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[Rodney]

Today is the opening day of the Tidal Fraser River hatchery coho salmon fishery (see notice). Bait can be used, but my preferred method is to cast and retrieve spoons and spinners. Not that I think it involves more skills to catch them on hardwares than bait, but I simply find it hard to sit and stare at a rod tip for a long period of time. I also find that bites are not as easily missed when retrieving a lure.

My choice of lure is a 1/8oz spinner with a size 3 green blade. This lure has been especially good to me when fishing for bull trout, cutthroat trout and jack coho salmon. I arrived at 11:00am, two hours before the tide peaked. In the first two hours or so, I managed to miss two bites while nearby roe anglers had a few bites and managed to land one jack coho. Once the tide peaked and started dropping, I missed another bite, followed by a 35cm bull trout that did not get away fast enough at around 2:00pm. At 3:15pm, the tide had dropped two feet and I had another quick tug. I hooked, watched the rod bent and for the first five seconds the fish fought sluggishly. I assumed that it was just another bull trout and retrieved slowly as the fish was being towed in. Suddenly, it leaped straight out of the water and I could see the 6lb or so silvery body was in fact a coho salmon. The fun soon began as the fish bolted and took several powerful runs like all ocean fresh coho would do. It must have taken about six runs before I guided it into the net. Not a bad opening day indeed! It has been two years since I landed an adult coho salmon in the Tidal Fraser River. Last year, a dozen or so outings only yielded a hatchery jack coho that I managed to drop in the water after bonking it.

This coho was a wild fish. Just about all the scales are intact, the body was very deep as it should be since it just entered the river. A quick photo and we sent it back to the river so it is now on its way into one of the valley tributaries. Hopefully this is a sign of many more good days to come in October.

[redtide]

Nice fish rod......i'm goin tommorrow morning to get me one. my best lure is the gibbs croc in red/orange. gets the coho and springs as well.

[lucky]

 What a way to start the Fraser coho season  ,,,,, nice fish you lucky b@stard! I bet you'll be having some chrome dreams tonight.

[chris gadsden]

Not a bad opening day indeed! It has been two years since I landed an adult coho salmon in the Tidal Fraser River. Last year, a dozen or so outings only yielded a hatchery jack coho that I managed to drop in the water after bonking it.

This coho was a wild fish. Just about all the scales are intact, the body was very deep as it should be since it just entered the river. A quick photo and we sent it back to the river so it is now on its way into one of the valley tributaries. Hopefully this is a sign of many more good days to come in October.

Very nice, dropping the fish into the water must run in your circle of friends.    I believe I saw it happened on the Thompson last year too. . Then I did the Thompson flip onto the rocks with a rainbow trout.

[Rodney]

The skunk is dead. It only took over 100 hours to kill it. First real fish since September 8th.

[chris gadsden]

The skunk is dead. It only took over 100 hours to kill it. First real fish since September 8th.

I now have found the hot spot but the rain coming will end it.

[Dr. Backlash]

nice fish...well done Rod!

[robj]

 "a hatchery jack coho that I managed to drop in the water after bonking it"

Remember that day.   You did not have to give it new life by mentioning it again.   Hope to see you on the river this week.

Have a great day

[Rodney]

Remember that day.   You did not have to give it new life by mentioning it again.   Hope to see you on the river this week.

Good fishing memory is hard to be forgotten.

[gman]

Rod, did you get the coho on your light Fenwick spinning rod? Have you ever caught a bigger coho or a chum on that?

[Rodney]

wow man that's a nice fish, i was out at garry thursday casting flies on rock with no success, weather was good and was about to cast 60' out, but still no fish, guess i need more hours to kill the skunk

If it makes you feel any better, I spent five of the last ten days trying at Garry Point with only one fish lost and a bullhead. They'll come eventually on the line.

A few days ago, I had wanted to try out for herring because I was getting reports of herring catches in Steveston. I tied up a few minnow patterns that worked for me in the past, tied two on the line above the weight like a bar rig, then simply casted and retrieved it. For a long time I did not feel anything and suddenly I had a bite. I pulled back and said, "Oooh, herring..." then immediately the reel just started screaming. Within ten seconds I was almost out of line on the little reel and a bright salmon (either a really big coho or chinook) jumped twice as it took the rig out until the line snapped. The tandom setup must seem like a mini school of minnows swimming by and salmon just cannot resist it.

Rod, did you get the coho on your light Fenwick spinning rod? Have you ever caught a bigger coho or a chum on that?

Yes that was on the light Fenwick Rod, rated 4 to 10lb. I've landed coho much bigger on that rod in the Fraser. It is not such a big problem since the current is not that strong. For chum salmon, different story though. Most of the chum salmon that I've hooked on this rod were broken off, mostly because I'm using 8lb test (actually, right now I'm using 6lb test to get a better distance on the little spinner).

[BwiBwi]

Reading Rod's reports, it is very obvious you are persistant.  You can even raise the dead to bite your offering.   

[Fish Assassin]

Reading Rod's reports, it is very obvious you are persistant.  You can even raise the dead to bite your offering.   

That I got to see 

[coho_killer]

i fished derby reach today using one of your home made spinners rod and had 3 hook ups in 4 hrs it was the green bladed one i beleave 1/8 oz one on 6 lbs mainline 7 ft spinning rod and your spinners work great i tell u what! I'm gonna need more soon!

                                                                                                               CK

[Rodney]

Are we allow to use two flies(hooks) together?ex. dropper rig??just wondering

Yep. In the Tidal Fraser River, you can use a rig that allows you two catch two fish at once. A bar rig with two baited hooks, two flies on the fly line, etc.

i fished derby reach today using one of your home made spinners rod and had 3 hook ups in 4 hrs it was the green bladed one i beleave 1/8 oz one on 6 lbs mainline 7 ft spinning rod and your spinners work great i tell u what! I'm gonna need more soon!

Good to see the green spinner doing its magic elsewhere too.