Uncle Stu
Well-known member
Joyce and I got home today from our semi-annual coho trip to Alaska. We did well using a combo of both fly rigs and spin gear, with a 10-day grand total of 36 adults between us, plus plenty of jacks and sea-run cutties as well. Please ... don't ask where we were. The good folks who first brought me there asked me not to share the location, for good reasons. And if you do happen to figure it out somehow--please, keep it to yourself.
The fish were big this year, with some running 12 to 15 pounds. Best part: Joycie landed her first salmon on the fly rod, all by herself, using an old clicker Medalist reel and vintage Fenwick glass 8w. Worst part: I snapped the same Fenwick while horsing in a foul-hooked fish. Wanted to free it quick, but I was rushing it. This year, I used my Echo Classic Switch 11' 6w for the first time for coho and it was a match made in heaven. Easy on the shoulder during long days of casting, and handles a hooked coho like a dream. Hot flies: coho clouser (stinger hook), flash fly, popsicle. Successful spin rigs: small silver spinners, jig flies under bobbers, and bait (roe) under bobbers. We used all methods because we wanted to fish all day, rather than wait until the tides favored the fly rigs. Different tide = different setup.
The weather was not ideal: hot sun and low water in the rivers. The blue skies put the fish down at midday, and skinny water kept most of the fish in the salt. We were hoping for rain and dark days, but still, we did OK. Our last day was so hot, we slept on a big flat rock in the early afternoon while waiting for the tide. When the water came, the coho decided to hang in a hole that was unfriendly to the fly, so we baited up and got 6 between us in about 20 minutes. Beaching a hot coho in long grass without a net was a real hoot. They would make at least a half-dozen powerful runs before giving in. We had a blast.
I will add pics below. For anyone into IG--my user name is stumasonmusic.
The fish were big this year, with some running 12 to 15 pounds. Best part: Joycie landed her first salmon on the fly rod, all by herself, using an old clicker Medalist reel and vintage Fenwick glass 8w. Worst part: I snapped the same Fenwick while horsing in a foul-hooked fish. Wanted to free it quick, but I was rushing it. This year, I used my Echo Classic Switch 11' 6w for the first time for coho and it was a match made in heaven. Easy on the shoulder during long days of casting, and handles a hooked coho like a dream. Hot flies: coho clouser (stinger hook), flash fly, popsicle. Successful spin rigs: small silver spinners, jig flies under bobbers, and bait (roe) under bobbers. We used all methods because we wanted to fish all day, rather than wait until the tides favored the fly rigs. Different tide = different setup.
The weather was not ideal: hot sun and low water in the rivers. The blue skies put the fish down at midday, and skinny water kept most of the fish in the salt. We were hoping for rain and dark days, but still, we did OK. Our last day was so hot, we slept on a big flat rock in the early afternoon while waiting for the tide. When the water came, the coho decided to hang in a hole that was unfriendly to the fly, so we baited up and got 6 between us in about 20 minutes. Beaching a hot coho in long grass without a net was a real hoot. They would make at least a half-dozen powerful runs before giving in. We had a blast.
I will add pics below. For anyone into IG--my user name is stumasonmusic.
