[hisgarness]

The Greater Puget Sound area got it's first rain of any significance in a long while today. Inducing Silvers to take is a challenge I've not had much success with. I'm getting area specific here, but it seems the farther South you get from Alaska, the more non-biters you encounter. I will share that I have had some success, but on The Skeena and only after making the fly dance. A typical swing was not gettin it. So anyone have any suggestions on how to get a "Southern" Coho bite my fly, ( in the river/s).

 

[Philster]

It can be a challenge. Finding a run with a decent number of fish is the first step. Then it's a matter of changing up tips, strip length, strip speed, and flies until you find what they want. Flash is a big issue for me. I try silver flash, more subtle clear flashabou, and NO flash. For me the more stale the fish sometimes the less flash. I've had success on a ginger (dirty white really) teeny nymph when NOTHING else worked.

Bottom line, throw the kitchen sink at them, and throw it lots of different ways...

 

[Jamey McLeod]

I slayed them here in the Grand about 2 years ago on a beefed up speyed out Purple Peril, infact, I think it was the first time I landed fish on a two hander. Man, thought I knew everything that day, had alot to learn. Last year I hit a few in the surf and on the piers with clousers, chartruese, white, and blue seemed to do it the best.
There were pods of them cruising, was pretty tricky to time your cast with the pod passing and nobody behind you on the pier, good time though.

 

[flytyer]

Phil provided very good, solid info on getting a coho here in the more southern waters. Like Phil, I've found flash and movement to be important. And like him, I've found the amount of flash and how fast you strip the fly is also important. However, there are not set stripping speeds, depth of fly, amount of flash that will work most of the time.

You really need to find a pod of fish and work them with down and across casts followed by stripping the fly back with different retrieve speeds until you get a fish to follow.

I have also found a fly with hot pink or fuschia in it is better than one without. I carry Flash Flies (used to be called Karluk Flash Flies) tied on #2-#6 saltwater hooks in silver Flashabou wing,tail,body with hackle collar in hot pink, purple, hot pink&purple mixed, KF blue, mixed KF blue&purple, and red. Flash Flies with hot pink Flashabou tail with silver body and wing with hot pink or hot pink&purple hackle. Flash Flies with lt blue Flashabou tail, silver body and wing, hot pink or KF blue hackle.

Bunny leeches in fuchia with fuschia Crystal Chenile body with cerise and dark blue Kystal Flash tied at the head so it flows over each side of the body on a #3 AJ hook. And a fly developed by Don Kaas of Port Angeles simply called the Blue & Purple Pheasant: tag, oval silver; body, purple braided mylar; rib, oval silver; hackle, 'blue-phase' ringneck pheasant rump; wing, very light powder blue calf or artic fox (dye calf or artic fox in a very weak dye bath of KF Blue dye to get the color, the color is very light). I use the Blue & Purple Pheasant when the fish have refused all the Flash Flies and the bunny leeches. This one is also fish downstream with a stip retrieve.

Coho are the only pacific salmon I use a single hand rod on because I can cast 70' and then strip back to 20', then do it again with a single backcast. 2-hand rods aren't nearly as nice to use when doing this.

 

[hisgarness]

I'm Feelin Better Already

It can be a challenge. Finding a run with a decent number of fish is the first step. Then it's a matter of changing up tips, strip length, strip speed, and flies until you find what they want. Flash is a big issue for me. I try silver flash, more subtle clear flashabou, and NO flash. For me the more stale the fish sometimes the less flash. I've had success on a ginger (dirty white really) teeny nymph when NOTHING else worked.

Bottom line, throw the kitchen sink at them, and throw it lots of different ways...

If you guys have to work at it also, I'm not feelin quite so inept. Good information. Particularly impressed w/ the single hander suggestion. I tried stripping w/ a 2 hander for some Pinks and it is a hassle ~ thanks.

 

[BeBop]

Around here, you can't get a Coho to look at a bright fly. I generally go with leeches, buggers, and muddlers in olive and black #8. The most important thing is to use a slime line or at least a head. The catch rate goes way up with it. Try retrieving your fly in slower water.

 

[speydoc]

Even on the Skeena coho are not that receptive to the swung fly, the few I have taken on a swung fly have been on a black or fuschia leach. Striping the fly realy is the way to go when targetting these fish - the new Rio Skagit lines make this feasable with the two hander, in the past I would use my blue Loop 8128 with heads or a single hander (like Russ) when pursuing coho.
In order to catch coho on the fly they need to be present in reasonable numbers - they generaly give themselves away by rolling - I was told some time ago by an old friend to keep moving untill I found rolling fish, this has realy helped increase my sucsess rate on the fly.
Sometimes coho develope "lockjaw" - it doesn't mater what you throw at them. This seems to be more common in low clear water, bright sunshine and with "stale" fish - it is best to move on and do something else untill conditions change.
I have found pink and flash to be the most consistant items in a fly for success, especialy if combined in a tubefly with dumbell eyes that gives a jigging movement on the strip. In more marginal conditions (ie. fish not actively on the grab) a small kelly green fly with a short marabou tail, hackle and subdued flash (olive cactus cheneil thorax) can be effective if fished with a slower shorter strip.
My 0.02 cents worth.
speydoc