Dirtbag Rod: 6/9 - Fly Rod: 0

[Evan B]

All year, I look forward to a few hike/bike-in programs for coho and chinook that are very close to home. One in particular was cut off from me due to the section of Columbia being closed for most of September due to some management SNAFUs.

So for the opener Saturday, I packed in my favorite spinner casting rod along with my ECHO Boost Beach 8wt to hopefully find some comfy salmon that had been hanging out all month without harassment.

Even before we started fishing, we could tell there were fish everywhere. As we waded out, we were blowing up schools of dozens or more fish. It was so awesome to see, and part of what makes this particular spot so special. I can't go in to super detailed descriptions to protect the spot a bit, but man... It is a fun place to just hang out and watch things happen.

For the first hour or more, we totally blanked casting spinners. I knew we had biters around, so went through four spinner changes until one finally clicked. Second cast on my big white/orange hoochie spinner and it was game on. Had a very tough battle with a coho that ran straight at me, then ran literal circles around me. Finally got it to hand and gave it the ol dispatch treatment. It was a sloppy clip, but a clipped adipose nonetheless.


The next hour or so I proceeded to hook and land 4 more fish, losing 3, and tossing a few wilds back. Decided it was time to bust out the ol fly pole.


Welp, that didn't work. Tried a few fly colors, different retrieves, etc etc. 110% ignored, no shits given. So went back to the dirtbag rod to finish punching my limit out.


I let my two friends use my magic spinners and they hooked/landed a fair number themselves, including a nice mid teener upriver bright chinook. Can't share those photos unfortunately as they give too much away about our location.

Anyways, a great morning in one of my favorite places. Hopefully I get to sneak in a few more outings there before it's all over.

 

[mcswny]

Look tasty!

 

[Rvrfisher360]

Sounds like a great day targeting finicky coho! I've dealt with a lot of the same the last few weeks with our rivers being extra low. Try a silver vibrax for 30 min and nothing and then get a black and chartreuse one on and it produces a couple bites.

Do we have any chance of getting a spinner SBS? Assuming you make those?

I love how you have the hoochie flush with the bell body of the spinner. Haven't seen that before.

 

[Evan B]

Sounds like a great day targeting finicky coho! I've dealt with a lot of the same the last few weeks with our rivers being extra low. Try a silver vibrax for 30 min and nothing and then get a black and chartreuse one on and it produces a couple bites.

Do we have any chance of getting a spinner SBS? Assuming you make those?

I love how you have the hoochie flush with the bell body of the spinner. Haven't seen that before.

I did not make those, and I can't figure out/remember where i bought them. I really wish I could figure it out because I want more. I buy a few new spinners from random builders every year, and those were from a few years ago.

 

[DerekWhipple]

What flies did you try? I know it's far up river, but I wonder if a pink saltwater gurgler would work. Those spinners folks throw in the big river are so dang big, I can't see any kind of fly spooking them.

 

[Evan B]

What flies did you try? I know it's far up river, but I wonder if a pink saltwater gurgler would work. Those spinners folks throw in the big river are so dang big, I can't see any kind of fly spooking them.

I would fish a gurgler with about 0% confidence. These fish are so, so finnicky and particular. Not only did the spinner matter, the retrieve mattered. Just a simple steady retrieve didn't work. Had to be an erratic retrieve at varying speeds to have a chance.

I tried a number of clousers and various attractor baitfish patterns I had. Just the kitchen sink basically. A few flies tied on jig hooks with tungsten heads to try "twitching" on a fly rod. nada, zilch.

The rod is going with me next time, and if the fish are around, I'll keep experimenting.

 

[Mtnsaremyhome]

Maybe someday maybe we will crack the code.......I tried a few rounds over the years "oh maybe this will work" each time, just middle fins to show for it.

 

[DerekWhipple]

I used the overhead two hander at the mouth of the big C last year and got bupkus. I threw clousers. Not as fun, but maybe the real small green wheenie type stuff and a bobber might get a bite.

 

[Evan B]

I used the overhead two hander at the mouth of the big C last year and got bupkus. I threw clousers. Not as fun, but maybe the real small green wheenie type stuff and a bobber might get a bite.

When I lived in the Puget Sound region, I caught so many on fly rods off the beaches, but these are a different animal. I just cannot get them to eat anything on a fly rod. @Mtnsaremyhome has tried even more than me.

Not the end of the world as it's still one of my favorite places to fish even on the spinners.

 

[Paige]

Thats why I dont target coho with flies!

Unless I'm in AK that is!

 

[Stonedfish]

I’ve had decent success over the years past catching coho on flies, but on coastal rivers.
My best luck was on higher water. I think the high number of available fish also helped. Where I used to fish isn’t like that any longer.
My luck totally sucks on Puget Sound streams.
SF

 

[SSPey]

Did you try a red fly, like the spinner color? I’ve had estuary coho days when pink flopped and red rocked. Sorry for the crappy photo and grass on mangled fly. Body is just Danville fluorescent red thread.

 

[Evan B]

Did you try a red fly, like the spinner color? I’ve had estuary coho days when pink flopped and red rocked. Sorry for the crappy photo and grass on mangled fly. Body is just Danville fluorescent red thread.

View attachment 35416

Not that fly exactly, but more white/orange stuff. The spinner is mostly white with an orange half of hte blade with the orange hoochie skirt.

I really wish I could find more of those spinners.

 

[Evan B]

Gonna try this one next

 

[Stonedfish]

Not that fly exactly, but more white/orange stuff. The spinner is mostly white with an orange half of hte blade with the orange hoochie skirt.

I really wish I could find more of those spinners.

Evan,
Have you posted a picture of that spinner on any of the more gear centric fishing boards?
There is a good chance someone might know the maker or where to buy them again.
SF

 

[Evan B]

Evan,
Have you posted a picture of that spinner on any of the more gear centric fishing boards?
There is a good chance someone might now the maker or where to buy them again.
SF

not yet, but i've been thinking about it

 

[Chucker]

not yet, but i've been thinking about it

If you do that, then they will never want that spinner again. Coho are just like that.

I have a chartreuse vibrax spinner that once caught about a dozen coho when they would take nothing else. So I went out and got a bunch more, and have never got another touch on any of them since.

 

[Evan B]

If you do that, then they will never want that spinner again. Coho are just like that.

I have a chartreuse vibrax spinner that once caught about a dozen coho when they would take nothing else. So I went out and got a bunch more, and have never got another touch on any of them since.

This isn't the first time this spinner has dominated.

Also, I finally figured out that I got them from First Strike lures. They don't make that exact one anymore, but one that's very close.

 

[Rvrfisher360]

This isn't the first time this spinner has dominated.

Also, I finally figured out that I got them from First Strike lures. They don't make that exact one anymore, but one that's very close.

I just ordered a bunch of rvrfishr spoons from them. I even looked to see if they had bell body spinners but they don't currently.

The spoons look decent, similar quality to the original rvrfishers. The one thing I do not like about them are the massive 2/0 sickle hooks they come with, but I usually replace my spoon hooks with Owners anyways. I can just imagine how many trout and bulls would get K/O'd by people fishing 2/0 sickles.

 

[Evan B]

I just ordered a bunch of rvrfishr spoons from them. I even looked to see if they had bell body spinners but they don't currently.

The spoons look decent, similar quality to the original rvrfishers. The one thing I do not like about them are the massive 2/0 sickle hooks they come with, but I usually replace my spoon hooks with Owners anyways. I can just imagine how many trout and bulls would get K/O'd by people fishing 2/0 sickles.

After Rvrfisher disappeared, I loaded up on P-Line spoons. Been super happy with those actually.