I know I posted it in a different thread a while ago, but holy heck this fly produces Skagit coho:
Freshwater coho flies
- Thread starter Matt B
- Start date
Nice, big, just starting to color up buck this morning, fresh up with the rain we got last night. Must have been one of the many I've heard have been hanging out in the bays waiting for rain. Had a couple other bites that didn't stick. Went a bit upstream hoping to intercept more freshies and found exactly what I expected... CHUMS. They're in on the coast. Never fails with the first decent rain after October 15.
I'll begin with my customary caveat.....silvers confound me. Whenever I start to feel confident, they change the rules...the basturds. 
So I end up reviewing each season with the hopes that something useful will stick in my melon.
This year (so far) my focus has been trying different things....height in water column, fly size, sparseness, color, retrieve rate....pretty much everything to hopefully find something that works.
Prior to this morning, I've gotten one solid grab in about 9 or 10 hours of river time....and in the process re-learned the important lesson to take the time to make sure one's hook is sharp.
Today the high tide was an hour after sunrise so I hit the lower river and started the flogging. I began with a big red & black silhouette and fished it low until full light. Nuthin. I switched to a floater with a long leader and worked my way thru various comets, some flashy stuff, some not so flashy stuff, and a handful of CA Neils...varying the retrieve rate and all that stuff.....still nuthin'.
So then, I remembered Smalma's fave, the burnt orange reverse spider. I went with a 6ips tip and a double arms length leader....and I'll be damned. I promptly lost one on the smaller spider and within the hour netted another on the other one.
so now I have a starting point for the 2026 season...thanks Smalma and everyone else who shared info
So I end up reviewing each season with the hopes that something useful will stick in my melon.This year (so far) my focus has been trying different things....height in water column, fly size, sparseness, color, retrieve rate....pretty much everything to hopefully find something that works.
Prior to this morning, I've gotten one solid grab in about 9 or 10 hours of river time....and in the process re-learned the important lesson to take the time to make sure one's hook is sharp.
Today the high tide was an hour after sunrise so I hit the lower river and started the flogging. I began with a big red & black silhouette and fished it low until full light. Nuthin. I switched to a floater with a long leader and worked my way thru various comets, some flashy stuff, some not so flashy stuff, and a handful of CA Neils...varying the retrieve rate and all that stuff.....still nuthin'.
So then, I remembered Smalma's fave, the burnt orange reverse spider. I went with a 6ips tip and a double arms length leader....and I'll be damned. I promptly lost one on the smaller spider and within the hour netted another on the other one.
so now I have a starting point for the 2026 season...thanks Smalma and everyone else who shared info
Pink Nighty
Legend
Let's gooooooo!!!!!I'll begin with my customary caveat.....silvers confound me. Whenever I start to feel confident, they change the rules...the basturds.
This year (so far) my focus has been trying different things....height in water column, fly size, sparseness, color, retrieve rate....pretty much everything to hopefully find something that works.
Prior to this morning, I've gotten one solid grab in about 9 or 10 hours of river time....and in the process re-learned the important lesson to take the time to make sure one's hook is sharp.
Today the high tide was an hour after sunrise so I hit the lower river and started the flogging. I began with a big red & black silhouette and fished it low until full light. Nuthin. I switched to a floater with a long leader and worked my way thru various comets, some flashy stuff, some not so flashy stuff, and a handful of CA Neils...varying the retrieve rate and all that stuff.....still nuthin'.
So then, I remembered Smalma's fave, the burnt orange reverse spider. I went with a 6ips tip and a double arms length leader....and I'll be damned. I promptly lost one on the smaller spider and within the hour netted another on the other one.
View attachment 192434
so now I have a starting point for the 2026 season...thanks Smalma and everyone else who shared info
Chris Johnson
Steelhead
That's a beauty!
I use small sparse and somewhat flashy patterns. Most of my patterns are bugger knockoffs. I tie them small on size 10 hooks always with a bead. They have a marabou tail with a tinsel or thread body then mostly coloured pearl Palmer chenille for the hackle. The two best colours are olive and chartreuse but everything works at one time or another as coho are moody sob’s. Best place to find them are in the still slow sloughs or back waters but really anywhere out of the flow works. Fish them on a clear intermediate or dry line with a quick short retrieve as coho love the chase and will follow right up to your rod tip before grabbing.
So there I was with my new, proven coho flies and tactics.
I did the old man can't sleep thing so I got up early to beat my competitor, wet wader dude, to the sweet spot. I was on the water ready to go at twilight. We got a little bit of rain yesterday, the water is a little cooler....Yes! I got a cooler full of ice in the back of the truck.
I am ready. It's game on Bitches! I'm so gonna slay 'em.
The water is a little slower in this stretch of river so I made the decision to lighten the tip and increase the leader length. Hour glass eye fly was a little too jiggy this early so I went with a wet dream of a polar shrimp colored spider. Genius!
Half an hour and a bunch of rolling fish passing thru later....I got nuthin. But that's okay. I have lots more killer stuff in my coho arsenal and it's only 7a. I got this.
I go with the hour glass eyed comet...cuz it's time....I can feel it.... nuthin
I make a couple more fly changes and try not to get all panicky....still nuthin.
About this time treaty fisher guys motor up stream, drop their nets 100 yards up and start their first set. They're pretty nice so I when they get close and pull the nets, I ask how many? 5 for them....0 for me
I switch to a proven more sparse fly while net guys motor on up for their next set. When they get down to me it's 8 more for them and goose eggs for me
I go with intermediate tip, long leader and some sort of sparse jiggy thing while treaty guys do their next drift. 3 or 4 more for them and another zippo for me.
They motor further upstream while I scratch my head, look at my fly selection, and do some breathing techniques that have worked for Brian Woo.
Wet wader gear guy 50 yards below me lands a fish
I make a couple more passes with different super sexy flies....nada. And by now treaty guys have returned and tell me they got 15 more up above
So I go with floating tip, long leader and little jiggy flies. Treaty guys finish their next set.....6 for them and nada for me. FAAK.
They try to be helpful, tell me the fish they're getting are on the bottom...about 6 feet deep. They point out where the current is running and funneling the fish.
I do a hail mary....switch back to a heavier tip, 5 foot leader, and my trusty old polar shrimp spider. 3 more for them bumpkiss for me.
And that, fellas, is how it's done
stick with me for further pointers
.....but I SO got this tomorrow tho
I did the old man can't sleep thing so I got up early to beat my competitor, wet wader dude, to the sweet spot. I was on the water ready to go at twilight. We got a little bit of rain yesterday, the water is a little cooler....Yes! I got a cooler full of ice in the back of the truck.
I am ready. It's game on Bitches! I'm so gonna slay 'em.
The water is a little slower in this stretch of river so I made the decision to lighten the tip and increase the leader length. Hour glass eye fly was a little too jiggy this early so I went with a wet dream of a polar shrimp colored spider. Genius!
Half an hour and a bunch of rolling fish passing thru later....I got nuthin. But that's okay. I have lots more killer stuff in my coho arsenal and it's only 7a. I got this.
I go with the hour glass eyed comet...cuz it's time....I can feel it.... nuthin
I make a couple more fly changes and try not to get all panicky....still nuthin.
About this time treaty fisher guys motor up stream, drop their nets 100 yards up and start their first set. They're pretty nice so I when they get close and pull the nets, I ask how many? 5 for them....0 for me
I switch to a proven more sparse fly while net guys motor on up for their next set. When they get down to me it's 8 more for them and goose eggs for me
I go with intermediate tip, long leader and some sort of sparse jiggy thing while treaty guys do their next drift. 3 or 4 more for them and another zippo for me.
They motor further upstream while I scratch my head, look at my fly selection, and do some breathing techniques that have worked for Brian Woo.
Wet wader gear guy 50 yards below me lands a fish I make a couple more passes with different super sexy flies....nada. And by now treaty guys have returned and tell me they got 15 more up above
So I go with floating tip, long leader and little jiggy flies. Treaty guys finish their next set.....6 for them and nada for me. FAAK.
They try to be helpful, tell me the fish they're getting are on the bottom...about 6 feet deep. They point out where the current is running and funneling the fish.
I do a hail mary....switch back to a heavier tip, 5 foot leader, and my trusty old polar shrimp spider. 3 more for them bumpkiss for me.
And that, fellas, is how it's done
stick with me for further pointers
.....but I SO got this tomorrow tho
md - your luck/success, would have even be less if u had not been there.
Absolutely.
It was a humbling day ( and I didn’t intend to come across as whiney) but a good one.
It’s bitter/sweet but generally I like having other fishers around cuz I get pushed to learn or try new stuff when I’m not producing….and having the netters above me this morning was better still.
No better way I can think of to know how many fish are moving up. In the past I’ve wondered how the number of rollers/jumpers compare to how many are not showing themselves. After this morning I’d guesstimate showing fish are maybe 20 to 25 % of the total.
I know I’m not gonna catch as many fish since I’ve chosen to throw flies…and sometimes that really sucks…but oh man when it finally happens. You know…right!!!
and I’ve been thinking & strategizing all afternoon. If it doesn’t rain too much tonight…it’s game on tomorrow.
Just gotta make sure to beat wet wader gear guy to the river
Pink Nighty
Legend
Right now there's no such thing as too much. If it's muddy, throw bigger grosser flies. Get em!!Absolutely.
It was a humbling day ( and I didn’t intend to come across as whiney) but a good one.
It’s bitter/sweet but generally I like having other fishers around cuz I get pushed to learn or try new stuff when I’m not producing….and having the netters above me this morning was better still.
No better way I can think of to know how many fish are moving up. In the past I’ve wondered how the number of rollers/jumpers compare to how many are not showing themselves. After this morning I’d guesstimate showing fish are maybe 20 to 25 % of the total.
I know I’m not gonna catch as many fish since I’ve chosen to throw flies…and sometimes that really sucks…but oh man when it finally happens. You know…right!!!
and I’ve been thinking & strategizing all afternoon. If it doesn’t rain too much tonight…it’s game on tomorrow.
Just gotta make sure to beat wet wader gear guy to the river