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[mko72]

You can pick one or the other at Ambleside to fish:

1. It's low tide (like 2 feet) but it's 1:30 PM (afternoon).
or
2. It's first light (like 5AM) but it's a super high tide.

Which do you prefer?

[Fish Assassin]

First light

[243Pete]

First light high tide.

I take you are looking at your options and wonder about the varying conditions at present?
If anything wait till next week when things cool down (hopefully) and things should be better.

[halcyonguitars]

Where do you fish there at high tide, with the sandbar completely underwater?

[clarki]

Eric Carlisle was my first fishing mentor through his book "West Coast River Angling" and he preferred first light. In fact, I only saw him during the estuary fishery twice and both times was early morning

From my experience, fishing at first light at a low'ish tide so you can access the bar in the middle of the river above the railway was the most productive. When coho move up on a flood tide, they seem to become more aggressive as the tide drops, and their environment becomes shallower and more crowded.  Which is why, I believe, that spot can be so productive.     

[psd1179]

In the middle of day
https://youtu.be/MnggepZ1lUw

[bigsnag]

nice fish! thanks for sharing. cap cohos are good fighters.
care to share your set up?

[psd1179]

nice fish! thanks for sharing. cap cohos are good fighters.
care to share your set up?

Hi Bigsnag, it was on your coho pattern:) Since I use  your fly, my catching rate increases exponentially.

Rod is 11' Hardy jet with short scandi and 10' poly leader.

[halcyonguitars]

Everyday is different and everyone has there own theories on where to fish with what tide, etc. At high you can fish anywhere.. sometimes the river mouth is decent.. sometimes the jetti.. sometimes in between.. sometimes the coho are out far from reach. You gotta just look around, cast, observe, and get lucky! Figuring it out by getting skunked a bunch is the best way to learn.

Well, I'm ace at getting skunked there!

[TimL]

Well, I'm ace at getting skunked there!

Well..don't give up!
I caught my first salmon there in 2014 and I only half knew what I was doing lol...Then followed a 3 year drought when I wasn't even hooking up anything there..then this year it changed and so far of the 4 trips there this season, on 2 trips I was hooking at least a fish or two..my landing ratio is still something I have to work on though 
Admittedly if I had fished there more often I would have figured it out much sooner

[243Pete]

Well, I'm ace at getting skunked there!

Do I need to give you some of my fly patterns that I use? 

But the best thing I can say for early hours is not to walk out to far and look for nervous/ rippling water surfaces as sometimes fish will move into shallow areas and just sort of sit there or mull around, with that said it's weird how sometimes they will be nervous as hell and even a small fly landing on top or near them will spook them and other times chucking a big Blue Fox spinner in a size 4 right on top of them will get them to slam it when it hits the water. 

[wildmanyeah]

it's weird how sometimes they will be nervous as hell and even a small fly landing on top or near them will spook them and other times chucking a big Blue Fox spinner in a size 4 right on top of them will get them to slam it when it hits the water. 

Their pregnant and hormonal

[clarki]

Well..don't give up!
I caught my first salmon there in 2014 and I only half knew what I was doing lol...Then followed a 3 year drought when I wasn't even hooking up anything there..then this year it changed and so far of the 4 trips there this season, on 2 trips I was hooking at least a fish or two..my landing ratio is still something I have to work on though 
Admittedly if I had fished there more often I would have figured it out much sooner

Word.
I started fishing the Cap river mouth in 1993. I had recently settled in BC and was new to salmon fishing and fishing in tidal waters. This was before the days of the internet; I didn't know anybody who fished there, and all I had to go one was Eric Carlisle's book, weekly fishing reports in the Vancouver Sun, and learning by doing and observing.

In 1993 I went out 8 times between late July and late Sept. Didn't hook any coho but saw many being landed.

My fortunes changed in 1994, I went out on July 9, hooked 2, landed 1. And on Aug 5 I hooked one and lost it at my feet.

In 1995, I got skunked twice in July, and in 1996 I got skunked twice more.

July 20, 1996 was my last time beach fishing the Capilano estuary. My life changed with birth of our first son, and I started to fish other locations during the summer months.

So, as others have said, it does time to figure it out!       

[243Pete]

Their pregnant and hormonal

Hmm... this gives me weird images of salmon acting like pregnant women.... Welp... don't know if I can look at coho quite the same way.

[JustPuttsin]

Speaking of Ambleside I was wondering what the affect the E Coli count these days would have on the fishing in the area? Was thinking of taking the kayak out to ambleside on an incoming tide but got to thinking about this. Not sure I want to launch in S****y waters.
Any thoughts?