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Any insights into my frustration?

6K views 60 replies 25 participants last post by  Big E 
#1 ·
A month ago I could throw just about anything within 20 feet of a jumping resident and I would get a strike. Not on just one outing, but consistently. All I needed to do was find some working fish and I could get into them.

The last two outings I have again found fish, I have cast everything in my box in and around them, I continue to get many follows, but the strikes have fallen off the table. Yesterday in 3.5 hours of fishing (in and near active pods of fish) I only brought 5 fish to hand.

Was I just spoiled last month or am I losing my mojo? Like I said, I have tried several patterns (just plain forget about poppers--they won't even look at them), and I have also been varying my retrieves.

Any insights would be appreciated.
 
#3 ·
A little over a month ago I bonked a few fish and they all had empty stomachs. Shortly after that I took another and found that it had a full belly and amphipods were indeed in full swing. Up until the past couple weeks it seemed like they were just hungry as hell and would slam anything just as you said. I think they're settling into a more realistic feeding rhythm and DimeBrite is right on the money with fly choices.
 
#4 ·
They are still hungry as hell! These fish are IMO a lot pickier than SRC's. They wont hit anything you throw out there. Clear lines, Long leaders, and small flies.

We did really well swinging amphipods and had some takes on gurglers. Had another Double on one rod the other day.
 
#8 ·
C'mon Leland, we are not talking about looking for specific beaches or skirting paying my dues on the water (I have been out on average almost once a week since the end of summer). This was just an observation, a little bit of a vent, and a invitation for insights/advice. What are forums like this for if not this type of discussion? AND now I won't have to bonk/dissect to see the feed (thanks Herl). So it's almost like conservation.;) Cyber-conservation.

Thanks for the tips guys. I will go smaller with a longer leader and I'll let you know how I did (but I won't tell you what color ;)).

And I have no problem with those of you who feel like sharing would be giving others the easy fix. That's what's great about threads like this, you are free to do (or don't do) as you please.
 
#10 ·
atdwash:

Were you by chance fishing at Doc's when you got frustrated? Over the last week or two it seems like it has been pretty common for other fly fishers to have the same experience there. It was easy to get spoiled by the ease of hooking resident coho there in the previous month or two. There are a lot of other beaches that are within easy driving distance of Doc's that are holding resident coho. Often a change of "scenery" is all that it takes to find willing resident coho.

Resident coho are "eating machines" but from now until late summer they often are "keyed" into specific food sources. So it can be "match the hatch" situations. Like Leland said being observant of the type of surface activity which the resident coho are displaying is often the tip-off to what they are feeding on. It will help determine what fly patterns to use. In my experience, jumping resident coho = aggressive fish.

Roger
 
#11 ·
atdwash- I've had the same experience recently. Both at Doc's and other beaches things have really tapered off. The fish really seem to be keying in on something other than what's in my fly box. Although there are still a few jumpers showings, there's definitely an increase in the number of fish just dimpling the surface. Amphipod and Euphasiid patterns seem to be difficult to come by in fly shops, so hopefully you can tie some yourself or find a friend to set you up.
 
#12 ·
Or... I could use another dirty trick and offer an outing on the boat tomorrow to anyone with the skills and the flies. I'm thinking about launching at Titlow (narrows marina) around 11 or noon tomorrow and fishing for a few hours. If you have some experience down that way and are free for the afternoon, shoot me a PM. All that I ask is that you have some experience and know how to cast (let's just say comfortable with the double-haul). I figure if you can do that, you know enough not to put one in my ear.
 
#13 ·
Resident coho almost always get onto euphasids and amphipods this time of year. Observing rise forms and behavior, excluding "happy" jumpers, will tell you when to get off poppers and streamers. In the winter, besides my poppers, I've always carried my "Crazy Plankton" pattern, a #10 pearl crazy charlie variation, just in case.

Leland.
 
#36 ·
Geez, this adtwash guy is only conversing on people's recent experience on the beach.
Then he even offers up his time and boat for anyone who wants to get out. I know that I only have a couple dozen posts, so that makes me a nobody here, but seriously folks.... this is the reason I never post here. Yes there are some great people on here, but I generally find this board very unwelcoming unless you've cracked through the regulars.

sorry I had to say that, Tight lines,
 
#20 ·
Dang it! If you'd have made that offer yesterday I'd have jumped on it in a heartbeat! I fished Doc's yesterday and caught my first coho in a long time - nice bright little 13-14 incher, right in front of the Game Warden too.....

If you care to extend that offer again....woodja' PM me?

Thanks in advance.....which ear didja' say isn't pierced yet.....??:D

Jc:)
 
#17 ·
atdwash, I think your boat offer was a great way to get anglers together, learn some flies and techniques and have a chance at some fish. I'd take you up on the offer any day we could arrange, but I'm less flexible on my schedule now that I'm not self employed. Regretably, I doubt that I have much to "offer" along the lines of the right flies, locations or such as I'm limited in my knowledge base. I will echo the search for the euphausiid and amphipod patterns here in the threads or galleries. If you have any local fly guides or books there will be much made of them in there as well. See them, replicate them and slay them. Best of luck when you get out there, let those of us with an interest know how you did.
 
#18 ·
I'll add, if you are going to docs, it seems that they are very very suspicious (elmer fudd voice) all the fish I've caught lately that have any size show signs of being caught before, probably more than once I saw the ducks catching small baitfish but couldn't even get a touch I put on a small shrimp pattern and caught fish I would have caught alot more but I broke the hook off on the beach and just kept fishing it not knowing or checking until I missed the 10th one or so, I'll count the grabs its just cnr without any harm to the fish, I fooled them thats all that really matters.
tony
 
#21 ·
Much better today. I think going smaller and more sparse certainly helped, but my guess is the banner day I had was more a function of fishing beaches far from the ones that have been getting pounded lately.

I had to do quite a bit of searching before I found my first pod of fish, but from then through the rest of the afternoon that beach kept me busy. I'm guessing somewhere between 20 and 25 to hand. At one point I had 5 hookups on 5 casts. The fish were far more aggressive than what I have experienced around the narrows lately, and as I mentioned at the beginning of this post they once again nailed just about any cast that was within range of a jumper. I guess I have to conclude that just like trout in a good stretch of a popular river, these guys too can get wary and worn out by heavy pressure--I would not have thought it possible in a body of water as vast as the sound. I should have taken the hot fly to the narrows to test my theory, but I couldn't tear myself away.

When I was in the middle of a frenzy I did stop and put on a popper (couldn't help myself). I had a few looks, but no takes. If they would have jumped on that it could have been my best day ever, but I suppose I can't complain.

Thanks to all who gave some input, and to those of you who are shore-bound; I can assure you that a 60ft cast from the beach could have been well in range of every fish that I caught today.

Good luck to all and I will try to post a little earlier next time I have an opening in the boat.
 

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#23 ·
I have been doing very well off a seattle beach for the last three weeks. Three weeks ago they would eat almost anything I tied on. Two weeks ago, they stopped taking poppers and clousers/baitfish imittations and only hit shrimpy looking patterns. This last week I have had to lengthen my leader and fish the smallest flies I have (a size 8 gotcha, of all things, has been killing them this week). bonked one this morning. only thing in its belly was a half digested baitfish, about 3 inches long. :) go figure, those bonefish flies I tied 4 years ago for a failed trip are finaly starting to come in handy!
 
#24 ·
Change of feed or not, they are still taking Clousers over here on the West side. The go to fly the past week has been a sparse size 8 olive over white, both Slinky Fibre, with a single pink hootchie tentacle as the lateral line. I've been using a floating line because that is all I have for the 6 wt but I'm guessing it would help to get it down a bit deeper with a intermediate. I've also been throwing small popper and floating tubes but they haven't been getting nearly as many strikes as the Clousers.
 
#25 ·
I made it down to a point on the South Sound on Thursday. I thought I would give it a try, since I hang around up at my end too much. I fished from 1:30 to 3:30. Tide was low at 3:30 I believe. It was hot fishing for those two hours for me. I landed 12 coho, lost a number of others, had other missed hits, and landed one nice cutt. On my size #6 Popsicle Stick. Not a sole around. Good times. No fish were showing on the surface except two! I might have to invade you peoples territory more often! I may try up North Saturday (today).
 
#27 ·
Here's a couple scuds I tied up based on Herl's photos of amphipods from a rezzie belly. I'm sure the white works just great if the fish aren't too edumacated.
 

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#28 ·
Jim,
Herl's bugs appear to be amphipods. There are quite a few species, most are rather small and they vary in color from olive to purple and even orange. Most of those I've seen in the Sound seem to be orange and I tie my imitations on a size 16 scud hook. Big_E's pattern appears to be a euphausiid (krill) imitation. Krill are larger, more shrimplike in appearance and tend to be a translucent white or sometimes a very pale orange or pink with very prominent dark eyes. I tie my krill pattern on a size 12 straight-shank hook because, although krill can sometimes adopt the shrimp/crayfish technique of swimming backward with a snap of the tail, they usually swim about using their legs while holding their bodies straight.
 
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