What Makes Coho Bite?

[@trevscivil4037]

I really enjoy your videos! You give so much information that is missed by other people. The background info your showing us helps far more than just saying to use this hook or that lure. Thanks for the great Videos Peter!!!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad you like them!

[@joevales6775]

Thank your Petr. I've been at the Vedder last two weekends with little or no luck. I like spoon/lure fishing and am intimidated to float fish. I appreciate your guidance/tips and advice in these videos. I will try again this upcoming weekend. All the best!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

It's a challenging fishery. I didn't catch a single coho my first year on the river, now I catch one almost every time I go out. There is not substitute for spending time on the river, all I can do is steer you in the right direction.

[@dukeumnukem9747]

Hey my friend!! I was digging through my box and found your contact info. I actually have not been out much this year, I have a 103 yr. old dad. Also found a daughter I had 30 yrs. ago. If I can remember to do it I will send a package soon. Thank you for your time. And let's remember folks reading this, let's make sure we are appreciative when watching this content. It is hectic at times in people's lives these days and to take time to do videos for us is out of love for the animal/activity and comradeship. Great job my fishy friend!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks for your continued support Duke. I've been tying my own jigs for steelhead and salmon this last year, and it's a lot of fun. Have yet to catch a steelie on one though, got all mine on shrimp and worms this last season.

[@dukeumnukem9747]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 great to see you are vertical! Very interesting world we live in, crazy things and all that. Makes the outdoors to us who are passionate a very welcome place. Jig tying is a great way to pass time and even save a few bucks and be creative. Thanks for the comment back. I'm still gonna share a few things with you. Take care friend!🎣🎣

[@brettallen8502]

Terrific and informative , thanks for being helpful to newer anglers.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad to help!

[@schmidtdisturbr]

As a total n00b fisherman I'm really appreciating your videos!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad to hear it!

[@Coltinfishing]

Excellent video and very helpful to new anglers, thanks so much!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@allancrow134]

Where I come from the Coho bite most aggressively in the last hour before dusk when they start moving a bit. More so than first light which is probably the second-best time. I time all my Coho river fishing for the last 90 minutes to an hour of daylight. If you are within a km or two of tidal water about an hour after high water is pretty good(nice fresh fish), that's usually late afternoon/evening in October, but that's not an option on the Vedder. They bite roe because eggs are a powerful stimulus, both sexual and residual from their time in the river as juveniles. If your roe is milking or smoking a bit even better. That's why the first couple of casts with a fresh gob of roe is the ticket. I always use hardware, if I can't catch them that way I don't want to catch them. Spin 'n glows, beads or spinners on a float, no jigs....ever. At times they can be super gamey and bite a lot of different things at other times they just aren't biting anything. Timing is everything. Great vid Petr.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks for your tips. On the Vedder the pressure is high, so by the end of the day, the fish tend to be tired of gear floating by. The morning bite tends to be better than the evening.

[@Spencer_Plant_Projects]

Dick nites are an exceptional method that we use on finicky coho as the first part of the coho run in Washington state is considered lock jawed. Very tiny spoons that can be drift fished, cast and retrieved the green splatter and 50/50 are legendary.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

@@Spencer_Plant_Projects That's a good trick. Here Colorado blades are more popular and the dicknites are used mostly for late spring steelhead, when there are salmon fry around.

[@Spencer_Plant_Projects]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 the tiniest pattern "wee" is very good in low clear conditions but sometimes nothing will do the trick. interesting to hear the differences between BC and Washington use of dicknites... I've never actually considered using them for steelhead. in my experience dick nites tend to also attract any small fish around so I pack them up along with the beads if I'm fishing around smolt

[@allancrow134]

Nothing like a little colour in the water to help things along. I tend to wait untli we get a bit of rain. On the Island mid-October to mid-November is Coho time. I often fish blades under a float and sweep the tails, that's my go to. When the water conditions are right it doesn't seem to matter what you're chucking. Cheers Bro. @@Spencer_Plant_Projects

[@iancollings5047]

I wonder if Coho also bite out of territorial aggression? This is definitely something I have seen with Chum. On a couple of systems I fish, the male chum enter the rivers about now (end of September), but they are very tight lipped, even though fresh into the system and have not yet been harassed by hordes of anglers. However, as the numbers grow and competition of spawning beds increases, they seem to hit a critical density and start to bite and snap at each other and become very aggressive, at which point they "switch on" and start to slam short floated jigs. Thanks for your efforts to try and educate other anglers who may feel that overly long leaders (anything >24 inches), pulling back on the float to swing and floss their presentations or to rip their presentations in the water, are the way to go. Unfortunately there appears to have been an explosion of these techniques on the river over the past couple of years, which may have coincided with the large numbers of new anglers entering the sport and being frustrated with seeing large numbers of fish that do not bite. 🙌 I believe we all have a responsibility to try and follow your lead and educate new anglers or those that may have strayed from the path, but it can a tricky to introduce these ideas to an unperceptive audience.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Yes, many anglers are reluctant to share their knowledge and at the same time complain about flossing and snagging. It's good to be generous with the advice. I have never witnessed aggression among Coho until they actually start spawning. Coho have very low body fat and like to conserve their energy as much as possible.

[@phillipball-reed8071]

Great video to help explain the coho habits! Thanks

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad it was helpful!

[@victorchen5663]

Thanks for this video! I live in Ketchikan, Alaska. We luckily also have a nice Coho run every year in September. When I first started, I flossed and got 2 Coho the entire season. Then I tried fishing with spinners and got 39 fish last year. I only stopped fishing because my freezer was full. Coho absolutely bite! In fact I would say they bite the best out of all the salmon in freshwater. I'm going to try bead fishing this year.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thank you for sharing your story and thanks for watching. I still think it's nuts that people all over the world watch these things.

[@alexanderlawson1649]

I just spent around 40 hours last week, fishing for Atlantic Salmon in a river in the south west of Scotland. I caught zero. You guys in the Pacific NW, just don't know how lucky you are.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

oh believe me, we know. Sure there are some people take it for granted, but most of us don't, which is why it bothers us so much when we see abuse of the fishery like deliberate snagging.

[@justin-tu9yb]

Great video man thank you for the advice and knowledge.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thank you for the nice comment.

[@owend8956]

Rookie on the Vedder, and I feel like I am learning... the right way. Thank you!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad to hear it!

[@yoloboie9479]

Hey Petr if at first light your spot is packed with snaggers who spooked the coho and go tight lipped, do you keep trying to fish for them ethically knowing there’s only a 1% chance to get them without flossing, Or is jt just better to leave and find a new spot?

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

This very rarely happens, I don't go to any of the flossing spots, no matter how many fish stack up there. But to answer your question: yes it pays to move unless it's mid October and you'll be getting waves of new fish all day.

[@MegaFisherman16]

I'm curuios as I fish the American River in California. Your setup you are using to catch coho. My I get brands you are using. Thank You.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

The setup I was using in this video is actually for catching big chinooks. They are 15 to 30 pounds in this river. It's a Schimano Convergence 10'6" medium heavy mooching rod and an islander reel. For coho I use a Luhr Jensen Legacy Float/Drift rod and I'm very happy with it, a much finer tool for coho.

[@MegaFisherman16]

@petrhermanadventures9509 It looks like a Salmon fly rod. Is it easy to use? Definitely like get rhe water.

[@stevo19911991]

Excellent video. I’d like to see Rod do more of this also. Was fishing with guys using 7’ leaders on Monday.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Rodney used to do a lot more educational stuff, it's all there in the archives of his channel. He probably feels like he's done all that already, but I agree it would be nice to see him talk more about fish handling and angling ethics. I don't shy away from the difficult topics.

[@TheFishingDoctorsAdventures]

Great video! I love that egg crushing behavior!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Yup, they like to do that. I only spent a few hours float fishing this season. We had such a great spot for twitching, that's pretty much all I did.

[@TheFishingDoctorsAdventures]

@petrhermanadventures9509 i agree, my float fishing was a fraction of what it usually is. Have to take advantage of the water you're given. I did catch lots of chum float fishing. So many around.

[@simpletechreviews895]

Best explanation I ever got!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad it helped!

[@eeeffert6042]

petr, you prefer the gold reel or the blue one i've seen you use? (floatreel)

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

The gold reel is an Islander, the blue is a Luhr Jensen Legacy. The Islander is better quality, gut I prefer the feel and handle location of the Legacy. I broke one of the handles on the legacy, which is why I've been using the Islander lately.

[@eeeffert6042]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 Ah ok, I like the way the blue one looked. Hopefully the handles are easily replaced. Thanks Petr.

[@alvindouglas-perez48]

Wow…. I’m learning a lot. Thanks Peter.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad to hear it!

[@We_went_camping_again]

Very good video! More power to your channel.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thank you very much

[@desocratic]

Excellent video. Well explained.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnswart6120]

I like fishing the fast water for salmon actually. I find if I drift my leader somewhat horizontal with a bit of tension I can actually feel the fish bite without my bobber even dropping. Usually if a school comes by I’ll get at least one

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

I have caught coho in that spot, but that's at the peak of the run when there are lots moving through.

[@allancrow134]

I like sweeping the tailouts with hardware, they have way less reaction time and I think that makes them a bit more snappy. :)

[@stevemcneil7326]

lol... thats called flossing. Fish are not biting...Exactly what this video is trying to stop....

[@jasonmcgonigal8044]

Yeah you’re drift fishing!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

By hardware Allan means spoons and spinners, not flossing.

[@littlegoobie]

they do stop after they've been out of salt for a few days. I fish areas where coho will circle and when new fish stop coming in, you can still see them when the water is clear and you'll see big schools of them swim past your lures and bait ALL DAY LONG. They 100% stop chasing anything you might present. They are chasing lures, flies, roe and herring when they just left salt water though but not for long. They all chase baits early on (pink, kings, reds, etc) but they will stop, and most definitely the reds stop chasing almost immediately after entering fresh water.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Your coho must be different from our coho, because I often catch fire truck coho that have been in the river for weeks. Coho often don't bite even when many are present, but it's about right time of day and showing them the right thing, But you're right that the brand new ones are more aggressive.

[@johngoodwin6640]

100% wrong lol I spent the day fly fishing coho today watching them chase down and smash small flash flies 100kms from the ocean

[@thomasszeman9663]

What I just don’t understand is how I can catch coho amongst all the Pink salmon in the river.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Pinks don't usually bite roe, whereas coho love it. But you're right, right now the coho are mixed in with the schools of pinks and it can be a challenge. As their numbers increase, the coho will form schools of their own.

[@fishstopbc8662]

Very informational. Keep up the vids.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks, will do!

[@jasondeslatte7611]

nice rod,what are you running

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

That's actually my backup setup. It's a Schimano convergence mooching rod and an Islander reel. It's nice for big chinooks, but most of the time I run a lighter setup: Luhr Jensen Legacy rod and reel.

[@jasondeslatte7611]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 ya i couldnt see the brand name of the rod so wasnt sure,has a michigan type handle on it which is nice,whats the line rating,medium 10-20?

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

@@jasondeslatte7611 It's medium heavy 15 to 25. That's why it's too heavy for most of my use. I bought it before I really knew much about rods, but right now there are many huge springs in the river, so it comes in handy.

[@benmoerman1317]

Great video Petr, thanks!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Ifish24-7]

I like casting jigs. Once someone learns to tie them themselves, they cost around $3 each to make.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Yes, I tie my own and it's kind of neat to catch a fish on something I created. Also I get an unlimited supply from the river, all I have to do is get wet :)

[@jordanwinch]

I like your trick with just moving the soft bead up when fishing roe, I guess having the bead further up the leader doesn't deter the bites on the roe? Thanks for the videos, 1 year in so these are super helpful.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Doesn't keep them from biting the roe, but once in a while one will come up and bite the bead. You can feel the bear slide down the leader till they hit the hook at the end.

[@sphatnani5213]

What about wool for coho?

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Wool works, but it should be tied in a salmon egg pattern on a #2 hook. A nice round fluffy presentation that looks just like a soft bead. it's a very cheap presentation and works well sometimes. Many people use a tuft of wool on a big hook in order to floss and claim they are getting bites.

[@jblazes83]

would have been nice to have this info in the 90's . All the shops would promote flossing and any other tactic in order to sell tackle. the more you loose the more they sell. The more you catch the more they sell. Thanks for passing on some good info about how it should be done. Cheers.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

The guys at our local shops do try to encourage good fishing practices. I don't think flossing is necessarily morally wrong, but it creates a whole bunch of issues with the sustainability of the fishery.

[@jblazes83]

the is correct most shops will support ethical ways to catch. it was just a reference I was making that in the 90's the vedder was a different beast. @@petrhermanadventures9509

[@ohavrda]

GOOD ONE! Thank you Peter

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Caleb.M_Fishing]

Very helpful video! Thanks!

[@snagrbuster7343]

I forgot to mention that, I never waste Salmon eggs on Coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Spinners have never failed. Now Kings are a different story. Especially if you're Back bouncing or Bobber fishing. But even Chinook are most fun caught on a Woolybugger fly (formerly called "Woolyworms"). Moreover I catch them best literally a couple months before they're on a Redd on Flies, Spinners or Steelee Spoons.

[@JohnJames.]

Ive be fly fishing for salmon the last 10 yrs, try not to floss. This is my first year trying float. Went out , random float, 3 split shot, pink jig, short floated got coho. Got 3 salmon species in one trip

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Sounds like a great day on the river.

[@JohnJames.]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 was worth ditching work, brought 3 set ups , all of them caught.

[@chaelechaele1529]

Very good infor!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Alphonse0014]

Thanks!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Welcome!

[@mrvaj2021]

I've notice that cohos definitely bite it and swallow it, have caught many hos with lots of skein the the stomach

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

I don't open them up often, but when I have, the stomachs are empty. The exception is jacks, they have their bellies full of roe sometimes. Maybe there are differences on different rivers or time of year.

[@MordDorr]

Morning!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Afternoon :)

[@snagrbuster7343]

So Spinners, Spoons, Streamer Flies and huge diving plugs all look like Salmon eggs?!! When you drag a piece of paper or anything tied to the end of a string in front of a Cat, the piece of paper neither resembles any food item nor does it look like anything to do with mating, it's just a reaction to a moving object, nothing.more.!!! But what do I know??!! I'm just a retired Fish Pathologist and an Outdoor writer, who has very successfully fished for anadromous Salmon and Steelhead since 1973. Please excuse any errors, as I'm typing this on a very Cheap Phone without my glasses and in excruciating Chronic Pain.

[@smmj45]

Salmon hitting roe is mostly by smell that when it works so well and I let them eat it , 2 seconds then set if not you can pull it out of their mouth. I can drop all keep of beads in a pocket and

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Yes, that's why I like fishing roe, don't need lightning quick reflexes.

[@kevinquigley4337]

Dude….they don’t bite. Real fisherman know that. You guys go through endless effort to snag them in the head somewhere so you can say “look look I got him to bite” They swam thousands of miles to spawn and die…they are dying as you snag them…almost all salmon fisheries are in great danger…. So why? In the PNW it’s called “salmon ganking” and a local will break your rod for doing it.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

The funny part is how you're so sure about all your statements. Maybe one day someone will take you salmon fishing and you'll see that you have no clue.

[@MikeJones-gj5fm]

I gotta say I disagree with basically everything you said on this video. Im not sure where you get all these ideas. Coho will eat bait all day long in the saltwater. Salmon in general like the smell of roe they dont just eat out of spite, wanting to crush their enemies babies. They arent that smart. Ever seen underwater cameras?? You are overthinking all of this.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

It's fishing, everybody disagrees about everything. I believe I'm correct, so do you, in the end we all enjoy the same activity. Thank you for your comment.

[@jasonmcgonigal8044]

Come on now you make a video on coho bite then tell everyone how you prefer to catch them and lump legit drift fishermen versus snaggers or flossers it’s rediculous you gonna tell me drifting beads, jigs, shrimp and eggs under a float will get bites but the same shit drifted without a float won’t???? Dude a nice enough guy let’s put up a day and I’ll use what I use you do you !!!watch and learn something before popping off without better transparency.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

I don't understand exactly what you are upset about. I've never claimed to be some ace fisherman. I don't post videos of me catching fish because it tends to blow up spots, but I do ok. Sounds like you want to teach me some stuff and I'm always open to that. Did you actually watch my other video about what's wrong with flossing?

[@calumizatt1909]

Lol proof read your trash b4 popping off.

[@jasonmcgonigal8044]

I watch dudes snag the living shit outa fish with twitching jigs, also swinging with a bobber…. You be snagging whatever you use!!give better information please.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Jason, I am presenting the best information I have, but nobody knows everything, especially not me. Please explain this better information you have.

[@fletch69gmc]

They are hungry maybe?