Drift fishing is by far the most popular method used among gear anglers in rivers. Drifting a float down a channel allows you to place the bait at a specific slot desired. Despite of its simplicity, many have trouble detecting a coho bite while a few are able connect with numerous fish during peak run. The problem can be dissected into three parts - Float adjustment, locating the fish and bait.

During an afternoon outing in early September, my float began to bob instead of being pulled down. Thinking it was a small trout pecking at my bait, I neglected whatever was teasing my float. This continued to take place several casts later, so at one point I decided to give the rod a slight jerk to see what would happen. What took place next completely surprised me, as the entire rod was pulled down until the tip touched the water! At the end of my line was an energetic 4lb coho that danced on the surface before being landed.

Coho can be soft biters. One of the biggest mistake anglers make is to oversize the float. A small float that requires several split shots to balance is sufficient enough to target coho. One advice that I often give is make sure only a small top portion of the float emerged from the water. This allows faster detection of bites. To avoid second guessing whether a "bite" is an actual bite or the bottom, adjust your float so your weight and bait is freely drifting a couple of feet above the river bed.

Trying to catch a coho where the coho ain't can leave you empty handed each time. Finding the fish is your number one priority before you proceed to fish. Look for waters that are not crowded by anglers and other bigger species such as chinook and chum salmon. Coho are sensitive to their surroundings. Any disturbance can put them off the bite. Seek these spots near shallow tailouts of a big run, side channels and small pools. Spending a few hours of exploring can translate into a season of coho success.

Once the fish are located, it's important to have the right bait that coho cannot resist. Common West Coast drift baits include roe chunks, egg sacs, plastic eggs, wool, spinning blades. Properly cured roe is a safe bet as it is natural and the scent can be very enticing. If sticky roe juice on your hands doesn't seem too appealing, then pre-tied egg sacs are good substitutes. The colour of these natural offerings can also play a factor. Natural colour may reduce your chance if water clarity is low. Brightly coloured bait increases number of bites as fish can spot it more quickly. When using wool, trim it until your presentation resembles a single egg. Be versatile, do not stick with one type of bait when the bites seem to be off.