Help me catch a Coho out of Shilshore please.

[fisherdane]

Ok, I fish maybe 1-2 times a year in Saltwater. Last year, I went out of Shilshore to catch pink, and did OK.

I want to go out and try Coho this year. Before I go, I need to be as prepared as possible. I prefer catching fish when I go through the effort to go out anyway.

I have attached a picture of what I have in my tackle box, and I believe some would work for Coho. What would be my best bet to use?

When should I go? (weather, time etc.)

Once launched at Shilshore, where should I go? Last year I pretty much just trolled back and forth from a big buoy close to the launch.

How deep should I be, and what depth should my downrigger be at.

Any other tips or tricks would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

[G-Man]

Looks like you have a few basics that you can use. I'd pair up your Brad's Super Bait Cutplug with your largest flasher first. Stuff the lure full of tuna in oil or chopped herring or use the herring oil and soak the sponge that come with it. Change out whatever you are using about every 15 minutes or so to keep it fresh. I'd run the spoons behind any of your flashers if you get no action with the cutplug. The flatfish/kwikfish is really a freshwater lure and is meant for a slower troll than what you'll be doing in the salt. The HotShot and the WiggleWart is for when the coho are on top and you see them feeding on the bait. You'll just run lures sans flasher and downrigger about 40' to 60' behind the boat and wait for the most violent takedown you can imagine. I would suggest obtaining a Coho Killer in White Lightning and possibly a few other patterns as it seems to really do the trick on cohos and kings in the Sound. As for the hoochies, they need to be setup on a specific leader length for each length of flasher and speed at which you will troll. The rule of thumb is 3 times the length of the flasher for coho when trolling at around 3mph, 4 times if you are after kings. Further, they should be tied on fairly stiff leader, at least 40lb test mono so that the flasher will impart some action to the lure. Lastly, it is very important to tip the hooks of your hoochie with some type of bait. Small strips of herring, anchovy or sardine is what most folks use. As for where to troll and how deep, when the fish are in the bay, anywhere there is bait will be fine. Also, look for the rips and fish the edges. For starters fish the point around the green can and feel free to head up towards Richmond Beach. Depth will depend on the time of day and conditions on the water. You'll catch them up on top and all the way down to around 120' or so.

If the fish are being really aggressive, ditch the flasher and troll the cutplug by itself. You can do the same with the spoons and the plugs. Just let out about 40' of line and put them on the clip and let them rip! Here's hoping for a banner coho season, see you out there!

[sickbayer]

Nice reply G...You really should come out in my tub one day and show me a few of your tricks..

[fisherdane]

Thanks alot for good info. Any hints considering tide change and time of day to optimize chances?

[Anonymous]

Dodger,green or blue hoochie and a herring strip trolled fast should do the trick.watch out for shakers though. I dont usually troll more the 40' down.All that gear you show needs barbless hooks.

[A9]

Fisherdane,
Unfortunately figuring out salmon in our local waters takes a few approaches and tactics... Coho can definitely be had around Shilshole, it may take a bit of adjusting but you should be able to find a tactic/presentation that boats some silvers...

I'm assuming your trolling based upon your tackle? Also, off Downriggers?

Right now, the Coho are starting to filter in. I've gotten a handful thus far already, caught incidentally while targeting kings....The bulk of the run isn't typically here until atleast the 2nd or 3rd week of September, so don't be discouraged. They'll stay around in good numbers through October. Many folks like fishing Sekiu in mid September for the bigger Coho's and there are definitely still good numbers of fish passing Sekiu in mid September so the inner Puget Sound will still see fish thru mid-late October ish....

First light (early AM) is a great time to get into a good Coho bite. These fish will often be up high in the water column at this time, so watch your sonar and fish accordingly. Generally, the top 40 or 50 feet of water is a good place to start, and continue going deeper as the sun rises. Always watch your finder, there is NEVER an absolute depth to keep your downrigger act. I typically start at 20 and 40 feet when I first get out and then adjust deeper as the sun rises onto the water. As I said, watch your fish finder and keep an eye out for the depths that your marking fish and/or bait. Adjust your DR depth accordingly. By the time the sun is on the water, the Coho may be 100 feet down, sometimes even deeper. But generally, higher up early in the morning, deeper by the time the sun hits the water. Same goes if you fish an evening tide, but in the opposite manner (shallower as the sun sets). Mornings and evenings are definitely your best bets for a good Coho bite...

Tides are dependent on where you fish, but I do find myself doing best 2 hours before thru a high slack and the 2 hours after the high slack. So say there's a 7am high tide, 5am thru 9am are probably prime hours, atleast for the spots I frequent. That said, Coho will be caught at any tide, but the 2 hours before/after a slack are great times to fish.

There's a lot of spots to venture around Shilshole and beyond. Popular locations nearby Shilshole include West Point, Jefferson Head, Kingston, Edmonds, Browns Point, Mukilteo, Possession, Pilot Point/Pt No Point, Double Bluff, Bush Point, Lagoon Point, and even just trolling through the middle of the sound in the Shipping channels will be productive. Although I've never launched from Shilshole, I do know that all of the above mentioned spots are easily within a quick boat ride of the Shilshole Launch....

For lures, a cutplug herring rigged on a snelled 2 hook leader will do well quite frequently if you can keep the dogfish off. I like fishing this setup without a flasher.

For flashers, I prefer 8" flashers for Coho to minimize the drag and pull when fighting a fish. Reeling in a 5-6 lb Coho with an 11 inch flasher on your line takes a lot of the sport out of it. Greens and reds are great flasher colors, glow or silver tape on them both work. For lures, Coyotes, Kingfishers, Coho Killers, Sonic Edges, are all great spoons. Popular colors include Green/glow, cop car, army truck, red racer, flour. pearl, White lightning, irish cream, cookies and cream, green/black/glow, green spatterback. I have every one of these colors for every lure I carry, but they all catch fish so who's to say one is the best or better then the rest. I'd rather perfect my presentation then the exact lure. Generally, match the size of your lure to the bait in the area. Candlefish = Coho Killer, Herring: go with a cutplug or a 3.5 or 4 inch Coyote or Kingfisher... Remember that spoons impart their own action so you don't need to keep them close to your flasher in terms of leader length. I run 20 lb test leader between flashers and spoons.

I also like Hootchies for Coho, Ace Hi Fly's or the standard hootchies. Greens, whites and glows rule here also, don't be afraid to put a twinkel skirt underneath your standard hootchie for added flash, Coho's aren't shy of em.... Run these lures shorter off your flasher with heavier lb leader to add action to your hootchie. 40 lb test leader, to give a nice "whip" into the lure.

Scent will definitely help you too. I always use it on flashers and lures. Remember if your using anything UV, adding scent with mask the effect of UV... Herring strips work great on hootchies, and Smelly Jelly in krill, salmon feast, herring, or shrimp scent will do well on lures/hootchies as well...

Also, remember to troll faster for Coho. I like the 3-4mph range depending on current. Always troll with the tide and keep a good 45* angle in your DR line if using cable, braid I can't speak on because I've yet to make the switch on my riggers...

Hope this helps. Lemme know if you want any more info or have any additional questions. Good luck out there, and hope you get some Coho this fall...

[Gonefishing]

As A9 just said the Coho's are just starting to trickle in. I was at John's up in Everett and his sources said they are starting to trickle in and he figures we should see a good push come this weekend... and that it will only get better.

[TomD]

Coho also hang out in or near the tide rips. In fairly flat water, you can spot these as you boat. Maybe somebody has a good picture of one, but it's kind of like a river of rougher water out in the salt. Weeds and gunk tend to get caught in the rip, which attracts bait, which attracts salmon. Try to troll along the rip on the rough side... the smooth side is smooth because that is where the gunk is... There are usually rips you can see between Shilshole and Jeff Head.

I like the smaller flashers for coho as well. I also run things naked or plain for coho sometimes. The Brad's super plug cut would fit that bill. I might even try to run it on the surface early in the morning maybe 20 pulls back of the boat. I have ran a 3 inch black Apex that way on the surface. One time it flipped upside down and was wobbling on the surface and we had 3 silvers crash it, out in the middle off Shilshole. Very fun to see.

Good luck!

[scott080379]

Don't jsut watch the tide rips, if you fish a line of trash troll right next to it. The bait fish will be feeding in and around that trash noramlly.
(trash = seaweed and other junk) Like everyone posted there are many tricks and tools to use for catching silvers. If one thing isn't working try another. You can even run a plug naked but also if you want to you can hook a flasher to your down rigger ball jsut to add a little more atraction to your line. Not sure if you are set up for that. Keep your leaders behind your flashers around 30 to 38" and you should be fine. If you are running spoons, stick to 20lbs line as it will give it the best action and heavier and it will lose some of it's action. Some may not agree but it help with the lighter line.

good luck out and most importanly have fun.

[TomD]

Almost forgot... semi-shameless plug...

The Sno-King Chapter of CCA meets tomorrow at the Sammamish Grange in Woodinville at 7pm, and the speaker is Captain Bill Dever to speak about fishing in Puget Sound... I'm sure he will cover coho in his presentation.

Non-members are welcome and probably won't even get bugged about membership...

[fisherdane]

Ahh, all the information (-: This is great stuff. Thanks everyone. I feel alot better now.

One quick question though. Barbless? can I just pinch the barb back or file it off?

[G-Man]

For the barbless requirement, yes, you can pinch down the barb or file it off. I suggest pinching down the barb as some enforcement agents will test your hook by inserting it in a piece of cloth and and pulling it back out, if any fibers hang on the hook, you may be cited. If you file off the barb, one tends to leave a void in the shank which can snag up during the cloth test. I like to use the Gamakatsu and Matzuo barbless hooks which are now being stocked in more stores around the Puget Sound area, no way you can get popped while using them.

[fisherdane]

G-Man, thanks. What size hooks should I get? 2/0? Siwash? any different sizes for different lures? I have heard negative things about treble hooks, so I believe I will be using singles.

[TomD]

The hook size needs to match the lure... when replacing spoon hooks, I usually use Gamakatsu Siwashes in 1/0 or 2/0 depending on the size of the spoon. Too big of a hook will alter the action of the lure.

For squids, I use a 4/0 on front and 3/0 on back for silvers... I know some people use larger than that, and salmon can certainly open their mouth enough to eat a 6/0 or 5/0...

On the Brad's super plug cut, it comes with instructions about replacing the provided hooks with a two hook setup. I prefer to use it that way, except that the 3/0 on the front that they suggested didn't seem to stick out past the plastic, so I went to a 5/0 on the front and 3/0 for a trailer and it still spins just fine.

[A9]

Pick up some 2/0 open eye barbless siwashes for your spoons,

3/0 or 4/0 octupus barbless for your squid. Tie up a two hook leader and stick a few beads above the lead hook to make the hooks sit back further down the skirt.

Trebles are worthless. What people don't realize is that they are much more difficult for fish to properly hook themselves to and much easier to throw. A single hook will often bury in a much better place and is much more difficult for the fish to spit out....

[Pogue]

Trebles are illegal in the salt anyway!

[fisherdane]

Where in the world can you find barbless siwash hooks???? I have looked everywhere online.

[G-Man]

Matzuo makes them and I believe Tom's in Lynnwood carries them. They do work great, as a matter of fact, one of them helped put a king in the boat yesterday. Also, give Outdoor Emporium a call. They get them in from time to time and but are cleaned out quickly. Also, you if you buy a pre-rigged Brad's Super Bait Cut Plug lure, they come with one in the package.

[fisherdane]

OK, I might try that. I am surprised that I haven't been able to track a single online seller of these.

Also, any good tips to where I should be reading posts etc. on when the Silvers are in around Shilshore? I am assuming mid Sep. would be a good bet, but where do I get info on when they actually return in good numbers?