Targeting Coho

slader99

Member
Any tips or tricks for specificly targeting coho?

Sounds like spoons and hootchies can be good and I might want my troll a little quicker than normal (2 or 3 knots?). Any recommendations on leader length, target depths or total water column depths?

Anyone have any west coast books they could recommend that might talk about tips and timing for various species in and around Vancouver Island?

Cheers,

Slader99
 
Any tips or tricks for specificly targeting coho?

Sounds like spoons and hootchies can be good and I might want my troll a little quicker than normal (2 or 3 knots?). Any recommendations on leader length, target depths or total water column depths?

Anyone have any west coast books they could recommend that might talk about tips and timing for various species in and around Vancouver Island?

Cheers,

Slader99
Keep your gear shallow
 
Cap coho seem to bite early in the morning. Fast troll. Short leader. White spoons and rubber. 15 to 50 ft. Works for me.
 
Troll as fast as you're comfortable with - and then go faster. If youre kicker is throwing out a lot of wash, that's probably good.

I keep my hoochies' leaders around 30" (tip of flasher to nose of hoochie). I might shorten my spoon leaders, but I often catch good chinook early in the coho year, so the leaders tend to stay around the 5 foot mark.

For Sooke/Victoria area: fish the tidelines way out in the strait. 3rd or 4th line seem to be the best producers for me, and the least full of weeds. My magic depth is 65' for a late morning/afternoon fishing. 45' at sun up or sun down.

Don't troll against the tide, fish perpendicular to it or with it. You cover more water and better can get into schools.
 
Fast. Shallower. Shorter leaders. little salted herring on hoochie or GSB front hook. Can run surface flies!
 
I find they'll hit anything anywhere but with coho more than anything there's a "bite". First light, first moon whatever the hell it is who knows. Lasts for an hour then turns off for a few. Just be out there and ready.
 
Thanks for the input everyone! Appreciate you taking the time to comment.

Gonna drag the skiff down from the cowichan valley and see if we can't get into a coho or two on the weekend weather permitting. Thinking about trying off otter point or secretary island...

Cheers
 
I’ve been finding non stop action first tide line from Secretary to Beechey Head. Not as good further out. About 3/4 of a mile out. Coho killer and 3” AP herring spoons. ‘Sunday we had 26 to the boat in 4 hours. 8 clipped
 
Your not exaggerating when you say non stop! Any preference on colors of flasher or spoons? What sort of leader length on your spoons and do you rig them with a swivel or tie straight to flasher?
 
Your not exaggerating when you say non stop! Any preference on colors of flasher or spoons? What sort of leader length on your spoons and do you rig them with a swivel or tie straight to flasher?
Tie your gear to bead chains or stainless swivels for quick change of gear and to avoid twisting up your line.
 
You bet; I always have in the past when fishing teaser heads but I've recently heard some suggest that when using a hoochie (and maybe spoon?) you might tie straight to the tail end of the flasher (or with a clip instead of swivel) to try and get more movement from the flasher? Wondering if this is common or not....
 
If you want coho only target coho, have your mind set to get a coho, run through your best hooch and spoons it changes every year, dial in the depth your hitting at..
speed... be sporadic zig zag if your in coho alley they will attack at speed changes... i set the gear anywhere from 10' -60' everywhere is different work the whole water column, don't think one depth go find them, heck in some area's they’re smack on bottom just cruising by boats.. Good Luck
 
You bet; I always have in the past when fishing teaser heads but I've recently heard some suggest that when using a hoochie (and maybe spoon?) you might tie straight to the tail end of the flasher (or with a clip instead of swivel) to try and get more movement from the flasher? Wondering if this is common or not....
Tie straight to the clip keep shortening the leader length until you have a good whip to the hooch. I personally use 60Lb test to help transfer action to my lure works for me.
 
Something interesting when I first started the cap in august it was out of vanier and being a newb I tied my teaser head herring at only 27-30". Not only did it work for coho it slammed them. So think outside the box and im pretty sure you want to be going at least 7km/hr. always hit them going that speed off gower point and the cap.
 
The WCVI Coho bulletin has just been released for 2020.

https://mcusercontent.com/09b3da4c0...60feeb3a55a8/WCVI_Coho_Bulletin_July_2020.pdf

The outlook for Coho has been downgraded to "Low Status" compared to "Moderate Status" in the last few years. The fishery management response will be to reduce WCVI wild Coho retention limits to 1/day for inshore waters of the WCVI for the recreational fishery. A fishery notice implementing this change will be forthcoming in the next week or two.

If you have any comments or questions you can email the DFO Stock Assessment, Resource Management, or Salmon Enhancement Program contacts listed in the bulletin.

Just a reminder, the library section of each Area on the Roundtables website is updated weekly through the season with all in-season bulletins. https://www.roundtables.westcoastaquatic.ca/

https://www.roundtables.westcoastaquatic.ca/
 
The WCVI Coho bulletin has just been released for 2020.

https://mcusercontent.com/09b3da4c0...60feeb3a55a8/WCVI_Coho_Bulletin_July_2020.pdf

The outlook for Coho has been downgraded to "Low Status" compared to "Moderate Status" in the last few years. The fishery management response will be to reduce WCVI wild Coho retention limits to 1/day for inshore waters of the WCVI for the recreational fishery. A fishery notice implementing this change will be forthcoming in the next week or two.

If you have any comments or questions you can email the DFO Stock Assessment, Resource Management, or Salmon Enhancement Program contacts listed in the bulletin.

Just a reminder, the library section of each Area on the Roundtables website is updated weekly through the season with all in-season bulletins. https://www.roundtables.westcoastaquatic.ca/

https://www.roundtables.westcoastaquatic.ca/

"Lovely"
 
Thanks for the pointers everyone. Made it out with my 8 year old this morning for an awesome trip. We brought over 30 fish to the boat and had 4 double headers. Seems like 3 wild for every hatchery and the hatcheries were quite a bit smaller.

After an hour or so of non-stop action in he figured we should pull the lines in for a bit so he could eat a snack ;)

Slader99
 
Pretty sure that most are hatchery, just not all "clipped". The few actual wild fish are truly precious though.
 
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