By Robbie
Upriver Coho Salmon fishing has been decent! Stripping flies for Coho is one of my favorite fisheries in Oregon. It can be Type II fishing when a whole bunch them are splashing around you and no one is biting. But when its good…its good! I have not had any amazing days this season but I have not been skunked either. For salmon fishing on the fly that is pretty good! We have a week and half to a month or so, depending on the fishery, left of Coho Salmon fishing on the Oregon Coast. I would expect fishing to improve after this week’s big rains. If you see fish rolling that is a fine spot to fish. I target the frog water, pools and tailouts casting and retrieving flies. I will experiment with different strips throughout the day. Usually you will have the frog water and pools to yourself. Salmon are moody. The ones around you may not initially be in a biting mood. They could turn on at any moment. I tend to stick it out 30 minutes to an hour in a spot that has been productive in the past. When things are grim and morale gets low: remember salmon hit flies in Oregon, not just Alaska.
When fishing for Coho salmon I use single hand rods with Intermediate or Sinking Lines. While you could get away with using a 8wt, I would recommend a 9wt or 10wt if fishing around wood (everywhere) or in heavy current. The Boost Blue is a quality option that I fish in a 9wt. I also use a pair of old Cam Siglers in 10wts that I bought from Chris, on consignment, years ago when I was a customer. You should fight Coho like you do bass. Do not let them run too much or they will go for wood. When they roll… do not pull. When they stop spinning… reef on em’. The SA Full Intermediate Line gets put to work early season or on our Coastal Lakes. The line I use the most is the SA Sonar Titan I/3/5 . It works for deep pools, mid depth frog water and tailouts. This line gets your fly in the zone and the intermediate running line helps it stay there. Outbound Shorts in various sinking configurations are another option from RIO. I fish Clouser Minnows and bunny leech flies that I tie in various colors. Chartreuse-White, Chartreuse-Pink and Red-Black are the colors I fish the most. Plain pink, purple or blue all work too. It really helps to tie your own flies so you can have various colors, weights and quality hooks. Boss or Comet style flies can excel in low water.
On the steelhead front I have put in a few half hearted half days and been rewarded with what I put in. Not much! Steelhead fishing locally should be productive for another week or two. We have heard a few positive reports from the Willamette and McKenzie. This can be a great time to head out to the John Day, Deschutes or other Eastern Columbia Tributaries.
