Ocean salmon yakin'?

Just kinda curious how many here venture out (on the ocean) in the pursuit of salmon (when/where legal)?  What techniques do you use?  Had any luck?  What species do you you target? 

My dad spends the summer in Nehalem and my mom lives in Oceanside. I am forecasting a lot of yak fishing for myself this summer and fall on the coast.  Thanks for any all advice/information. 

-SR

My buddy Ralph and i went out the Coos Bay entrance into the Ocean once last year to try and catch a Coho. We trolled a whole Herring, but mooching is a technique used there often.

Ralph got hit twice and got his herring bit in half, he didn't have a double hook setup or he probably would have landed one. I didn't get a bump..

Plan to try more this year

My buddy Ralph and i went out the Coos Bay entrance into the Ocean once last year to try and catch a Coho. We trolled a whole Herring, but mooching is a technique used there often.

Ralph got hit twice and got his herring bit in half, he didn't have a double hook setup or he probably would have landed one. I didn't get a bump..

Plan to try more this year

I'll go with ya

Cool Paul, I'm trying to remember when it was that we went out there. I think i posted about it but haven't found it in a search yet. I'm thinking june/july maybe...

I've done most of my ocean yak salmon fishing end of july through sept depending on location and open seasons.  This year looks like only coho which is fine with me as they are much easier to catch on a yak (shallower) than a nook.

The coho forecast is pretty good for this year, or so I've heard.  I'm still putting things together and am waiting on pulling the trigger on my new yak until after the paddlefest in Bend at the end of April.  So, is mooching you all's favorite technique for silvers?   

Most of the ocean salmon fishing I've done in CA has been for kings (all coho are protected down there).

I usually troll as I look for bait balls on my fish finder (a good indication that salmon might be around).  I I find a decent bait ball, I either troll back and forth through it or switch over to mooching.  Sometimes once I'm in mooching mode, I'll "trooch" (troll + mooch, also known as "motor mooching").  Basically I'll mooch and paddle around slowly at the same time trying to chase down a new bait ball if I'm in an area that has a lot of potential bait balls to work.

I think with the shallow nature of coho, trolling is going to be a lot easier than it was for kings and might be a better method in general up here. 

I can't wait to give it a few tries this year.

Brian

Trooch it baby! While cut plug herring is the standard in mooching I've actually found that when mooching for Coho a lure as good or even better. I've had the same hookup rate but get way less trash fish (in PS that means dogfish). A small spinning flasher with a Coho Killer behind it is a pretty deadly combo.

Z

Isn't ocean chinook closed again this year?

A small spinning flasher with a Coho Killer behind it is a pretty deadly combo.

Z

Z, could you show us a pic of that, por favor?

Isn't ocean chinook closed again this year?

I don't think the actual season and limits have been set yet, supposed to happen some time in April though. Coho season could be good this year:


Fishery council recommends huge ocean coho fishery
 
   
Date:
 April 10, 2009
 
Contact:
 Ron Boyce (971) 673-6081
Steve Williams (503) 947-6029
Eric Schindler (541) 867-0300 ext. 252
Jessica Sall (503) 947-6023
Fax   (503) 947-6009


 
SALEM, Ore -- Sport anglers can look forward to a banner year of ocean coho salmon fishing under final season recommendations made yesterday by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in San Francisco.

The PFMC recommendations include a 10 week season South of Cape Falcon, which includes most of the Oregon coast, with a catch quota of 110,000 adipose fin-clipped hatchery selective coho and a daily bag limit of three fish.   This will be the largest quota for the South of Cape Falcon sport fishery since selective coho seasons were first adopted in 1998.

North of Cape Falcon the season will be 13 weeks with a catch quota of 88,200 adipose fin-clipped coho and a daily bag limit of two.

“Anglers should start sharpening their hooks because this is the largest coho quota since 1992,” said Ron Boyce, Technical Resources Program manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A total of 1.3 million adult coho are expected to return to the Oregon Coast and Columbia River, up from the 2008 forecast of 276,000.

“The coho fishery has always been popular with sport anglers because they are an exciting and unpredictable fish when they are hooked.  On top of that, coho feed near the surface and are aggressive biters, and that makes them easier to find and catch for anglers. This year is shaping up to be a great year to go coho fishing,” Boyce said.

The large recreational fishery for ocean coho will be a bright spot for coastal communities facing a second straight year of no commercial fishery for ocean chinook salmon South of Cape Falcon. The Oregon commercial salmon fishery usually targets chinook salmon returning to the Sacramento River in California. The chinook forecast for the Sacramento is only slightly higher than last year, when poor returns lead to the largest fishery closure on record.

Details of the proposed 2009 Oregon ocean sport salmon seasons include:

Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR
Season: June 28 through Sept. 30, or until catch quotas are reached
Catch quotas: 88,200 adipose fin-clipped coho, 5,400 chinook
Daily bag limit: two salmon but no more than one chinook
Length limits: chinook – 24”, coho – 16”

Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain
Season #1: June 20 through Aug. 31 or until coho quota is reached
Catch quota: 110,000 adipose fin-clipped coho from Cape Falcon to CA/OR border
Daily bag limit: three salmon, except closed to retention of chinook
Length limits: coho – 16”

Season #2: Sept. 1 through Sept. 30 or until coho quota is reached
Catch quota: 7,000 adipose fin-clipped coho
Daily bag limits: two salmon, except closed to retention of chinook
Length limits: coho – 16”

Humbug Mountain to OR/CA Border
Season #1: June 20 through Aug. 31 or until catch quota is reached
Catch quota: 110,000 adipose fin-clipped coho from Cape Falcon to CA/OR border
Daily bag limit: two salmon; closed to retention of chinook
Length limits: coho – 16”

Season #2: Aug. 29 through Sept. 7
Daily bag limit: two salmon, closed to retention of coho (coho may be kept from Aug. 29-31 if season #1 remains open)
Length limits: chinook – 24”

The PFMC’s recommendations must be approved by NOAA – Fisheries and the Department of Commerce and will be considered for adoption by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission at its May meeting in Salem.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council proposes fishing seasons in ocean waters three to 200 miles off the Oregon, Washington and California coasts to the Department of Commerce, and is comprised of fishery managers and public representatives from Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho, native American tribes, and the federal government. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider fall chinook seasons for state waters (primarily rivers and estuaries) at its June meeting.

 

A small spinning flasher with a Coho Killer behind it is a pretty deadly combo.

Z

Z, could you show us a pic of that, por favor?

25# Power Pro braid mainline to a 2-4 oz. banana sinker. Spinning flasher attached to that then 6'-10' 30# leader on the other side and a ball bearing snap swivel. Then snap in the Coho Killer. There can be a lot of line twist so use the best swivels you can get.

Kone Zone spinning flasher


Gold Star Coho Killer

Zee... I have never tried the coho killer, they work well up your way?  I have best luck on hootchies (bait tipped or not) or coyote spoons. There are also some spoons the commies use that work really  well. I don't bother with plug cuts, they work great but are more effort than you need for ho ho's (most of the time). I use the smallest fish flash flasher they make (due to drag) and either a diver or a mooching sinker to get down.  Have really put some thought into a downrigger for coho fishing but what I do works and if it aint broke..

Have really put some thought into a downrigger for coho fishing but what I do works and if it aint broke..

It seems that when you're fishing in the top 20-30 ft for coho a downrigger would probably be more hassle than it's worth.

  My 2cents worth,, Coho hi and fast,, Kings low and slow !!