Northern (hooknose) Coho

[Finished Business]

Ran out to Sooke for a 24hr grinder and we hooked into 2 northern coho (a 10lb and 7lb)...pretty awesome fish! I don't know much about them but I am curious if someone can fill me in.

Where are these fish coming from (where do they spawn, where does their migration route take them)??

When we were up in Rivers in the beginning of August the Northerns were just starting to show up outfront the inlet...now one month later we hooked into some in Sooke.

Curious about this fish..look forward to any answers on them.

-FB-

 

[Seafever]

The term "Northern" does not denote a strange mysterious breed of Coho..

They are simply Coho that have been on their normal migratory route up north and are now returning....as opposed to the hundreds of recently spawned babies that people are catching by the cartload that haven't left home yet.

They are called "northerns" because that's the direction they come from when returning.

Some will be heading up local rivers and creeks.....

The "hook nose" just denotes a Coho that is mature and ready to go up and spawn. Earlier on in the season it will not have the hook-nose.

 

[fishspoon]

Ran out to Sooke for a 24hr grinder and we hooked into 2 northern coho (a 10lb and 7lb)...pretty awesome fish! I don't know much about them but I am curious if someone can fill me in.

Where are these fish coming from (where do they spawn, where does their migration route take them)??

When we were up in Rivers in the beginning of August the Northerns were just starting to show up outfront the inlet...now one month later we hooked into some in Sooke.

Curious about this fish..look forward to any answers on them.

-FB-

Yes I know a few who fishes up far north, get northerns in July or August. Much bigger ones. In my theory, cohoes in Sooke are on the way to Washington state's rivers or perhaps Oregon later in the fall. They are in the final stages of feeding right now.

 

[profisher]

All Coho in the pacific (including Sooke) that are larger than about 12 to 14 inches are mature fish and will spawn this fall/winter. So the reference to "Northern Coho" would include these fish as well...as they will be on the same migration path to their rivers soon. I put "Northern Coho" (right or wrong) into a fish that is over10 to 12 pounds with the males having a pronounced knob on their upper jaw. Smaller mature coho are just coho.

 

[Finished Business]

are there any rivers that these larger coho are giong to in specific? or is it just some are bigger than others. The fish we caught were still very chrome. They did not fight like a typical coho either, they both wanted to stay down and dive, rather than come up and splash around. Or is this common with bigger coho in general? Most I've caught (7 lbs and under) tend to fight on top of the water, 95% of the time.

 

[profisher]

The coho today are nothing like the coho back in the day. They were absolutely crazy when hooked. Hit so hard that many bigger ones just broke off before you could get the rod in your hands. Run around and often right past your boat swimming ahead of the bow...or jumping clear of the water. Today they hit maybe run a bit then twist and roll around, often lassoing themselves on the leader. The bigger ones still give a decent fight (13 to 20 pounds) but it has become more about the number of hook ups and not the quality of the fight.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

Today they hit maybe run a bit then twist and roll around, often lassoing themselves on the leader. The bigger ones still give a decent fight (13 to 20 pounds) but it has become more about the number of hook ups and not the quality of the fight.

Is this maybe a function of the gear we use these days? When I was a kid in the late 70's and 80's we were catching them with a herring on a single hook behind a 2 oz banana weight, or on a bucktail...now we've got 40 or 50 lb test line and a big flasher slowing them down. Most memorable fight i've had was from a 10 lb northern I caught when I was 13 out solo in my tin boat...fight seemed to go on forever.

 

[profisher]

The troll gear in the old days was heavier than it is today. Peetz rods and reels, still 30 pound main line, 8 oz to 16 oz slip weights and metal dodger. The lines weren't as good back then, thicker and less breaking strength...so leaders broke more often.

 

[outback]

Coho on there final year (and most chinooks for that matter) Grow about 1lb per week. i.e a 5lb coho on july 1st is about a 9 lb coho on the first of September.

This year we used cut plug herring off the down rigger - no flasher - no weight. and that was a fight to remember, even for the little 5 pounders!

 

[fishspoon]

Your comments remind me of good ol' days of Strait of Georgia coho fishing especially using bucktails and dodgers on the surface. lots of people used to enjoy blueback and mature coho angling anywhere from Nanoose Bay all way up to Denman Island and Hornby Island. Now it's gone....oh well. At least, there are a few good coho fisheries left on the west side.

 

[wet spot]

There are still a few Northerns to be caught thru mid-late September in Johnstone Strait - I think most are going up the Salmon River at Kelsey Bay or other ECVI and mainland rivers. I caught my first /biggest coho ever there using an Abe&Al flasher with a lime green hootchie at 90' - what a fight!!.. the fish jumped taking the flasher right out of the water at least 7-8 times...that image is burned in my mind forever...weighted 18lbs ...would have released him but his gill was nicked and he was done.