Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Floater on August 29, 2006, 03:58:59 PM
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Just wondering when do most give in and try their luck for early vedder coho?
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No comment just yet!! If you would subscribe, then perhaps you could get some more info on this and other runs!! This info doesn't come for free, at least the cost of a subscription!! ;D ;D
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hmm im going out tonight for vedder coho ;D Halfway down the island they are starting to show up :P
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usually, I start mid september. But this year it killing me, I think I might head out near the 10th.
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I usually like to start fishing for coho when the fish are there to catch, ;D ;D.BS why is it so important for everyone to have a subscription,maybe so you can pm everyone all our honey holes ??? ???
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Well, Sea run, we had quite the show last year once it was known that there were some fish in the river. I don't really feel like seeing it again! ;) I am a vault this year!! ;D ;D The only info out of me will be, " go out there and find some!!" ;D ;D
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I think you got the wrong end of the stick BS im gona be out there in about a week no matter what people say lol, just trying to see what others are up to. :P
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What's the hurry, I thought everyone still has at least another week of sockeye harvest?
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What's the hurry, I thought everyone still has at least another week of sockeye harvest?
Exactly people, go get your Sockeye while you can!! ;D ;D Yummy, tastey Sockeye on the BBQ!!!! ;D ;D There won't be any Coho in until at least late September!! ;)
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sockeye fishing is boreing..... they barley fight, I want some coho on the line. I got alot of roe cured :P
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What's the hurry, I thought everyone still has at least another week of sockeye harvest?
sockeye isant fishing! its working! casting a freaking tone of lead all day in the heat not even seeing a float dip. . . thats not fishing but i gotta have my red meat. :P
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The water is clear enough, why not try a spoon, or blade?
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hmm im going out tonight for vedder coho ;D Halfway down the island they are starting to show up :P
Your vedder coho are safe another day. Its blowin 20 knots and i was to lazy go out by myself tonight.
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Oops, I forgot a ::) at the end of my last post.
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Ya Whats everyones hurry,besides i heard the run of coho isn't going to show up ,and as of september 1 the vedder is closed to all fishing except for bottom bouncing,lol, ;D ;D
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Ya Whats everyones hurry,besides i heard the run of coho isn't going to show up ,and as of september 1 the vedder is closed to all fishing except for bottom bouncing,lol, ;D ;D
The hurry is a nice claudy day on the river with the fall leaves droping everywhere! and on top of that a silver bullet at the end of your line! lol
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[/quote]The hurry is a nice claudy day on the river with the fall leaves droping everywhere! and on top of that a silver bullet at the end of your line! lol
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EXACTLY , I can't wait until Fall arrives . But long range forecasts are saying it is going to be dry the next 3 months . Which means low water levels , and less moving fish . But will see i guess....
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Screw the long range forecasts! half the time they dont even get the next day right im gona hope for the best since last year wasant the best. :(
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Fishing the vedder so soon? Id wait till the next couple rainfalls, so there will be some water starting to flow down again. :)
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Coho probably already there by now, perhaps and maybe. :-\ But when sockeye are here and open for the flossing, if your lucky or want to part with $15 bucks. I would go for the delicious sockeye, rather than those worm infested Coho in the Vedder. Bon apetite.
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Last I heard the veddar was really low . Can't wait for the rains to start.
Worm infested......?
I have never had a "worm infested" coho out that river since i started fishing it when i was 3
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Worm infested...it depends on the fish. I caught a lovely chrome 4 pound hatchery coho in the Chehalis 5 years ago (2001) and that fish was completely infested with small transparent round worms... :P. Not so lovely! Otherwise, I don't see very many worms in my fish - but I do see the odd one here and there. It's just a fact of life. Cook or chew well! ::)
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Ya all the coho in the vedder and chehalis have worms in them,the worms are huge usually about twelve inches long and are predominantly found in the hatchery fish,they also are not good for human consumption,as a result the fish don't bite and don't put up a very good fight when hooked ,if i was you guys i wouldn't fish the vedder or chehalis,but i do hear the pike minnos on the Fraser are outstanding ,if you are looking for an alternative,lol ;) ;D ;D :D
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Worm infested...it depends on the fish. I caught a lovely chrome 4 pound hatchery coho in the Chehalis 5 years ago (2001) and that fish was completely infested with small transparent round worms... :P. Not so lovely! Otherwise, I don't see very many worms in my fish - but I do see the odd one here and there. It's just a fact of life. Cook or chew well! ::)
I've also caught coho from the chehalis containing worms. Funny thing was, I cooked a piece on the stove rigth when I got home and shortly after I turned on the heat those little buggers started emerging from the flesh. :-X
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The steelhead in the chehalis have worms too...big pink 6 inch ones, but theyre usually found in the mouth :). I was picking cherries all day once, popping them back...they had these little holes in the surface. Opened one up at the end of the day and it was full of little white worms. I cant look at cherries the same now. I hope I dont get any wormy fish this year....
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Worm Infested Coho ??? Thats news to me where do people come up with this stuff the 9 i got last year didnt have a single worm in it
We get them up in the Kitimat with worms too,it seems as the years pass the infested fish are more frequent.Like Biffchan says you dont always see them until you're cooking them. :)
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DAMN HIJACKERS!!!! whats all this about worms!
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I dunno , but all this talk about Coho season is making me break out the leader line and hooks , and start tying up some . :D
I normally only fish with wool and spoons if the water is right . But this season i am going to try roe . Anyone know where to get some so i can start curing ?
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Worms, itch, kind of go together if you ask me. ;)
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The report from freds is that the water is 1.9m and dropping :-\ at the Veddar crossing , But..... a few early coho's are already in the Hatchery :o. Showing signs that a early , yet probably small run is already in the river .
Please Rain , Please Rain ........ ;D
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Rain isn't necessarily a good thing, I've brought this up a few times in the last couple of Septembers. ;) Even with the low and clear water condition, some coho salmon do make their way up the river, enough to provide a good yet challenging fishery. :)
In the past, the fish just rush straight up as soon as the first rain falls, resulting in a shorter fishery timeframe. Last year, we were doing just fine from mid to late September until the first rainfall took place on September 29th. On September 29th, we we able to intercept a good run of coho and chinook salmon. September 30th was a write-off as the water was high and coloured.
Same thing happened in 2004. We had really really fantastic days of fishing from late September until the first week of October, with some days producing a dozen good sized coho salmon. The first heavy rainfall came on October 8th. I caught my biggie around mid afternoon that day and the river was blown out a few hours later. ;D It didn't recover until October 20th or so, by then the coho salmon season was coming to an end for the Chilliwack River.
2003... ;D The big flood. The fishing was challenging in late September and the first week of October because of low water condition, but the fish were there. The big rainfall came on October 12th. We had fantastic fishing on October 10th, 11th and part of 12th. After the 12th, it was done for the season as the river remained extremely high and dirty for weeks.
Rain anyone? ;D
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Good record keeping Rod. I too remember the last few years. In 2003 - there was a nice pool at Peach Road and the coho would stack up in there. They would strike at streamer fly patterns that were cast and retrieved. Ridiculously small rolled muddlers were the standard pattern; however, I also had excellent success with my X-mas Tree and Mickey Finn patterns. October 9 and 10 were fantastic for coho on the fly for me! I'll never forget those two days. Then, the rain came and the river blew out! And that pool has not been present there ever since... :(.
Last year (2005) I managed to hook a few coho on the fly in September. I landed a beautiful little wild coho hen of about 3-4 pounds on a X-mas tree pattern. Right after I released her, I nailed what I thought was a foul hooked pink. It turned out to be an absolute chrome 10 pound spring that took the fly right inside the mouth! I also released that fish and elected not to bother with the photo (although now I wish I got a photo). Again, the same X-mas tree pattern was the ticket!
But then the rain came and the river blew out and the flyfishing ended all too quickly. I then went to the drift gear and never hooked a coho in the Vedder again that year... :-\.
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Alrighty then , I stand corrected . I figure that I will be hitting the veddar/chilliwack water around the 8-12 of Sept. for my first outing .
If this forcast is at all accurate http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/14day/pages/CABC0057.htm (http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/14day/pages/CABC0057.htm)
And even if it is not , I will still be out there , seeing as how I don't have a job right now anyways :-[
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I remember the 2003 and the 2004 seasons well, the fishing was great in mid to late Sept if you knew where to look. I remember (because I looked in my journal) the day before the rain started,it was the Monday right after the Spring Derby, in just over an hr we got into and landed about 15 Coho ( I got 12 of them ;D), all around 10 lbs, 7 wild and 8 hatchery. That still stands as one of the best Days of Coho fishing I have had. I am hoping to get somewhere around 15 all year this year out of the Vedder. Don't know about the Hour and a half this time around!! :o ;D ;D
Here a couple of pics from that day!! :)
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album70/Fish_on_9.jpg)
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album70/Great_day_on_the_Vedder.jpg)
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I am all ready to go.Hope to see you guys at the flow.I just like to hunt for the early run coho ;)
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Got all my flies ready to go and itchen to get my first one. Hitting the water mid september, but doing a full week of coho hunting in October. 4coho x 5 days = well stocked freezer. :D
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FINALY! the topic is right! on another note i hope this year will be a good run of coho as for this is my last year of salmon fishing in canada. . . :-[ :-\ :'(
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Your last salmon season in canada?? WTF thats sucks.
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While we are on this subject, I think it is relevant to bring up a post (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=7906.0) that I did around the same time last year for those who wish to try out coho fishing on the Chilliwack River for the first time:
How to float fish more effectively for coho?
To effectively catch coho on the Vedder by float fishing, you want to keep your offerings in the strike zone. People have a tendency to mistaken the strike zone as the depth where the fish are sitting. It is not. Salmonids look up and strike at the offerings above them. The fish position themselves near the bottom, so the strike zone is usually 1 or 2 feet above the river bed.
The diagrams below illustrate the correct and not-so-correct ways of float depth adjustment.
Excessive length of leader
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album34/050918_2.gif)
For some reason, many people believe a longer leader would produce more fish, quite the opposite! Your hook will always travel faster than your weight in a river. By using a long leader, your hook and bait are lifted up higher from the river bed, away from the strike zone.
Excessive float depth
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album34/050918_3.gif)
Some choose to adjust their float depth so the weight is "tapping" or sitting on the bottom. The weight will usually anchor itself to the river bed, while the float drifts slowly or becomes stationary. Two things will result from this setup:
- You'll snag onto the bottom, and lose your weight, hook and bait.
- Even worse, you'll end up snagging a pink or chinook in the belly or tail, which can be time consuming to bring in and release.
Rodney's way of float adjustment, but not necessarily the ONLY way ;D
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album34/050918_1.gif)
So far this has worked very well by producing about a dozen or more coho each season on the Vedder River without losing any hook, weight or line. I usually like to keep my leader length (the line between the hook and weight) around 1.5 feet in length. Judging the depth by looking at the gradient of the river bank and the water, I adjust my float depth (the length from the float to the hook) so that it is about 1 to 2 feet shorter than the actual depth. When this is drifted, the bait will lift a few inches higher, remaining in the strike zone. When the float dips under the water, there is no hesitation as I don't need to question whether it is a snag or a fish. The hook is usually set hard and most of the time the fight is on. :)
Some other small adjustments
I find these adjustments would connect me into more fish in the past.
- My float preference is either a Drennan Zepple or Piker. I use a Piker when the flow is slow, but a Zeppler in faster water to retain stability. The float size also varies, small (11 grams) in clearer, slower water, while big (20 grams) in faster, deeper water.
- Tie on enough weight so only about 0.5 inch of your float (or the coloured tip) emerges on the water surface. This allows you to detect the bites sooner.
- Keep your main line (the line between your rod tip and your float) tight enough without disrupting the drift. Always try to avoid having any line laying on the water surface.
- Keep the drifts short. A longer drift doesn't necessarily mean a bigger chance to catch a fish.
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Great info . ;D
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Thanks Rod. I am new to coho this year and appreciate the info! Hope to see some of you out catching coho this year!
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Rod,
Your post makes me want to go out and by some gear. ;) ;)
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Stick with it mrking*. Im also looking forward to only fishing coho on the fly this fall. Gear is fun but i need more of a challenge. Im gettin practice on the cutts i think im getting the method down but im still a noob at it.
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Thanks Rod. I am new to coho this year and appreciate the info! Hope to see some of you out catching coho this year!
Once you see that clean hard take on the float you'll be very hooked. ;) It's the only thing that can drag me out of bed at 4am, sometimes on many mornings in a row. ;D
Here's some more reading for anyone who is interested:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/2003/1003_01.html
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/2004/1104_01.html
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Stick with it mrking*. Im also looking forward to only fishing coho on the fly this fall. Gear is fun but i need more of a challenge. Im gettin practice on the cutts i think im getting the method down but im still a noob at it.
Been fly fishing for 18 years now, and the only gear I have in the house is my old medium action spinning rod I last used when I was 17. Keep it around for when the kids get older and I can take them out.
Funny, but I could never see myself go back to gear fishing. Just something about fly gear that turns my crank.
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Ill use both fly and gear, depending on where Im fishing and what the conditions have in store. Ive been flyfishing over 20 years now and though it makes up 80% of my fishing, I love throwing spoons at them too...there are lots of places that I fish ccoho where it is just too cramped to flyfish and too steep and slippery to wade, and yes, my roll cast is just fine ;) It really just depends on casting space and what the water is like.
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I wish i could get into Fly fishing for salmon , I just don't have the extra cash around to buy a heavier setup ( currently only have a 5wt) . Maybe next year . :-\
Do you fly Fishermen find it hard to find a run of water on the veddar/chilliwack ?
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nope
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A couple years ago around this time, Me and my brother were trout fishing the lower vedder (canal), and saw in the distance fish rising so we went over and took a look . We then tied blue fox spinners on, and within 30 mins we landed 6 coho. 4 wild and 2 hatch. That was a sweet day
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Timing is a huge part of it for sure . Especially when a run is going to be small , as expected this season . Less fish means a short season . And if they are all early than usuall arivals , then lots could be missed .
Makes me wish i lived closer to the river , just so I can be there every other day to see what has moved in .
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Timing is a huge part of it for sure . Especially when a run is going to be small , as expected this season . Less fish means a short season . And if they are all early than usuall arivals , then lots could be missed .
Makes me wish i lived closer to the river , just so I can be there every other day to see what has moved in .
What makes you say the run is gona be small?
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Just a hunch , I have no facts really , just " talk" I guess .
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http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=11494.msg106746#msg106746
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=11609.msg107620#msg107620
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Coho in the chuck pretty much everywhere this year has been very weak. Hopefully they are just late......