a factor at times even for ocean coho

 

If you get into coho in the ocean. Nothing matters.
They will bite a bare hook.
Don’t over think it.
Back in the day all we used was a banana sinker and cph.
Once in a while we would paint the sinker orange.

 

Last weekend size 4 double trouble no hoochie was on fire for coho.....

 

Whatever color this is.

And relax, I probably pinched the barb later.

 

I'm a big fan of running a hoochie behind a spinfish, color doesn't seem to matter some days like already mentioned. My last couple of trips out this was the hot set-up, even more so than ones rigged with a hoochie. Been a great combo for me

 

Just fished all week with a right out of box mexican flag spinfish. No hoochie, just herring inside with some garlic bloody tuna. Limited most days

 

What size spinfish do ya like best for coho?

 

I'm going to throw this in the ring to consider as well: I have improved my hook/land ratio considerably by ditching the 2 hook rig and using a single, 7/0 hook. Use a couple beads as spacers. Way easier to release those nates as well

 

Agreed. I ended up cutting off the second hook of my spinfish setups this year for the coho, just because of the number of releases needed. The single hook allows for a cleaner release and just simplified our process.

 

I’ve never ventured to far away from a p-line sunrise squid pink uv hoochie. I have tossed a few hooks in the fly tying vice and wrapped uv crystal flash around my hooks which has made a difference in hookups. I’ve tried fish like colors (black, purple, blue, etc.) and it doesn’t work as well as pink.

I’ve had many guests bring their setups, but my combinations tend to outperform theirs. I’m a big proponent of scent and I’ve yet to find anything that outperforms Atlas Mikes Lunker Lotion - Herring. I’ve put herring, tuna belly and shad strips and stuff the stuffer baits with cheap tuna/oil with krill powder (occasionally). I also put uv eyes and uv lure tape on nearly everything, so I tend to have a lot of bling on my gear.

P.S. Please don’t berate me for any barbed hooks in the pictures as I run this gear in the river and only smash barbs on hooks if I set the gear in the ocean. I may have to try the single siawash hook on a swivel. 👌🏻

P.P.S. I’ve started squeezing a small corkie inside the small 3” hoochie which puffs up the head and gives it more positive floatation. My theory is that it slows down the whip behind my preferred flashers (old school herring dodgers) and gives the coho more time to get the lure deeper into their mouth before getting hooked. Here are my favorite dodgers from left (#1) to right.

 

4.0 Mad Clown packed with tuna bloodline from the fish cleaning station dumpster.

 

Thanks guys! Lots of great tips, which I will use the next time I fish. I catch lots of Coho, but I like having the rig that is hit the most and catches the most! I'm hoping to fill my tag again this year. Maybe even the extra harvest tag like I did a few years back.

 

Hopefully the fish show back up in numbers again soon. 🤞