Coho and Plugs

[RiverChromeGS]

Ive only fished for coho with spoons, spinners and eggs before. I hear backtrolling plugs is working well on the skagit, but i dont know how to fish em or what to use. Thinking about going out later this week. I need some advice on WHAT plugs (color, size, brand) to use that works well for coho, and HOW to fish them... On a diver, alone, ect... Any help is appreciated.

[natetreat]

http://www.wildriversfishing.com/article5.html

Here's a great article on it. It's about steelhead, but coho are a lot the same. I don't have a boat, but I've had good luck fishing a brads wiggler with a side planer in the lower skykomish. In green with yellow eyes, orange and the pink ones in that order. I get a kick out of it because I feel like I'm bass fishing for salmon.

When I was younger and lived in lewis county we would take the kayak out in the chehalis by the mouth of the skookumchuck and have some pretty awesome action. We would just let them out about 30 feet or so behind the boat and slowly work our way down to the take out. That river is pretty consistent with its depth through there at an average of say 10 feet, so we'd just use the plugs without a diver. I have used a kwik fish herring fillet plug too. Basically you just want to back the fish into a corner and they get ticked and bite it. bring your buddies because the more plugs lined up the angrier the fish get.

[RiverChromeGS]

cool cool. yea im wanting to try it out but i only fish with dick nites and vibax, but the coho arent seeming to want to eat that at all the last few years. I'm gonna try some plugs/sandshrimp or eggs on a diver. Hopefully bite will be better that way!

[natetreat]

It's tried and true. I didn't know about it when I was a kid, and we used to bass fish the Chehalis river from our kayak. One year we were fish the fall bite with antique hedden bass plugs and I hooked a massive king. I'd never heard of it, so I did some research and read some magazines, this was before the internet was anything but a way to reserve books at the library.

[natetreat]

BTW if you ever want another fishin buddy, let me know and we can exchange tactics and swap fishin stories. My friends aren't fishermen, they run pale and nerdy and pretty and girly so I'm always on the lookout for fishing partners.

[RiverChromeGS]

Haha yea dude im lucky i found a few guys up here to fish with. Lol i let you kno how it goes, see if its worth another go

[Mike Carey]

plugs can be killer. Matt is a member that really knows plug fishing. Hopefully he'll chime in. I really enjoy running plugs because they offer both the relaxation of trolling AND the concentration of reading water and working the fish. So it isn't "quite" as boring as just trolling with downriggers on a lake. And it's always a charge to see that rod double over - "fish on!"

[Matt]

Fishing plugs has a time and a place just like any other technique. It works well in lots of types of water, but I prefer to troll in softer deeper slots, although fishing fast shallow slots on anchor or backtrolling can be killer too. For coho, I would fish Brad's Wigglers or Wee Wigglers, or Fatfish or Lil' Fatfish. Goto colors for me are solid orange, solid brass, and black in that order. If the slot is deeper than about 14 feet, consider adding 1/4 to 1 oz of lead about 5 feet above the plug to get it down into the strike zone. If you ad lead, just let your line out about 15 feet or so, that's all you'll need, and coho are not very boat shy in deep water they will hit a plug trolled in your kicker motor wash. If the current is slow enough I will troll against the current and just run right up stream, then flip around troll downstream at high speed and make another pass. You will get takes both on the downstream and upstream troll, but in my experience trolling with the current results in a lot more snags. If the current is faster, backtrolling is wicked effective. Keep the boat in place with the motor, and move SLOWLY down river. I usually will pause and hold position for a few minutes, then move a few feet, then pause, etc. Most strikes seem to come near the end of the run, you back the fish down lower and lower in the run until there is nowhere to go and WHAM. Bait divers are fished in a similar fashion, use them on anchor, or backtrolled and back down real slow. My favorite times to pull plugs are either in the estuary where the river is tidally influenced, in high water just after a good rain, or in offcolor water (such as.... the Skagit river, perhaps?).

The best part about plug fishing? The take down! 1 coho plug take and you will be hooked for life, I promise.

Also, consider casting plugs. Some of my largest coho have been caught on casted plugs. Float along down the river and cast to junk like wood or debris, or along the shoreline or a current seam. Something about the different presentation of a casted plug often works when trolling won't produce. Another option is to anchor in an area that fish are known to be holding, either structure (junk, wood, rip rap, whatever) and just cast on 'em till you piss one off.

Good luck.

[RiverChromeGS]

cool matt thankx for the info. The droping water after this rain i hope will make fishing good on plugs in the skagit later this week. Ill let y'all kno if i do any good! Broke my iphone (dropped in samish) LOL so i prob wont have any pics but still ill post report

[Matt]

Generally, the 2nd day after a drop is the best day to fish if levels will allow. Study the real time flow data provided by the USGS to learn what levels will fish best. Once you find the right river level for plugging, make sure not to miss it when it happens!

[RiverChromeGS]

maybe ill cast plugs in the south fork like on friday since the water is dropping from high and chocolate milky color. That might be the ticket because i was there today, and although the water was pretty bad (6 inches vis) i still shoulda hit more than i did on vibrax, i caught 4. But maybe a plug will give them a new look. And im def trying it in skagit when its back in shape.

[Matt]

Remember to remove the trebbles if fishing the SF, I think its selective. Just use a single siwash attached to a bead chain in place of the front hook, works wonderfully.

[Colin31778]

Does the color of the trebble hook matter I have some bent hooks I want to switch out. I have the same size but different color.

[Matt]

Shouldn't matter what color.

[Colin31778]

Thanks Matt

[HULI_ISDA]

after i've read this topic section me and a buddy was on our way to snohomish thursday morning and convince my buddy to stop by at fredmeyer to buy a plug i dont know what this well look like but did a lil research and got an idea,so grab 2 and hit the counter then on our way yo the river excited.when we got to snoh. the water is crazy too high and fast current we where wondering if we ever get lucky that day but we drive all the way from edmonds so we look for a good spot,we walk far down river not knowing whats a head,fond a Okey spot so we decided to take it.hes using DN 50/50 as hes been using ever and I set up my plugs,to make this story short I was doing good fishing with plugs got hook 6 pinks although zombies already but its a bite and i have more fun than my buddy and he manage to hoook a what we belive a coho but it snap before we even reel it in.this prove i found a new weapon for the next salmon run.though changing those trible hook to single ones are a bit challenging like for real.well we have fun and call it a day.

[chefjake99]

You do not have to remove the treble on the snohomish it is anti snagging rule not selective gear.

[HULI_ISDA]

awww mennnnn,spend so much time getting it of my plug.well now i know thanks.