Siltcoos/Tahk Coho Thread

How did you do SD2OR? Looking for pics.

Thought I would pass along a great way to use really fresh salmon. This is a quick cure that makes for awesome salmon to put on a bagel in the morning. I had not done this for a while but did up a big chunk of one of the fish from Siltcoos. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/237473/quick-cured-salmon/

Definitely a great use.

That recipe reminded me of Lox salmon, which I love! However I would be hesitant to use fresh salmon as the curing method alone will not kill parasites (anisakiasis, etc). If it were me I would use deep frozen salmon or salmon frozen for a long period in the freezer.

I've been eating a lot of PS salmon lox this fall -- all of it's been handled per FDA guidelines for raw fish after I found these wriggling out of some chinook tummy this summer. After I found these ones, I started looking closer... most of my fishies had 'em.

Anyone hazard an ID?

I am no parasite expert but looks like nematodes, of which anisakis are some of the most prevalent in marine Pacific salmon. See below:
https://www.washington.edu/news/2020/03/19/sushi-parasites-have-increased-283-fold-in-past-40-years/

Twas a successful first day at Tahkenitch!

I was first on the water, started casting a plug while waiting for everyone else. On my fourth or fifth cast, got a 16" jack. Figured it'd be a short day....

No other action for me for hours. Saw Roger bust off a nice big one. Then after much casting n trolling, I finally picked up a 27" hen, a lil dark, but meat is still good.

I know Reed got a bright fish around the same size or bigger.

Weather was perfect, company was great. Thanks again to ROger n Pepper for introducing me to these beautiful new fisheries!

The rest of the story ...
It has become painfully obvious to me that all fishers are not equal.  Some of the posters on this thread have abilities that amaze me. I think the task at hand is actually not as simple as it may seem.

I posted on this thread several times including just after my first experience on Siltcoos Lake 8 Nov.  That day was epic.  Roger had been reporting status of the lake and several of us were anxiously waiting for the breach of the sand bar.  My first day out on Siltcoos I had three take-downs resulting in one twelve pounder on ice.  Epic.

That experience was so good that I dragged my 83yr old father in law down to Siltcoos for another epic experience (on a powerboat) on Wednesday 10 November.  I talked to Roger for a bit that morning.  He counseled me on expectations.  Apparently, i had overachieved two days before and I might need to expect less going forward.  Hmmm   There was also some discussion of Siltcoos being the undergrad program and Tahkenitch being the post grad program.  I was not swayed by this because my father in law taught me how to fish ... and he would have been the founder of such a university.  We got skunked.

So, that must have been a fluke.  I went to Siltcoos again on Saturday 13 November.  It was a beautiful day on the lake.  Unfortunately for me it turned out to be just boat ride.  I put in at West Lake and trolled south past the big island, dawdled and circled where it seemed appropriate.  I had one solid bite and nothing to fight, land, bonk, cool, cook and eat.  I'm not sure what went wrong.  I tried all the old familiar tactics and all that I've read on this forum.  Skunked.

Not to be outdone, today (16 Nov) I went again.  Surely, armed with some additional tactics and intel from RogerDodger, Clayman, Beer Run and SD20R, I'll be cutting filets before noon.  I put in at Ada shortly after 8am (a 2hr drive from Depoe Bay).  I spent a little time C&R just north of Ada ... based on a tip ... then proceeded to troll up the Fiddle Creek Arm ... south side in AM and north side later.  I tried really hard to spot the right areas to stop for some C&R ... plugs and spinners ... to no avail.  I penetrated the lily pads and followed the Fiddle Creek channel North for close to a half mile ... fishing my heart out.  It was a fantastic  day on the lake ... but only one trout came out to play with me. 

So, is this fishery only for the big boys?  I dunno, but later this week is offering a strong tide swing ... and sunny, calm weather.  Hmmmm.

Tom

Don't feel bad Tom. You're in good company. I think I'm at over a dozen trips in a row now without a single salmon to show for it. I seem to only be able to catch those on foot.

I'll hopefully be picking up a peddle kayak tomorrow (Weds), and plan to swing down to Florence for a long weekend. I'm planning on poking around at Tahk or Siltcoos, depending on reports.

Feel free to PM me if you want to try to meet up. Misery loves company.

Siltcoos and Tahk are such unique salmon fisheries, I like to think of these lakes as just a wide section of water that migrating fish need to move through to get to their spawning habitat. The coho usually don't hang out in the lake very long, they pass through, sometimes in a scattered trickle, other times, due to rain/tides/dams, they come in a big pod of fish that are very active and then they vanish like ghosts  Almost like winter steelhead can do in certain stretches of streams.

Tahk has given us a great example.  The outlet creek was blocked at the beach fairly late this year, then...

Nov.11- after rain (about 9 inches since Oct.1) brought up the lake level, a spillway on the dam was wide open and it rained hard all day.
Nov.13- sunny, a total coho festival up the Mallard arm, coho moving and very active, everyone hooking and landing fish.
Nov.14- Beer_Run got another coho and reported lots of boats netting fish.
Nov.15- rain and high wind.
Nov.16- sunny- this day developed as one where the main pod of fish had moved on and there were just a few scattered coho left and not very active, no rolling or jumping. I hooked a strong fish casting a spinner at 10am but just into the fight, my leader broke near the lure, I missed some damage from a previous coho on the lure and I paid the price. Trolled, cast, repeat, worked shore and open water, a few fish being caught, and at 3pm, smooth as glass, big fish took down my trolled spinner and I got to feel him but, ouch, my switch to single siwash hooks cost me this one.  7 hours of rotating through my best lures, techniques and locations and I had two chances but it wasn't like Nov.13, this was the tail end of a big pod of fish that moved into the lake on the 11th/12th. The trick now at Tahk is to hit the next big pod of coho...

It can be frustrating but also so rewarding and I think it is part of why these coho runs are so robust, there are times due to weather and weekdays when many fish move through the lakes and the fishermen hardly get any chance to target them.  Other times, lots of fish with move in and through but because we don't get rain, they hang around longer at the top of the spawning arms, just like might happen in a normal river system where fish stay in a stretch of river waiting for that next freshet of water down from the spawning stream.

Pepper and I are heading for Siltcoos today, not expecting a big pod of coho, maybe, but I'll focus on areas that I know sometimes have coho in them, watch other boats and keep my radio on, maybe get lucky without spending another 7 hours pedaling around looking for chrome...cheers, roger

PS- we have rain predicted Thur and Fri plus full moon high tides, then mostly sunny and light winds for the weekend.   wink wink, nudge nudge...

My tale of Siltcoos is much like Tom's with an extra helping of humiliation thrown in.
Never having been there I was miles past the boat launch before I realized it.
Turn around, get directions from park rangers.
Once I arrived and figured out parking things seemed to be under control, nope.
Where's that net? home in the garage, oh same with the damn paddle.
OK, boats in the water, lets go, WTF!  How did I fall out of my boat in 2 feet of water?
Climb back in, reacquire some sense of dignity and off I go.
Trolled a brads wiggler for a couple hours and slunk back to the launch and back home.
Not a bump.
Sunday I'm trying it again, Takenhitch time.

My tale of Siltcoos is much like Tom's with an extra helping of humiliation thrown in.
Never having been there I was miles past the boat launch before I realized it.
Turn around, get directions from park rangers.
Once I arrived and figured out parking things seemed to be under control, nope.
Where's that net? home in the garage, oh same with the damn paddle.
OK, boats in the water, lets go, WTF!  How did I fall out of my boat in 2 feet of water?
Climb back in, reacquire some sense of dignity and off I go.
Trolled a brads wiggler for a couple hours and slunk back to the launch and back home.
Not a bump.
Sunday I'm trying it again, Takenhitch time.

Enjoyed your share.  We have all been there......   Checklists man.  Checklists. 

well this makes up for yesterday. Mid-morning at Siltcoos, Pepper and I chilling our way down the backside of Booth Island, hiding from the crappy east wind, down to a spot that might just... and I see a big splash 50 yards away, no ducks in the area, second tail slap, I was quietly approaching an uncomfortable coho and 3rd cast, spinner stops dead and it isn't a log. I just love when that happens. Chrome 27" hen. Single 2-0 Trokar on my spinner, I'm hooked, no more trebles for me.
4 on the tag, all 4 with Pepper! One more for a our first 'team', lol, season limit.

These fish are so fun to chase, especially from small boats, so cool how many people are getting in on lake coho this year.





and I have posted videos on YouTube where I totally botch the netting (but sometimes get the fish anyway), not today, right in the net!

Nice job Roger.  You are my hero this month. 
I like that side of Booth. It’s good to know that some fish like it too.

Tom

Well done!
I managed an ~26”, super-chrome coho yesterday right at the railroad bridge at the Mallard Arm, but alas: nothing today.  I awoke to find my Hobie PA frosted over, but with the promise of clear skies, and a warm sun.  A stout wind kicked up right away, blowing straight down the Mallard Arm, and the watery sun never made much of a difference. 
I launched cold, and took out colder.  Towards evening, I ended up trolling the narrow channel above the culvert, and lost one midway, and had a couple of takedowns that didn’t stick.  About that time, I realized that all of my Mepps Flying C’s had barbless hooks!  I was really disappointed with my inattention to detali (sic)!   
Anyways, after two nights in the Xterra, parked along the muddy shoulder of a dirt road, I hit Florence for food, gas, and a pressure washer, and started the 3 1/2 hour drive to Portlandistan. 
Just finished breaking down gear, and getting batteries in the charger(s).
Will filet my chrome beauty in the a.m. 
cheers!

got to love that late Fall chrome...

here is the east wind at Siltcoos, about 10mph:

west shoreline heading north towards the launch:


but looking south down the west side of Booth Island:

Nice fish guys! Roger, that's cool you got that chromer on the west side of Booth. Previous years, I'd carpet-bomb the west shore of that island with casts because it's always looked like great coho holding water. It never produced coho for me, just trout and bass.

I only fish the lakes a few times a year, but over that time, I've had some great days and some really tough days. When the going gets tough, I'll target one of the tributary arms and carpet-bomb the shoreline with casts. Keep at it, and you'll eventually get a fish. Those days where the guys trolling open water are blanking, I'll target-cast spinners right alongside any shoreline cover I can find. Those spots where you'd think a largemouth bass would like to hang out will often produce a coho...or sometimes a nice largemouth  .

Is the tennis ball to keep Pepper focused towards the bow?