Northwest Reel Life April 2023 Volume 2 Issue 10 - Flipbook - Page 10
Ocean Coho Tips and Techniques
By Jason Brooks
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now
Coho are one of the most soughtafter salmon in the Pacific
Northwest. For the saltwater
angler, the coho bite can be a bit
chaotic, with the fish running in
large schools and being active
biters when the conditions are
right. They can also be a bit
frustrating if you are not using
the right gear or fishing the
right presentation. By keying
in on techniques that work the
topwater and get the coho to
bite, you can increase your catch
rate and fill the coolers with great
eating, hard fighting silver salmon.
Silver salmon like to swim fast and
attack their prey. Known for their
topwater action, coho tend to be
close to the surface. This makes
for a great fishery because you
are not constantly trying to work
the bottom and worrying about
losing a downrigger ball like you
are when chasing after chinook
that are on a sandlance bite.
10 | NWFISHING.net
When it comes to catching coho,
there are few things you can do to
increase your catch rates.
Lose the bait to catch more fish.
It might seem like using a fresh
anchovy or a perfectly plug cut
herring would lead to more fish
but rigging these baits takes time.
When you get into the schools of
coho, the action can be fast, which
means you will catch more fish
if you can keep your gear in the
water longer. Same with getting
it back into the water faster,
and anyone who has rigged an
anchovy hood knows that you
need to set it correctly and that
takes valuable time.
Spoons are one of the more
popular lures because they are
simple and are always working
even if you miss a bite. Keep the
spoons small such as the Coho
Killer or a 3.0 or 3.5 Coyote spoon in
sardine or rainbow trout patterns.
The rainbow trout spoon looks
more like a herring or mackerel
and it has a glow back to it for
low light such as cloudy days.
Another spoon that is popular
with coho fishing is the Skinny
Gee in Herring Aide color. When
running a spoon behind a flasher,
it is best to go a bit longer on the
leader such as 42” as this allows
the spoon to flutter.
Sometimes spoons don’t draw
the fish to strike. Give tube flies
a try. This is a technique often
used in the Great Lakes by
salmon fishermen and by fly
anglers chasing after fall coho
along the shoreline. The ocean
angler can take advantage of
these lightweight lures that
mimic baitfish. One of the best
things about a tube fly is that
they can be fished behind a
dodger or a flasher or all alone,
since they have low drag and are
lightweight. Tube flies tend to
have an erratic action that coho
can’t resist, especially if you put
a Mack’s wiggle bill in front of
them. Bechhold and Son’s make
a unique flasher with offset holes
to add extra action. They have
teamed up with Rapture Trolling