Late season Coho on Whidbey Island

[speedbird]

Looking at escapement reports and catch reports, I am really surprised to see people are still catching bright Coho in the sound rivers. I know people used to target Steelhead from the beach on Whidbey island from mid November to early December using hardware. Would you encounter Coho in that timeframe? Might it not be worthwhile to try picking one up on the fly? Who knows, maybe we could pick up one of the 1000 or so remaining Puget Sound Steelhead while we are at it

 

[Leland Miyawaki]

The oldtimers fishing gear for steelhead at Bush Pt were using orange and white hootchies. So easy to make up your own fly with marabou on a #4 hook. Fish it on an intermediate line. Don't wade past your ankles. Cast long and strip long and slow.

Leland.

 

[speedbird]

The oldtimers fishing gear for steelhead at Bush Pt were using orange and white hootchies. So easy to make up your own fly with marabou on a #4 hook. Fish it on an intermediate line. Don't wade past your ankles. Cast long and strip long and slow.

Leland.

Might give it a go on a day I can stomach the cold temperatures and the rivers are blown out

 

[Leland Miyawaki]

Especially if the rivers are blown. Think scent . . .
Leland

 

[Smalma]

While there are some late spawning coho (through March) in north Sound rivers with the rare exception they are all in the rivers at this time of year.

The steelhead fishery along the west side of Whidbey used to be in late December. In their migration to the rivers the fish travel along the shorelines typically in 5 to 8 feet of water suspended 3 or 4 feet below the surface. Typically travel in small pods and can be active showing themselves as they move down the shoreline. While they could be caught at any tide, the last of the incoming tide seemed to have been the most consistent.

As mentioned, the lure of choice for the gear angler was a large hoochie behind a large spin glow on a long leader behind a large piece of pencil lead. A popular colors included chartreuse, flame orange, white, red etc. The most common combination was a chartreuse and flame orange spin glow in from of a chartreuse hoochie over a double hook mooching leader. The rigged was casted out and reeled back to the angler's feet with most strikes happening in maybe in 2 feet of water. The fish would follow the lure to the shore gabbing it at the last second. The theory was the fish were attempting to grab the critter before it escaped.

A fly angler might try to mimic the gear angler's approach with a larger fly whose materials provide lots a movement and maybe some flash. Because the fish are suspended you probably want to present your fly above their traveling levels than below. Clearly the fish are reacting mor out of curiosity than hungry so an actively retrieved fly would more likely trigger a strike than on fished on the swing even though the water maybe moving like a river. To take advantage of the fish tendency to follow your fly as it nears the shallows changing both the speed and direction as the fly travels may trigger more strikes. In most such fishing situation I have good luck swing the fly parallel to the shore by sweeping the rod up current.

Good luck.

Curt

 

[NRC]

Is the west side of the island open for salmon right now? Might need to limit your ambitions to steelhead only.

 

[speedbird]

Is the west side of the island open for salmon right now? Might need to limit your ambitions to steelhead only.

Not to target but I imagine if late Coho were still running, I would catch some as bycatch. Potentially larger juveniles too. Back when I gear fished cutthroat on the north sound I would actually catch more blackmouth than cutty in the summer time, some were pretty nice too, biggest was 12"