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Resident Coho Fly?

7K views 69 replies 26 participants last post by  Edgy and Hip 
#1 · (Edited)
#8 ·
I fish the same exact stuff I do for SRC. They can be tough when they are keying on Euphausiids and amphipods at least for me. Have not quite figured out the best way or fly to target them with. I have had a little luck with small peach/pink stuff like this.

35EA4417-7E80-44E4-AB25-D31C29424E30.jpeg
I had one of my best early winter rezzie days ever last year fishing this fly which is a play off a fly @Nick Clayton posted awhile back (silver surfer?).

1BFBE3BF-E192-448F-8553-B5A48B0331E4.jpeg
 
#10 ·
I fish the same exact stuff I do for SRC. They can be tough when they are keying on Euphausiids and amphipods at least for me. Have not quite figured out the best way or fly to target them with. I have had a little luck with small peach/pink stuff like this.

View attachment 299803 I had one of my best early winter rezzie days ever last year fishing this fly which is a play off a fly @Nick Clayton posted awhile back (silver surfer?).

View attachment 299804
Full disclosure please, let us see the uncropped pic (that shows the lime green reel) :)
 
#13 · (Edited)
My all time biggest confidence fly for winter salt ressie fishing.

A generous boat owner gave one to me 3 or 4 winters ago at a boat ramp. I must have caught 30 ressies on that particular fly. Multiple sharpenings before I lost that fly.

I have a hard time finding them in local fly shops. I do not tie my own flies. I used to travel all over Puget sound for my job. Stopped at many fly shops with no luck at obtaining a white dehlia's fly
 
#19 ·
I made the trip to Hood Canal last week, as were were beaching the boat at the take out I noticed a school of anchovies in the foam line right at the shoreline. Naturally, none of us had thought to try an anchovie pattern as we cast and cast our way along the shore.

I did fish a Ferguson's green (and orange) and silver - was my go to fly back in the day.
 
#21 ·
I agree with Jake. The Squimp pattern was my most successful fly of all last Winter. I even tied some up with different colors and had good results with a yellow chenille body also. Then the next best was anything in white. An all white clouser, bugger, etc. Been having success lately with a simple beadhead all white arctic fox with some silver flash. Like a bunny leech but with bright white fox instead. The foxy leech.
 

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#29 ·
Overdressing is absolutely my Achilles heel in tying. Slowly getting better about it, but it's hard to kick the habit.

If I'm targeting rezzies in winter, I'll typically fish something with a pretty short tail. As noted by many others in many places, the little guys are bigtime tailbiters. That'd be my only hesitation with the sand lance type patterns, and the reason I prefer a squimp or a cutty bugger in most circumstances.

But when they're hitting long silvery baitfish, this advice goes out the window.
 
#33 ·
I tend to agree that sparser is likely better, but I still tie patterns that are pretty full.
Not all our baitfish are exactly sandlance skinny or small.
Think of green or blue label herring as an example of baitfish with a less then stealth profile. Then there are horse herring…. ;)
SF
 
#46 ·
If anyone has not seen how small some of the naturals are that south sound rezzies and SRC key on sometimes, here are a couple pics.

View attachment 299939

View attachment 299938

Edit: Are people actually using stingers for winter rezzie and SRC fishing? I have not found the need but curious if most others have.
Here's what I use for something like that.

Jim Koolick's Nothing with an Attitude fly.

No stinger required.
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Wood Insect Flooring Floor Wall
 
#40 ·
I've easily caught more rezzies on squimps than any other two flies combined. Delia's would probably be second.

I chalk this up to the fact that these are the flies I fish for them most often, not due to them having any sort of magical rezzie catching power. (Though honestly most of the time squimps are basically rezzie crack).

At least in the areas I fish for them I very seldom find them picky. I like small, sparse flies that they can easily eat without a bunch of short strikes. When they are selective its generally those times when they're feeding on tiny shit and I'll be damned if I've ever totally cracked that code.

Its fun to match the hatch and I certainly tie as many varieties of patterns as anyone, but at the end of the day if I'm chasing rezzies during the winter, and actually targeting them specifically, I almost always have a squimp on my rod.
 
#55 ·
the only 2-3 times I have found them up here was late summer and they were only 6-8 inches. my version of Handle bar fly with marabou tail, floss or pink wool body with or without pink hackle rib, bead head in #8 or 10 is the only thing that worked for me. of course it was not winter and not south sound or hood canal.
 
#64 ·
Those tiny krill flies are fun to tie but I loose interest and swap them out in quick order for a meatier offering. They are so light they have no resistance in the water, not much feel to the strips and harder to keep the line tight all the time (unless there's a ripping current)
I also feel like it's not attention grabbing enough for the fish, probably a confidence issue here.
 
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