Columbia River Sturgeon fishing, Cowlitz River, Washington fishing guide

THE COHO SALMON

The first stage of a Coho's life starts about 10 cm below the gravel of the smallest tributaries of freshwater streams.

• Thousands of eggs per female are incubated over the winter season.
• Incubation rates are highly dependant on water temperatures (warmer = faster). An average rate of incubation is 120 days in many areas of British Columbia.
• Coho are born with a large yolk sac attached to their belly which is usually depleted by the time the alevin emerge from the gravel, about 3 weeks after hatching.

The salmon soon comes out of the gravel
and is then called a Fry.

Fry:

• Come spring time, the fry are free swimming above the gravel.
• New fry measure about 30mm.
• They quickly seek shelter under banks and boulders in areas of low water velocity.
• Being very territorial, once a Coho salmon establishes its territory (i.e. a boulder or log) it will usually remain there, only venturing a meter or so out to catch food.
• After about six months in fresh water, fry will develop Parr markings, and are commonly called parr.
• At one year of age (a yearling), the parr will measure about 110mm.
• High winter water flows will often force the young salmon into smaller tributaries and off channel habitat with slower waters to avoid being swept too far downstream. Feeding and growth are minimal during the cold season.
• Come spring, most Coho move back into the main stream.

Once the fry is old enough,
it swims downstream towards the ocean.

It then smolts and enters the saltwater of the ocean.

Smolts:

• Smolts usually start migrating to sea during the spring of their second year in the stream, and may continue until fall. They are usually no longer than 10-12cm. Migration usually occurs during the night hours.
• When smolting, young salmon will lose their parr markings and develop a more silver color.
• An extra year may be spent in fresh water if condition are not favorable to healthy, fast growth.
• Growth is very fast once saltwater is reached. However, added pressures from predators decrease survival rates.

Ocean life can be very difficult for growing salmon.
They travel long distances and encounter many dangers.

In the Ocean:

• Schools of young Coho salmon remain close to shore for several months.
• Generally smolts tend to migrate northwards along the coast and will reach coastal Alaska by late summer.
• The southerly return migration occurs after about 12 months at sea.
• Many Coho will swim a counter-clockwise circuit around the Gulf of Alaska.
• The route of migration is highly dependent on where the salmon find good feeding grounds.
• Coho prefer ocean temperatures greater than 6 degrees Celsius.
• Coho can achieve speeds as fast as 50 kilometers per day on long voyages.
• Coho are successful opportunistic feeders.

After a year in the ocean, the Coho salmon returns to its home stream.
Here it will swim to the area where it was born, and spawn.
It will soon die.

Spawning Salmon:

• Coho salmon begin maturing into adults during the summer, after one winter at sea.
• Salmon have a seemingly inherent ability to return to their original creeks, and even to the same patches of gravel (redds) that they hatched in.
• It is unknown exactly how salmon navigate back to their birth creek from hundreds or thousands of kilometers away, however, olfactory senses - their sense of smell - does guide them as they approach familiar waters.
• A series of imprints on the young salmon occur when they are initially migrating to the ocean. These imprints help guide them back to their native stream sections when they return to spawn.
• Upon their return in the beginning of the winter season, Coho salmon may have to wait in the estuary to re-acclimatize to the fresh water conditions, and possibly to await access into their streams. For example, heavy rains and tidal movement may be needed to raise water levels so that the fish can swim across beaches into their creeks. Usually, water depths must be at least 18 cm and water velocities no more than 2.5 m/s (metres per second).
• Coho will spend most of their time in the deep pools while migrating. This allows them to avoid the predatory dangers of the shallow, quick moving riffles.
• Their average size upon return is 4.0 kg, and a length of about 50 cm. Males are usually larger than females.
• By turning on her side and flapping her tail up and down, the female uses the water to push gravel around, and clears a depression in the gravel called a redd.
• Once the redd is deep enough, the female prepares to lay her eggs. The dominant male, who until now defended her, gets very close to her and releases sperm into the gravel nest. Other males may also deposit sperm into the nest.
• Once the act is finished, the female will immediately cover up the fertilized eggs to minimize predation. As the same time, she is creating a new depression for the next nest. Usually, 3 to 5 nests will be spawned in, and 800 to 1000 eggs will be laid, per female.
• The spawned-out salmon will live only for another 3-15 days. During this time they will defend their nests until they no longer have enough energy.
• Frayed fins, fungus, and infections are common deteriorations which occur before the salmon dies and floats downstream.

 Fishing techniques

 There are several different presentations that will work for Coho Salmon. On the outgoing tide anchor up and run Kwickfish off downriggers or jet divers. If the terrain isn’t too rocky, you can use weights off of a dropper. The length of the dropper will vary depending on several different factors. You need to study the terrain using your depth finder and try to find the best traveling lanes for the Coho.  Many variables come into play when trying to pick the perfect spot to anchor. Current flows vary depending on dam flows, outgoing tides, rain, tributaries and other factors. The fish will change lanes depending on all of these. A traveling lane that is smoking hot one day will earn you a skunk on another day. Just like traveling a freeway. If it’s the middle of the day and you know there will be light traffic, you will have no problem jumping on the freeway to get to your destination. If its rush hour and you know that traffic will be a snarled mess you will probably find an alternate route to your destination. Salmon will do the same thing. Use your depth finder to locate the fish lane and then anchor right in the middle of it. If you don’t get hit in an hour pull up anchor and move.

  Since we are talking about anchoring lets cover that subject in a little more detail. Anchoring is an art. Not only do you need to end up in the correct position, you need to do it without killing yourself. Fish will tend to rest behind structure, so when you find the up current side of a hole you will need to motor above this and drop the anchor. When you do this pay particular attention to the location of the rope. It should not be near anything that it can get snagged on including your feet. Once the rope starts feeding out do not lift your feet. I have witnessed several near accidents because of this one small thing. If the rope is peeling out in heavy current and nobody is at the controls to slow your descent it becomes a very dangerous thing. If you don’t believe it, throw out the anchor in heavy current. Let out a hundred feet of line and then try to stop the boat immediately. Now that you have found out that that is an impossible feat imagine your ankle wrapped with rope when it the rope pulls tight. Always try to have an experienced man at the controls when letting out the anchor. Even the guides should follow this suggestion. As you get near the end of the rope the man at the controls puts the boat in gear and slows the descent. Do not double anchor a boat in anything but slow current. If you do double anchor (in slow current) always have a knife within reach of the rope. In my younger years, I was in a swirling heavy current. After tiring of the boat swinging back and forth, tightening the line and then putting slack in the line, I received a revelation. I’m sure god said  “hey Tim why don’t you put an anchor off the back to stop all that swinging. Well when the front anchor broke loose and the boat swung around with the stern upriver I realized that I might not have got the brainstorm from such a wise source. As soon as the stern faced upriver the water pressure against the stern started to push the boat under. I was lucky enough to have a sharp knife within arms reach and cut the rope after only about twenty gallons of water found its way into the boat. I repeat, double anchor only in minimal (that’s really small) current!!!!! A sea anchor is a much better and safer solution.

  When pulling the anchor with an anchor pulling system, make sure you swing out to the side first and then keep a very careful watch on the rope so that it does not go under the boat. I learned this valuable lesson when I was watching a deer instead of the rope (also in my younger anchoring days) when the motor chugged to a stop. I quickly realized what I had done, so I tried to raise the motor. Well when the prop wraps around the rope coming from the bow eye it has a nasty way of turning and cinching that rope supper tight. God likes an idiot, so he was kind enough to supply me with another sharp knife. I grabbed the knife and dove for the back of the boat. Just as I felt the boat swinging around from the anchor rehooking to the bottom I cut the line. So when I say be careful when anchoring, I mean BE CAREFUL…

Back to salmon fishing. When using Kwickfish a sardine wrap is recommended in most cases. After you wrap the Kwickfish by cutting a small slit in the sardine and then putting the front hook inside this slit, wrap it with elastic thread, in front and behind the hook. When it is wrapped tight with no loose chunks hanging out, use two half hitches to cinch it up. Pull it through the water and make sure it wobbles in a straight line. If it goes to one side or the other turn the eye slightly. Continue doing this until it tracks true.

  Back trolling is another viable method for Coho salmon fishing. Head the boat upriver and give it just enough gas to slowly back down the river. Work your way in and out from shore until you find the traveling lane. Use any of the standard setups when you back troll (cutplug, Kwickfish, spinners, spoons, etc.)

  Be patient when fishing for Coho or kings. Keep trying different techniques in different situations until you come up with a few that work consistently. I highly recommend going with a guide to learn what works in the area you are going to fish. Fishing guides spend a lot of time on the water. They know what works most of the time and can save you a lot of time and money in narrowing down the immense amount of  lures and techniques to a few that will help you catch more fish.

  In picking a guide, I would find one with a comfortable thirty foot boat, that’s covered and heated for those less than perfect days. Hey, I got a boat like that. Give me a call and lets go have some fun on the water. 

 If you have any other questions give us a call or drop us a line. See you on the river.