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[Rodney]

Right now I am enjoying my multi-pink salmon days around Richmond, so far I have been lucky but I found the fish were harder to entice this year. As we approach the end of this month, I am becoming more excited each day, because coho salmon season is just around the corner. Out of all the fisheries, I have to say float fishing for coho salmon is my favorite right now. The anticipation of that first burial of my float just after dawn is what drives me out of bed at 4:00am. The instant feeling of that kicking weight on the other end when I set the hook cannot be described unless you are there watching. The challenge of keeping that jumper on the hook is a welcome frustration. Identifying whether the coho salmon is a hatchery fish or not as it approaches the bank is the final excitement. If you think pink salmon fishing is fun, give coho a try.

Reflecting last year's result

Last October I had the pleasure to take LukeYVR and fishin chick out for some Vedder coho action. When fishin chick and I went, we were a bit too early. I ended up hooking a coho jack and she lost a spring jack. She ended up sleeping on the bank while I fished... LukeYVR on the other hand, was a bit luckier. During the third trip around early October, we were able to get into at least a dozen fresh coho salmon! Here is a photo of Luke's catch! I ended up keeping three hatchery coho that day, while Luke kept one. He actually hooked more fish than me that day, but lost most of them. At one point he had his float depth set at around 2 feet, baited the hook with a HUGE piece of roe. I thought it was rediculous. He casted it out, we could see the roe in the water... Few seconds later we saw a large chinook came straight up and grabbed the entire piece of roe!

The following trip, we did not do as well. It was pouring hard, and we were miserable. By noon, we were not too motivated, and just when I was thinking about going, my float went for a dive and a large fish was on! It turned out to be a 16lb coho, my biggest so far from the Vedder.

Luke was so hooked that he even sneaked to the Vedder by himself a couple of times after that! He ended up hooking fish during each trip, a quick learner he is!

The technique that I use

Well, it seems to work so far, so some of you might want to try out. Most of the information is already available in this article. I like to keep my float small, just big enough to handle the flow where I am fishing. I usually use enough weight to balance the float so about 1/2 in of the float sticks out of the water. Both features result in fast response to a fish bite (you certainly don't want to be slow as these coho salmon are fast biters). Because my target species is primarily coho salmon, my main line is 12lb test Maxima, my leader is usually 8 or 10lb test Maxima. So far both line weights have worked great, except I need to change the leader occasionally due to scratches on the bait loop. My rod is Stryker 2106/IST 1263F, moderate action so it has a good bend while fighting. The reel I use is a Shimano low profile baitcaster. Line capacity is small, but you don't need a lot of line for coho. This setup is light, which allows me to fish all day without getting sore arms.

One thing I plan to change is to increase the hook size. So far I've been using #2, but last season I was losing quite a few fish.

My leader length is about 1 to 1.5 foot. If it becomes too long, it swings up by the current and you're not fishing the target zone.Adjust your float depth so your bait is drifting above the fish, as coho salmon (and all salmon) look up and attack from bottom. Last year we fished next to two guys who insisted the fish were on the bottom so they had to make sure the weights are near the bottom. They did not get any coho, while we almost had our limits.

With bait, I will be using the pink salmon roe from the pink salmon that I have kept in this season. I like to use Procure Double Hot Red colour as it has seemed to work well in the past.

Some thoughts on locations

The Chilliwack Vedder River is long. Some say it gets crowded, but only at certain spots. To have a good experience, it's best to avoid the busy spots. The busy spots are usually the visible ones that have easy access. These include Keith Wilson Bridge, railway bridge, Lickman Road, Peach Road, Vedder Crossing, Tamahi, Alison Pool, Limit Hole. By going to a spot where less people are fishing, the likelihood of you hooking into some nice fish is bigger since the fish are not spooked. Surprisingly, you can usually find a nice quiet spot by taking a very short walk from one of these busy spots.

Important regulations

Daily quotas for salmon in the Chilliwack River:

Chinook: 4, but only one can be over 62cm.
Coho: 4, but hatchery fish only (the ones that are missing an adipose fin).
Pink: 4
Chum: 1
Sockeye: 0

You can only keep FOUR salmon in total together, which means if you keep four coho salmon, you can't keep any chinook, pink or chum.

Be aware of the difference between a coho and a sockeye. Some sockeye salmon (the ones that are going to Cultus Lake) also are missing an adipose fin. Read about it some more...

Have fun, don't forget to take photos.

[FISHYtheGREAT]

Good read....I cannot wait, its so close.I have been waiting for this since last season ended

[Floater]

Good info rod ill definetly give your setup a try this year for some coho.

[cohokid]

I agree with u rod coho season is by far my favorite. just reading that is making my wanna go tie leaders up and made me get goose bumps waiting untill next month. every sunday. and the odd monday i skip haha

[scruffy]

can't wait for the Ho's to show up, get to try my new set up just bought a light action rod and a small baitcaster for this season 

[Spudcote]

Picked up a "Frontier" rod today, feels similar to a Loomis I traded for it (it had to light of an action for my liking), feels like a nice rod, looking forward to tring out on some of the Island rivers. Got a few trips lined up for the near future. Coming home next week end and will do a little pink and coho fishing while I'm home.

[Rodney]

I've been getting a few emails regarding this so I thought it would be easier just to make this post for those who are interested.

How to float fish more effectively for coho?

To effectively catch coho on the Vedder by float fishing, you want to keep your offerings in the strike zone. People have a tendency to mistaken the strike zone as the depth where the fish are sitting. It is not. Salmonids look up and strike at the offerings above them. The fish position themselves near the bottom, so the strike zone is usually 1 or 2 feet above the river bed.

The diagrams below illustrate the correct and not-so-correct ways of float depth adjustment.

Excessive length of leader



For some reason, many people believe a longer leader would produce more fish, quite the opposite! Your hook will always travel faster than your weight in a river. By using a long leader, your hook and bait are lifted up higher from the river bed, away from the strike zone.

Excessive float depth



Some choose to adjust their float depth so the weight is "tapping" or sitting on the bottom. The weight will usually anchor itself to the river bed, while the float drifts slowly or becomes stationary. Two things will result from this setup:

• You'll snag onto the bottom, and lose your weight, hook and bait.
• Even worse, you'll end up snagging a pink or chinook in the belly or tail, which can be time consuming to bring in and release.

Rodney's way of float adjustment, but not necessarily the ONLY way



So far this has worked very well by producing about a dozen or more coho each season on the Vedder River without losing any hook, weight or line. I usually like to keep my leader length (the line between the hook and weight) around 1.5 feet in length. Judging the depth by looking at the gradient of the river bank and the water, I adjust my float depth (the length from the float to the hook) so that it is about 1 to 2 feet shorter than the actual depth. When this is drifted, the bait will lift a few inches higher, remaining in the strike zone. When the float dips under the water, there is no hesitation as I don't need to question whether it is a snag or a fish. The hook is usually set hard and most of the time the fight is on.

Some other small adjustments

I find these adjustments would connect me into more fish in the past.

• My float preference is either a Drennan Zepple or Piker. I use a Piker when the flow is slow, but a Zeppler in faster water to retain stability. The float size also varies, small (11 grams) in clearer, slower water, while big (20 grams) in faster, deeper water.
• Tie on enough weight so only about 0.5 inch of your float (or the coloured tip) emerges on the water surface. This allows you to detect the bites sooner.
• Keep your main line (the line between your rod tip and your float) tight enough without disrupting the drift. Always try to avoid having any line laying on the water surface.
• Keep the drifts short. A longer drift doesn't necessarily mean a bigger chance to catch a fish.

Let's see who gets a coho this week.

[Coho Cody]

ahhh can't wait! im shaking im so excited for what this years coho season has in store 8)for me

[scruffy]

the more we chat about coho's the more excited i get I'm counting the days now 

[Coho Cody]

yeah everybody be quiet . i'm getting anxious

[summersteel]

Rod, great job on your examples of how to, and how not to, rig up the float and wieght with leader.  Thats about the best I've ever seen!! I wish every fisher out there would read this.  BP

[Matuka Jack]

Rodney,
Last year, I started using circle hook with roe when I do the "Dead Floating" method (the second picture).  I never foul hook a fish and it's very effective.

[Fish Assassin]

What size circle hooks were you using ? All the circle hooks I've seen were huge ones for halibuts or sturgeons.

[Matuka Jack]

I use 2/0 for coho.  See link below:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp;jsessionid=UDB0ILPJ2C2CPTQSNOHCCOGOCJVZCIWE?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166&id=0030277313567a&navCount=3&podId=0030277&parentId=cat20291&navAction=push&catalogCode=IF&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20291&hasJS=true&_requestid=30623

[Rodney]

MJ, interesting. You're fishing roe with that setup?

I think I'll start using 1/0s next month. In the past I've always used #2.