2024 Siltcoos/Tahk Coho thread

Heavy rain continues here, Tahk level getting close to the top of the fish ladder structure....lots of water flowing through the ladder, dam still closed up tight.  The highest I have ever seen it is right to the top of that structure, maybe 1' higher before is starts flowing over the side onto the top of the fish ladder.  with the inflow and rain, that 1' up could take like a day.

Update:  Monday 9am, dam still closed, water getting close to flowing over the fish ladder and over the dam.

Drove by Tahk dam a couple hours ago. Level above and below the the same, one gate open, no sign of fish in the area...

Anyone hit the lakes today?

No but I'm planning to Sunday and Monday.

the narrow spillway at Tahk dam is still open, lake down a bit but remote launch still easy to use.  dark clear water, 48F, light rain, but not much coho activity.  I was out 9am to 1:30pm, picked up another nice 19" jack short trolling the narrow channel above the launch point, another kayaker released 2 red bucks, he said one was over 30", but I didn't hook any adults or see any jump/roll. 

I did score the mushrooms I was hoping to find and wow does it smell 'good' in here.  lol

Pepper and I are going to give Siltcoos another try tomorrow, there appear to have been at least a few big bright coho caught there on Sunday!  cheers, roger

Way to score Roger! Lovely matzies.

Some of my ODFW colleagues told me the new dam operator called them earlier this week to ask about best times to open/close the dams for the coho. Hopefully he'll start to manage the dams similar to the previous owner here soon. The lakes should get a solid coho return this year just like everywhere else up and down the coast.

Way to score Roger! Lovely matzies.

Some of my ODFW colleagues told me the new dam operator called them earlier this week to ask about best times to open/close the dams for the coho. Hopefully he'll start to manage the dams similar to the previous owner here soon. The lakes should get a solid coho return this year just like everywhere else up and down the coast.

Agreed, I'm also expecting the spawning counts to be good for both lakes.  But that doesn't always mean the fishing for these lake coho goes as good as hoped for.  My working theory on Siltcoos this year is that with the dam opened early, the fish have been passing through the lake steadily (but not in big bursts) and with poor visibility (algae) in the water, catching them was a bit of luck or just trolling around day after day...As for Tahkenitch, it's just such a beautiful place to fish from a kayak but intercepting coho most years requires some sort of pagan ritual and Ouiji board.

Somehow managed to survive the shock of catching a Siltcoos coho today.  Got a jack in the morning and then around noon a 30” buck.  Big hook nose and blush of pink but meat is good.  Caught in front of Nightingales with only a couple boats in sight.

Nothing for Pepper and I today, after crossing the lake and fishing above Nightingales, decided to chase radio reports (from PB I am familiar with) of fresh coho being caught at/behind Booth island.  Reports were correct, 2 rolled right in front of me while trolling the 'gap', then I worked that whole west shoreline (that has been money for me so many times) but nothing today except tired legs.

Looks like lots of fresh bright coho being caught at Siltcoos on Friday, late surge of fish seems to be continuing. If I wasn't in Corvallis, I would be fishing this weekend for sure.

Fished the Maple arm today.  According to a group of people that were camped at Nightengales for the past week the last fish caught there was caught by me six days ago.  Saw no sign of fish today and saw no hookups. 

Hit both lakes today. Chilly in the morning, but warmed up nicely, was cereal beautiful day. Saw a couple fish roll at both lakes, but no biters.

Pepper and I gave Siltcoos one more go on Dec2, fished hard for 6 hours, counterclockwise loop- south along Booth Island, south end and bay, skipped Fiddle Creek arm based on SD2OR reporting no fun up there, fished across the east shore, both trestles and into Maple Arm, really worked that shallow area at the very top and all the other spots up there that I've found coho before, then back to give that west shoreline a troll and then close in spin/cast all the way back to the outlet...

I wanted to finish with a big adult coho but just nothing happening out there yesterday, so 4 chrome jacks at the lakes was it this year, all on the same gold/orange spinner (that I caught 3 adults and 2 jacks on last year).  Pepper was with me for 3 of the jacks but as it turned out, our last big salmon ended up being the 'netting dance' beauty we got in late September on the Siuslaw.

At 13yo, she is healthy but her balance and ability to move and lay comfortably on the almost flat rear deck of the Outback has faded.  For 12 years her instinct/priority was staying on the kayak and staying down while I fought/netted fish, back of a PA12, then the front of my Oasis and finally the Outback, which we loaded with fish and crab many times.  But I had to make the call, yesterday needed to be her last big outing on the back of a kayak. 

This is us coming into the Siltcoos launch yesterday, no shiny coho but not for a lack of trying.  cheers, roger 

Update from Pepper:  "Just for the record, since 2013, someone's 'back' has cancelled 2 outings (well, for the record, one fully cancelled and one he just skipped taking the crab pots on the ocean, so...whatever...), but how many outings were cancelled or shortened due to my four legged greatness:  ZERO.  Pepper 4-ever!"  lol
 

Sad news about Peppers last ride.  I always enjoyed the photos of you with fish and Pepper smiling in the back. 

Thanks for sharing Roger.  I have always thought of Rogernpepper as one unit but that is a lot of good years! 

My last trip on the lakes for the year was the day after Thanksgiving.  I usually catch a minimum of one adult coho a year between the two lakes. All I have to show for 6 solid outings in 2024 is a single SRC caught on Tahk in late November.  This is the most I have fished the lakes in a single year and my least productive since 2020.

One of the reasons I fish is that it provides endless opportunities for hope. I will be ready next year!