Coho Salmon Fishing Gear and Rig

If Chinook Salmon are the kings of the Pacific, then coho salmon are the silvers of the same zone. Coho salmon is known for its light taste and versatile essence among food lovers compared to the high taste and higher nutritional benefits of the chinook salmon. That doesn’t in any way implies coho salmon is not tasty or nutritious.

It is and has a respective fanbase as a light, versatile ingredient among delicious dishes. And when it comes to giving competition to the anglers by putting a tough fight in angling, coho salmon is one of its kind and a prized game species. Coho salmon fishing, hence, is as adventurous, if not higher than angling the chinook salmon, and an equally profitable venture too for the anglers.

The Beautiful Salmon, Inside and Outside

Coho salmon is a beautiful fish. Of course, a large fish, but a pretty, large one about 24 to 30 inches long. It weighs somewhere from as light as 4lbs to as huge as 20lbs. The biggest coho salmon ever caught was about 33lbs. We talked about how beautiful a coho salmon is, but it is prettier in its peak form. This beautiful fish is basically silver. That is why the tag of being the Pacific’s silvers. It has a dark blue or greenish back with small black spots and a light belly.

Moreover, its meat looks even prettier and tastes delicious. It’s the perfect reddish-orange, which actually makes the dish prepared with it even more fresh, alluring and colorful. It has less fat than the king salmon, thus preferred by many, even more than the delicious king.

Best Gear For Coho Salmon

Long Fishing Rod – A long fishing rod, about 9 to 10 feet long rods, are the best fishing rods for coho salmon angling. It must also support about an 8 to 12 pounds rating fishing line. The fishing rod must also have a sensitive tip. Sensitive tip not to gauge whether the coho has taken the bait. You will eventually know that because it’s one aggressive gamefish. You will need a sensitive tip because you will mostly try fishing them at a longer distance. And it’s always better if it is a high-quality fishing rod for making your coho salmon fishing experience convenient and comfortable.

Coho Salmon Fishing

Hi-Vis Braided Line – When it comes to fishing coho salmon, we prefer a braided line. Braided lines are going to handle the aggressive fight of the coho salmon. It doesn’t stretch much, neither it being wet hampers the line’s strength. For coho salmon fishing, you will need about a 30-pound braided line. So, you need a thin line to handle that test line. Also, make sure the braided line is high in visibility.

Baitcasting Reel – To wind this braided line, you will need a casting reel. We prefer a simple but high-quality baitcasting reel with a line capacity of 120 yards fishing line. Baitcasting reels any way doesn’t work well with under 20lbs braided lines. And here you are, angling with 30 pounds; hence the baitcasting reel will be your perfect fishing reel. If you want to use your spinning reel, go with it because most of the coho salmon anglers prefer spinning reels for coho fishing as it is easier to handle.

Treble Hook – The coho salmon fishes require gear that is lightweight and small. So, the hook you are using must be small too. As the coho salmons are super aggressive and none of us want to lose the fish, we go with a small treble hook. If not the treble hook, try a size-4 standard hook.

Float fishing Technique – The technique we prefer while angling some aggressive coho salmon is float fishing, and we will prepare our rig for float fishing. That is also another reason for us to pick braided lines. The braided line’s biggest advantage is that it doesn’t sink and perfectly works for trouble-free, smooth float fishing with perfect drag.

Preparing The Rod With The Rig

  • Let’s wrap up the basics by briefly asking you to spool your fishing reel with the braided line and take the mainline through the long rod’s every guide from the bottom to the sensitive tip.
  • You will have to tie a 6-inch fly line backing through a bobber stopper knot on the dangling line of your fishing line. As the name suggests, it will work as the barrier for the float.
  • To tie the stopper knot, lay the fly line backing parallel with the mainline. Make sure you hold it where you prefer the stopper knot to remain steady, and it should also be below the mainline. Keep the distance between the knot and the float about 8-10 inches.
  • Hold the fly line backing edge facing the tip of the rod and wrap the loop with the mainline five times. To tighten the noose and tie the knot, pull only the two ends of the fly line backing. And you have your bobber stopper knot.
  • Now insert a stopper bead and a big, bright, colorful bead before inserting your float on the mainline. You will need another stopper bead at the bottom of the float too. It will ensure the float tube doesn’t mess up with the knot on the weight.
  • We are going to tie the weight to the mainline with a 15-pound fluorocarbon leader line. Use any decent size bullet weight and knot its one side with the mainline and the other with the leader line.
  • At the end of the leader line, just tie the treble hook and use the best bait to catch some large coho salmon.
  • They love small spawn sacs, so make sure to tie the hook with an egg loop knot to set the bait up along with the hook. Other than eggs, coho salmon also enjoy regular baits like minnows, worms, and nightcrawlers. If not those, shrimps and prawns, even Vibrax Spinners will do as well.
  • After you are done tying the hook, take a split shot and fix it right on the middle of the leader line. This additional weight works great in float fishing the coho salmons in flat, bouldery water and fast current.

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You now have pretty vast information about angling the coho salmon. So, hop on your conveyance and set your destination to any coastal stream or river as the coho salmon are found in bulk in these freshwater bodies and have fun angling the silvers of the Pacific Ocean.

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