Dialing in the Coho

[Jim Hudson]

Fish that never stop swimming. A lake the size of Lake Superior (literally). And we want to catch a lot of these swimming bullets. How do we go about it?

Its true, these slippery devils are constantly waving their fins, only stopping to investigate anything that looks like chow. They swim, eat, swim some more and then eat a whole lot more. Its the story of their life. Living only 4 years until they spawn and die, they must think they need to swim and eat as much as a Trout that lives 50. But, that eating addiction is the key ingredient in targeting them and dialing them in, even when fishing the biggest body of water in the world.

Just like any fish we target, their stomach dictates where they roam and live, 90 percent of their lives. So, with the high protein diet salmon are looking for, day after day, we find those high concentration points that bait will be roaming around. For Coho, the prey of choice is usually Smelt and Lake Shiners, both of which like to roam over silt or muddier bottoms. To narrow our search for the predator, we look for these types of areas that connects to a point and or certain areas that have current moving through the area. Almost just like the sticky bottom area we hear so often when we look for basin fish. Kind of the same thinking, just on a macro sense.

For points, some days the fish are pushed right tight up to the point, the next they are pushed out from it, roaming over the basin. Splitting up and having someone fishing the point and another out, deeper, is the best way to figure that area out. Current will be prevelant here too, and seiche current (moving back and forth throughout the day), is key, bringing fish back and forth on the point all day long. If the current is more wind driven, flowing in one direction all day, the fish seem to push off the point, roaming the basin area more.

Current areas; like neck downs, out from river mouths, or where you have points or turns sticking out of a flat that will then have current running over them are spots we look. Neck downs usually always have current, and as long as they have depth and bottom types to hold the bait, will almost always have fish. Problem here is ice can be tricky from constant current and usually unfishable a lot of the time. Out from river mouths are also always good, the fish are targeted to these areas as they came from their, and have imprinted. If the bait is there, they will stick around. Again, in the winter, we look to that softer bottom area. Connect this with a point or turn that is in the general area, even better. Same goes with any spot. That current will hold fish in specific areas and the fish will follow. But, this is always day to day, due to current flow. So, one day can be a gas the next day a bust.

On a typical day, depending on ice conditions, we have two or three areas in mind to find the fish. And just like any other fish we target, we roll through our milk run, looking and hopefully finding the fish on one of these given areas. And once we find them, its a hoot. The fish come in waves, where, you can catch 5 or more in literally 5 drops. Drawing them from the bottom in 60 feet or more all the way to the top of the ice. Or, you look down your hole and see a huge school swimming right beneath the ice. Reel up and its like a swarm of angry bees. Then add in a few more species like Whitefish, Herring or Trout species, and the day even gets better!

But, the moral of the story. Follow the food and you will find your fish!

[aaron otto]

Great Post! Looks like the guys had a blast.

[Jarrid Houston]

Good stuff Jim!

[Craig Oyler]

Looks like fun Jim. Might have to come a day early to go after those also.

[Lunker Luke]

Nice fish boy's.

[Jon Chapman]

Way to Jim .. someday I'll get up there !