Fly Fishing for Coho - Specialized Techniques

Chrome Northern Coho Salmon such as this 18 lb fish caught by Hamish Barley can be very aggressive upon entering their natal rivers - in this case, one of our favourite Lower Skeena Tributaries - and having the right flies and techniques in your fly fishing repertoire will increase your chances of bringing these fish to hand.

When targeting Coho Salmon on the fly, it's important to keep two things in mind: the type of water that you'll be searching to find fish, and their behavioural preferences. Though you can find Coho in a variety of water types, they most often hold in slower moving pools, on the edge of current seams in what our guides call the "froggy water," and, in particular, anywhere there is cover - most notably, logs, sweepers, and mid-stream boulders. These areas afford Coho the all important features of a river that make them feel comfortable: protection from predators, and slower currents where little energy is required to hold. The nice thing? When you find Coho in these areas, they are often very aggressive.

Locating fish aside, Coho generally require that your fly be animated. It's not that you won't catch fish by simply dead drifting your fly or by swinging it in front of fish, but stripping and twitching your fly so that it looks like it's trying to escape just seems to be one of the major triggers that converts fish into players. So, if you're a die hard Steelhead angler you'll have to modify your tactics slightly. Instead of casting down and across and mending to get that slow swing, cast your fly up and across stream, mend it until it's at the right depth (you'l l have to experiment to see what level they're at - sometimes they're close to the surface, other times, they'll be hugging the bottom), then start a slow, but jerky retrieve once the line drifts down below you. Animation in the fly is best achieved by doing a fast "hand twist retrieve" at the end of the strip - this slight, but essential movement causes the fly to pulse through the water and often makes the difference bewteen an average and exceptional day.

Now, a few notes on fly design and/or choice. For whatever reason, Coho are extremely prone to attacking flies that, when you impart action to it with the rod and line, have a jig like motion. To achieve this, nearly all of our Coho flies have a large metal bead at the front, which causes the fly to dive in the water column after being stripped. The same effect could be achieved by using dumbbell or hourglass eyes, tungsten and conehead beads etc. Next, and perhaps this might be the most importast aspect of fly design - Coho flies require a very liberal use of flash. Our favourites? Flashabou, hands down, as it moves in water much better than does other materials. Using Polar Chenille is also a good choice, and incorporating these two materials into your fly design is a winning combination. In our experience, the most effective colours are varying combinations of chartreuse and silver, but blue, purple, pink and orange are all mainstays in our fly boxes.

So, armed with a little more information on Coho Fly Fishing techniques, be sure to get out there and enjoy your fishing! And, if you want to head out for a day of instruction on our favourite river systems in the Lower Skeena watershed, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Estuary Coho - An Angling Adventure...

The trip in itself could not have been more picturesque. Despite the choppy seas and overcast, rainy conditions, the stark beauty of the north Pacific was evident everywhere you looked. Precipitous mountains reaching skyward from the sea bottom created steep shores, where both old and new growth trees had taken hold. Numerous fjords, smaller channels and waterfalls snaked off towards their own river systems, and if you looked close enough you'd see the odd waterfall from the mountain sides. Half way through the journey we started our fishing by slowly drifting into the shallow estuary waters of small creeks, motor off. We were searching for Coho (Silver) Salmon, fish that are particularly wary when it comes to excess noise. Casting small Gibbs Coho 45 spoons was our preferred method of finding fish, after which we planned to switch over to our fly rods. [The above passage is an exerpt from our 488th Weekly Fishing Report. If you want to read the full story, please go to our Weekly Fishing Report page, where you can also sign up for our fishing report email list]

The miracle fish. My rod broke just below the ferrule on the hookset, forcing me to attempt to land this fish with the tip of the rod and no reel. It was team work at its best, with Connor managing the line from my stripping hand, and Dustin on the net. An exciting battle and not one that we'll likely forget anytime soon...

Dustin on the casting deck. Given the proper angle of the sun and reflection on the water, it was actually quite easy to see pods of Coho - numbering 3 to as many as a dozen fish - and watch them move off to intercept your fly. Nerves of steel and a fast, choppy retrieve are what's needed to convert a follow to a hooked fish.

Estuary Coho and the places you find them give anglers a special chance to experience fishing in a true wilderness setting.

Doing the "Coho strip." Making sure the fly pulses and moves well through the water is key to attracting and keeping fish attracted to your fly. This is best achieved by rotating your hand at the end of a fast strip, almost like the classic "hand twist retrieve."

Dustin, the king of sight fishing Coho Salmon, hooked up on a fish estimated to weigh over 20 lbs. This fish did two full circles around the boat, lept out of the water three times and took Dustin 75 yards into his backing. Hard to imagine a better game fish...

It took two sets with two crab traps to get our limit of keeper sized crabs. Talk about good 'crabbin', and definitely great eating...

Not one of Connor's finest moments, but good for a laugh! This starfish somehow made its way into one of our crab traps and onto Connor's head prior to being released back to the Ocean.