Coho from the beach fly suggestions

Gary Knowels

Gary Knowels

Hack of all trades
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I've decided that I'm going to really go after coho from the beach. I've caught a few salmon of the beach, mostly small rezzies, but would like to take home fresh fish to eat if I get the chance.

I'm looking for a few simple suggestions suggestions on flies to tie up the next few weeks to prep for MA9. I'm a mediocre tyer with a decent assortment of materials and don't want to buy a bunch more stuff so please avoid anything too niche. I fish a moderate action 6 weight with a Sonar titan line in I/2/3.
 
Yup - size 4 clousers with 5/32 eyes. I switch over to stinger style around the 3rd week of august but it’s not a bright line rule. I tie mine @Stonedfish style with flat braid over the eyes and bucktail on the hook shank and a red or orange thread hotspot. Eyes in the photo below are one size larger than I usually fish on the sound and it was taken in Hawaii but you get the idea 😀. IMG_6247.jpeg
 
I’ve caught 95% of my fish on the @Nick Clayton coho clouser (always trailing hook). It’s what a lot of other people fish most consistently too. Nick would add the disclaimer that he didn’t really invent this fly, but due to his awesome SBS video and the specific dimensions he suggests it always gets called the Nick Clayton clouser (at least by me).

 
Always chartreuse over pink, too. My salmon fishing time is too precious to deviate from what has worked for me not consistently in the past.
 
Any sort of clouser minnow, keep it simple. I particularly like the pink over white puget clousers tied in gig harbor fly shop style, the angel hair type material they use really makes the fly look realistic in the water, swam my fly next to a school of baitfish by the beach and i could barely pick it out from the real thing, the bait itself started schooling around it :ROFLMAO:
 
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Epoxy sandlance imitations can be extremely effective for coho and blackmouth in July and August. Use wherever you see sandlance schooling on eelgrass flats and drop offs. A slower retrieve off the bottom produces some very aggressive strikes. It works well on sunny mornings too.
 
adamcu280 said:
I’d start (and possibly end) with Clousers in chartreuse/white, pink/white, chartreuse/pink. Maybe tie some with stingers.

I really like the “high tie” style that @Stonedfish and @jasmillo have been sharing lately.
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I started tying those high tie versions based on stuff @Stonedfish has posted. I really like how they fish and their profile. Plus you can get creative with the body wrap material from diamond braid to longer cactus chenile.

Those high tie clousers, “standard” closures, stinger clousers, herring and sandlace imitations are my go to off the beach. I also started fishing a pattern tied on a shank kind of stinger style without the dumbell eyes a lot last year with very good success (pic below). I fished it as much as clousers last year. As far as stinger/versus non stinger, I fish stinger patterns all season but mix in regular style patterns some early in the year. More of a confidence thing for me. One nip without hookup even in July and I tend to make the change :).

Don’t over think it though. You’ll find success if all you carried were clousers in white/chartreuse, white/pink and chartreuse/pink…if the fish are there which is always the key.

IMG_5387.jpeg
 
jasmillo said:
I started tying those high tie versions based on stuff @Stonedfish has posted. I really like how they fish and their profile. Plus you can get creative with the body wrap material from diamond braid to longer cactus chenile.

Those high tie clousers, “standard” closures, stinger clousers, herring and sandlace imitations are my go to off the beach. I also started fishing a pattern tied on a shank kind of stinger style without the dumbell eyes a lot last year with very good success (pic below). I fished it as much as clousers last year. As far as stinger/versus non stinger, I fish stinger patterns all season but mix in regular style patterns some early in the year. More of a confidence thing for me. One nip without hookup even in July and I tend to make the change :).

Don’t over think it though. You’ll find success if all you carried were clousers in white/chartreuse, white/pink and chartreuse/pink…if the fish are there which is always the key.

View attachment 119746
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Are your stinger hooks gomakatsu octopus size 1 like Nick's?
 
Alright, here's my first attempt and first ever stinger fly. Please send your suggestions for improvement!
IMG20240712170019.jpgIMG20240712174342.jpgIMG20240712180431.jpgIMG20240712180442.jpgIMG20240712180505.jpg
I'm thinking about the following:
1. Maybe an inch longer?
2. More pink and less chartreuse bucktail?
3. Add pearl flashabou between the bucktail layers?
4. Less krystal flash on top?

What do you think?!
 
Looks good! Two suggestions.
1. Use cheaper hooks up front that you are going to cut. Mustad 3407DT is a good option. No need to cut stainless hooks.
2. Tie the stinger loop in first, then the pink belly on top of it. That way the loop is in between the pink and chartreuse bucktail rather than underneath the pink. It will still catch fish though the way you tied it high tie style.
SF
 
Nice tie. I'm a newbie to the beach with last year being my first full year so take this for what it's worth. I tied and fished stuff just like that in a variety of color ways some stinger some not and over a month and a half of fishing a not so popular beach in the mornings, short sessions of an hour or two hooked a bunch of cookie cutter rezzies in that 2-3 pound range and a few bigger ocean going fish. It was super fun, I'd fish your pattern with confidence and have other colors on hand to mix it up.
 
Stonedfish said:
Looks good! Two suggestions.
1. Use cheaper hooks up front that you are going to cut. Mustad 3407DT is a good option. No need to cut stainless hooks.
2. Tie the stinger loop in first, then the pink belly on top of it. That way the loop is in between the two pink and chartreuse bucktail rather than underneath the pink. It will still catch fish though the way you tied it high tie style.
SF
Click to expand...
They were the only hooks that seemed like the appropriate size available at Bass Pro when I was there so I grabbed them (I had to pick up some other camping stuff so I went there instead of Puget Sound Fly Co).

When you say tie the pink belly on top of the stinger loop, do you mean on the same side as barbell eyes then the chartreuse goes on the underside of the shank?
 
Gary Knowels said:
They were the only hooks that seemed like the appropriate size available at Bass Pro when I was there so I grabbed them (I had to pick up some other camping stuff so I went there instead of Puget Sound Fly Co).

When you say tie the pink belly on top of the stinger loop, do you mean on the same side as barbell eyes then the chartreuse goes on the underside of the shank?
Click to expand...

Yes, tie the pink in on the dumbbell eye side.
This example excluded the flash but will give you and idea of the tying sequences.
Tie the eyes on, then tie the stinger loop on, on the same side as you tied the eyes on.
After the loop is on, tie the pink belly in on the same side you tied the loop on to. The loop will now be under your pink belly.
When you tie your chartreuse wing on, the stinger loop will be in between the pink belly and the chartreuse wing.
It looks like you tied in the pink belly first then the loop on top of it. Just reverse those two steps.
You can also use a small then size 2 sacrificial hook up front if you want the flat diamond braid body to be smaller.
SF
 
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Thanks for this explanation @SF as I still don't understand all the nuances of the clouser. Can you also explain the difference between high tie and non high tie? Is it tying down the wing in front of the eyes in one case and behind the eyes in the other?

Sorry for butting in to the thread @ Gary Knowles...
 
Stonedfish said:
Yes, tie the pink in on the dumbbell eye side.
This example excluded the flash but will give you and idea of the tying sequences.
Tie the eyes on, then tie the stinger loop on, on the same side as you tied the eyes on.
After the loop is on, tie the pink belly in on the same side you tied the loop on to. The loop will now be under your pink belly.
When you tie your chartreuse wing on, the stinger loop will be in between the pink belly and the chartreuse wing.
It looks like you tied in the pink belly first then the loop on top of it. Just reverse those two steps.
You can also use a small then size 2 sacrificial hook up front if you want the flat diamond braid body to be smaller.
SF
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I tied in the order suggested, I just on the wrong side of the hook shank! I'll post the next one after dinner! Thanks for the feedback!
 
SKYKO said:
Thanks for this explanation @SF as I still don't understand all the nuances of the clouser. Can you also explain the difference between high tie and non high tie? Is it tying down the wing in front of the eyes in one case and behind the eyes in the other?

Sorry for butting in to the thread @ Gary Knowles...
Click to expand...
Your questions help me learn too, keep em coming!
 
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