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[Rodney]

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. 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... 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?

[FlyFishin Magician]

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... .

[James]

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

And even if it is not , I will still be out there , seeing as how I don't have a job right now anyways 

[Big Steel]

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 ), 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!!

Here a couple of pics from that day!!

[BIG T]

I am all ready to go.Hope to see you guys at the flow.I just like to hunt for the early run coho

[mrking]

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.

[Floater]

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. . .

[cohokid]

Your last salmon season in canada?? WTF thats sucks.

[Rodney]

While we are on this subject, I think it is relevant to bring up a post 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



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



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



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.

[James]

Great info . 

[weizen]

Thanks Rod.  I am new to coho this year and appreciate the info!  Hope to see some of you out catching coho this year!

[mrking]

Rod,

Your post makes me want to go out and by some gear.   

[kellya]

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.

[Rodney]

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.

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

[mrking]

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.