Northwest Fishing Reports

I don't do much salmon fishing, but will be bank-fishing a river for Coho on the peninsula this weekend and need some advice. Can anyone help me out with a go-to rig you've had some success with for river Silvers? The simpler the set-up the better, but I'll use anything if it works!

Thanks!

Drifting eggs or floating eggs. What river?

I'll be fishing the Copalis River near the mouth. I'd rather use a set-up without bait - like a spoon or jig or something easy - but if there is a bait that is just lights-out for catching coho I'd definitely be up for trying it.

Coho are notorious spinner fish. Try a Vibrax size 3-4 in all copper, all chrome, or chartreuse. Also check out the Aglia spinner made by Mepps, those and the Black Fury can be very good producers for coho.

Stop and go retrieve. Fish on!

Corky and yarn never fails either, and a dick nite fished with an extreme slow retrieve like drift gear is a miracle worker!

There is no special recipe for catching fish. Some gear works some time, some others. It depends on the ood of the fish, the type of water you're fishing, time of day, how long they've been in the system, water color, clarity, line diameter and many other factors. That being said, coho will take most anything under different conditions.

My personal favorite is drifting eggs. Lockjawed fish will take bait when all else fails. Bait under a bobber also work miracles in slower deeper water. Throwing spinners is a lot of fun like matt said, and it will give you exciting take downs that rattle your arms. Corky yarn and scent will work for timid fish better than spinners, and bait will work for the most lockjawed of fish when presented right.

There is no magic bait, just the experience to know when to throw what gear. Fill up your vest with the basics, spinners, corkies, leaders yarn, dick nites, bobbers jigs and scent and bring bait. If something isn't working switch it up. I start on a fishy spot by using the most unobtrusive baits first and work my way up to stuff like spinners and worms that really tick off the fish and coax strikes. Good colors for silvers are chartreuse, copper chrome and brass, with purple and black working also. Bright orange can work too. Using twitching jigs with long marabou tails is a lot of fun, greens and yellows with a few pinks mixed in work. If you don 't like messing with roe, bring some frozen prawns. Using a little bit on the tip of a jig or drift fished with a corky can be deadly. Drift fishing is by far the most versatile and productive way to catch salmon, so if you haven't learned it, that would be what I would goto first. Sharp hooks and thin line will help you catch more fish. Regardless of claims, these fish can be very line shy. I run 8 pound fluoro when fishing calmer waters and rarely go above twelve when fishing fast current. If you, like me, enjoy the solid feel of braid when drift fishing, in clear water conditions put a tippet of mono of about five or ten feet one it with a line to line knot that you enjoy. Blood knots or albrights work well. Make your weights and swivels as small as you can, and subtle baits will spook fish less than giant gobs of yarn and big spinners. I've caught a lot of coho on wee nite dick nites and tiny rooster tail spinners rather than the giant "salmon" spinner that you find. Most important just be flexible and smart when you're fishing and you'll catch more fish than the guy who stands at the same spot all day throwing the same gear hoping that a fish will bite what it's turned down hundreds of times already. Also, coho love the sticks. Cover, trees boulders rocks. Anything that looks like you could easily lose a lot of gear to will hold fish at one time or another. Good luck!

The lower Copalis is all woody tannin stained frog water. Forget trying to drift anything. 1/4 & 3/8 of jigs in pink, purple, black, or chartreuse are were I'd start. As previously mentioned, size 3 & 4 spinners work well. Pink or chartreuse body seems to be the basic standard. Guts (eggs) under a float would work but the sculpin will peck the eggs to pieces.

I fished the copalis this year couple days after it opened cause my family was vacationing down there and every one there uses blue fox vibrax spinners and i don't know if its legal but everyone there was using treble hooks on their spinners. Also caught quite a few bull heads on the spinner. Oh yea didn't get any when i was there but hopefully it picked up for you and good luck fishin.

Thanks guys. Great info and I very much appreciate it.

Sthao92 - I checked the regs and there are no selective gear rules on the Copalis. You can use trebles with barbs if you want, which I was definitely surprised to find out...

Ive seen fish take off running from anything that came in front of them nate. Including eggs under a float. Usually sure shot way if you can see them is to shoot them with a bow. But as far as I can remember that is illegal in wa state except for carp. Everyone pretty much mentioned what to use. I primarily will use orange corkies and yarn for silvers. I dont really like fishing spinners in rivers only because they cost so much per lure and If you know about rivers youll know fish love the snaggy water. I also use eggs and just free drift em. If your lucky enough to glow ball for them try the small # 14 50/50 orange glow ones.

I'd personally probably use eggs under float early in the day (or maybe a jig tipped with prawn) and switch to slow retrieve spinner or maybe a diving plug later. If all those options were available to me :-)

PS- Good luck and submit a report if you can! Might win the $25 gift card:cheers: . Oh and any plug could get hung up on snags in water you don't know well and only works under certain current conditions. Probably not a good bet unless you know the water well. Could toss a jig into the area if you are in slower water or tidal area like wolverine mentioned and might tip it with prawn. Jigs are easy to use to cover water and at different depths.

Matt wrote: and a dick nite fished with an extreme slow retrieve like drift gear is a miracle worker!

wow thats like literally the ONLY thing the coho in the skagit will bite anymore