Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: hue-nut on October 30, 2008, 09:16:01 PM

Title: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: hue-nut on October 30, 2008, 09:16:01 PM
Does anyone else find Coho hard enough to find, and yet even harder to land? I have had 13 confirmed coho on this year and have failed to bring one of them to the beach! I am finding that they are such soft biters that you barely know they are there, so my hookset is usually not very good, give that fish about 10 to 30 seconds of barrel rolls and acrobatics and he spits my hook. I am using Gamakatsu #2s or #1s, super sticky sharp hooks yet I just struggle to land them. I just have to get a coho to the beach this year, any body have some tricks?
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: gman on October 30, 2008, 09:29:09 PM
If they always spit the hook and never break the line, then I would try to be more firm with them. Tighten the drag to a good level, then reel and keep the pressure on.

Good luck.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Every Day on October 30, 2008, 09:34:36 PM
I am having problems this year too.....

15 hooked on gear.... 4 landed (1 wild about 14 pnds)
4 hooked on fly.... 0 landed

They havn't been that hard to find from what I have found, the problem is they are so spooked they never want to bite  >:(  The ones that do bite always seem to (like you said) bite very light and I hesitate to set the hook which leads to them spitting it very easily. The fly rod is a whole nother story, any slack at all in your line and the fish is gone. Just keep lots of tension on them and get them in fast, they will start rolling in the shallows, just drag them on the beach (unless you are not sure if it is hatch or not) because 99% of the fish get away with the rolling they do in the shallow water in my case.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Tex on October 30, 2008, 10:04:20 PM
I don't know about you guys I'm batting a thousand so far this year... one for one!  lol
Actually I know what you mean, coho can be a b&tch to land sometimes, which is part of the fun.
Keep the line as tight as you can without breaking the leader, as gman said.

:D
Tex
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: hue-nut on October 30, 2008, 10:09:35 PM
thanks guys, yeah its tough, I've broken a few off and so I am trying to find that in between spot between too much pressure and not enough. I am using ten pound after losing a few on 8.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: BooBooBear on October 31, 2008, 02:22:40 AM
Hey are all of you drifting on the higher end of the Vedder...?  Is anyone having any success at the Stave...?  As a begineer - can I fish with spinners or drift wool or do I have to get in with the roe to be successful...?  Looking for the answers to "Hard to Find" before I worry about "Hard to Land"...  Fish On...!
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: hotrod on October 31, 2008, 06:33:30 AM
If I was you I would move up to a 1/0 hook.

    Hotrod
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: hue-nut on October 31, 2008, 09:39:54 AM
yeah, I've used 1/0 in the past but have been advised that smaller is better cause when they "mouth it" they do not easily feel the hook. I guess it depends on who you talk to. I was chatting with a native guy at mid river and he is using #4 for coho, he loves them cause if you do happen to hook a chum, they just straighten that thing out and slide off. Any one use smaller than #2 for coho?
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Froodogga on October 31, 2008, 10:02:17 AM
I think because coho seem to be increasingly rare that when guys do get one on they baby it thinking "oh man, finally a coho, I better not lose this one"...I agree with other posters, be more agressive with them and get them on the bank as quickly as possible.  Seems to work for me...
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Stratocaster on October 31, 2008, 10:55:25 AM
I think because coho seem to be increasingly rare that when guys do get one on they baby it thinking "oh man, finally a coho, I better not lose this one"...I agree with other posters, be more agressive with them and get them on the bank as quickly as possible.  Seems to work for me...

Bingo!  I once went 0 for 10 on steelhead in the Vedder one day because I was too careful.  I think the problem is (especially using roe) if you play the fish too easy, the hook isn't set in hard enough and the fish eventually shakes it loose.  I never seem to have a problem with losing chum.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: bluenoser on October 31, 2008, 12:09:32 PM
2/4 this year for coho, one on roe one on a croc..both hatchery..the two lost were on blades.

Last year went 6/7, all on crocs or home made spinners...but they were all wild.

Never really had much success with wool.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: hue-nut on October 31, 2008, 12:24:12 PM
I've been getting mine on Aerojigs, wool, and little corkies fished solo. I think that you are right, in regards to babying the fish, as soon as I get a coho on, I freak out like, I am gonna be kicking myself for days if I lose this fish!! and what do you know I've been kicking myself harder and harder, lost one yesterday as well as the night before. I gotta get one today before the water comes up to much. I also have found the coho near the schools of Chum, consistently.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: BigCoho on October 31, 2008, 01:59:28 PM
6 for 9 here 5 of them being on blades and 1 on some pink lady
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Rodney on October 31, 2008, 02:17:23 PM
38 hooked, 15 landed in 2007. :'(
4 hooked, 1.5 landed (1 two days ago (http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/081029-01.jpg) and 05... (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/blog/?p=54)) in 2008. :'(

You're not the only one hue-nut. ;D
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: SmokeyRiver on October 31, 2008, 05:05:11 PM
hue-nut, the answer to landing more coho could be as simple as changing rods...you want something soft but with just enough snap and with the right setup you should be able to land more then 50% of your coho...... for coho i like a rod that is almost pushed to the limit for the first few seconds of the fight with an average sized coho but its gotta be able to set a decent hook small lamiglas rods are primo for coho. hope this helps.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: NFM on October 31, 2008, 05:07:18 PM
Try out the Owner cutting point hooks they work wonders for myself and other i know who use them  :)
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Mike D. on October 31, 2008, 07:27:38 PM
I have no problems this year,

12 hooked on fly 10 landed

30 hooked on gear 20 landed - number 6 gami's

and they have been easy to find!  ;D
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: bigsnag on October 31, 2008, 07:36:58 PM
This season 3 hooked on spinners , 2 lost and 1 released wild. On the fly 1 for 2 on coho jacks and 1 for 2 on adults. The one landed was after the coho did the famous coho death roll and wrapped itself up with leader then laid stunned in the water. All I had to do was to drag it onto the beach. I felt cheated that it didn't put up much of a fight, could have let it unravel to play it some more but since it was a keeper I didn't want to chance it coming unbuttoned.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: hue-nut on November 01, 2008, 02:02:46 AM
Thanks guys, lots of good advice, I fished again this afternoon and felt one very coho'ish nibble but other than that it was only chum for me.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: Lastcar on November 01, 2008, 10:18:59 PM
We found plenty on our favorite river, however water levels being what they were and our casual techniques there was nothing doing yet...
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: gregcan on November 02, 2008, 08:18:59 AM
Maybe 12 on and 6 home this year. I have subscribed to the "get them on the bank before they have a chance to shake the hook" school in the past, and it has helped me keep fish on days where I had lost every one I caught. This technique, it seems only works on little 5-8lb Coho though IMHO.
Title: Re: Coho....hard to find and harder to land!
Post by: daveyjoneser on November 02, 2008, 08:45:08 PM
I consider myself a pretty good coho fisherman I've been fishin them pretty hard for bout 16 yrs,this year I have hooked about 20 landed 2 sorta ! was wild the other (the sorta) i fought carfully down the river about 200 yards i was sweatin and didn't dare lose it I got it about 2 feet from shore and the hook popped out I dropped my rod and pounced on the 8lb hatchery chromer I walked back to where my buddy was fishin with a big smile and a nice fish and he said "why are you so wet?"lmao