Finding a big coho in local salt or fresh water, with derby cash in mind, is almost always a crap shoot around here. Coho come and coho go. Coho bite and don’t bite. Coho are here one day, over there the next, and thumbing their noses almost always.
The good part of all that, however, is that you don’t really have to be a coho fishing expert to stand a decent chance of hooking a derby-size fish. Coho are such a gamble, that if you have reasonably effective gear in the water, in a usually productive area, your odds of nailing a winner are just about as good as the guy down the block who usually has all the answers.
This thumbnail philosophy, of course, refers to the west coast’s largest salmon derby, running this weekend, sponsored by the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club, the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club, and the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association. The coho-only event for marine areas 8-1, 8-2, 9 and 10, and in rivers in King, Snohomish and Skagit counties, will pay five places in cash, topped by the $2,500 check for first. There will be literally hundreds of good quality merchandise prizes as well, so if it wiggles, weigh it. Tickets, at $20, are available at all tackle outlets in the area.
The Mukilteo-Edmonds-Possession Bar triangle will probably be the best bet on the local saltchuck, according to Gary Krein of All Star Charters in Everett (425-252-4188).
“It will certainly host the most fishermen,” Krein says, “and if I had to bet where the winning fish will come from, that would be my choice.”
The derby winner last year, a fish of 15-plus pounds, came from the shipwreck, south of Mukilteo.
Krein says there aren’t a whole bunch of coho in the area, but some really nice ones. He said the state Fish and Wildlife Department checker weighed a 20-pounder at the Port of Everett ramp over the weekend, that his clients have taken fish of 15, 14 and 13 pounds recently, and that he’s heard of 17- and 18-pounders taken by acquaintances.
His advice?
“Keep moving,” he says. “Cover a lot of water until you find a school. There’s a good tide change at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, but don’t quit after that, because there’s another good one at 3 p.m.”
Krein likes a flasher, 27 to 32 inches of leader, and a light green or white squid or Grand Slam Bucktail. Plug-cut herring would be a good bet off Edmonds, too, but there are too many dogfish currently on Possession Bar to use bait. Start at 35 or 40 feet, dropping to the best depth, 60 to 70 feet, and, if sunny, to as deep as 100 or 120 feet.
Guide and Marysville resident Tom Nelson (tom@fishskagit.com) says recent rain has brought “a fair, early shot” of coho into the Skagit, Stillaguamish, and Snohomish, and that the lower ends of all three might currently be a better bet than saltwater.
“Generally, it’s a little early for the rivers yet,” he says. “They should come on better over the next two or three weeks.”
Guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram (360-435-9311) agrees there aren’t many coho very high in the rivers yet.
“They’re all down in the lower ends, waiting in the deeper holes, for more water,” he says, “but I’ve seen silvers already in the lower Skykomish that would go 10 to 14 pounds. There are still a lot of pinks around too, although many are losing quality now, and you’re going to have trouble getting past them to the coho. Bait, like eggs, might be better in that situation than hardware.”
Ingram says boat fishermen on the Snohomish might try backtrolling a U-20 Flatfish or a K-12 Kwikfish in chrome/red.
Bank fishermen casting Buzz Bombs, green or chartreuse Dick Nites or weighted spinners should score on the Snohomish, lower Stillaguamish, or Skagit in the Mount Vernon/Burlington/Sedro-Woolley area. Bob Ferber at Holiday Market in Burlington (360-757-4361) reports that Wicked Willies, in a variety of colors, have been the hot Skagit coho lures recently.
Youth bird season: The annual youth-only bird hunting opportunity also runs this weekend, open to those under 16 and accompanied by an adult at least 18, who does not hunt. Legal game includes ducks, geese and pheasants, in both Eastern and Western Washington, as well as quail, chukar and Huns on the eastside.
With little standing water this very dry year, young waterfowlers would probably do better to concentrate on bodies of water, from a boat, than from a land-based setup, according to WDFW waterfowl manager Don Kraege. The good news is that there are excellent populations of locally-produced waterfowl around the state, Kraege says.
John Garrett, WDFW manager of the big Skagit Wildlife Area, says prospects for the youth hunt are very good for waterfowl and planted pheasant.
“Hunters will find pheasants divided between three release sites on the wildlife area,” Garrett says, “Leque Island (also called the “Smith Farm,” just over the bridge from Stanwood, to the left), the headquarters unit, west of Conway and south of Fir Island Road, and the Samish Unit, near Samish Island in Skagit County. The Samish Unit is dedicated to waterfowl hunting and the pheasant youth hunt.”
Garrett says early waterfowl hunting should also be productive, but better from a boat on Skagit Bay. “The birds haven’t moved inland yet to feed in the grain fields, so using a boat with a blind structure should result in a better hunt,” he says.
Other youth opportunities for pen-raised pheasant include the Stillwater and Cherry Valley units of the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area, and Lake Terrell, near Ferndale.
Youth hunters need a valid small game license ($16.43) and a free migratory bird validation. Westside youth pheasant hunters are also required to purchase a pheasant permit for $18.
Smoke a salmon: “Everybody has pinks in the freezer, or are still catching them, and asking me for smoking instructions,” says guide Sam Ingram. “They say, ‘Tell Wayne to run smoking recipes.’”
My pleasure. And actually Ingram uses a really good, basic recipe that is easy to put together and which produces a top product. He utilizes a Luhr Jensen Big Chief smoker, and has adapted the “Chief” recipe to his own needs, as follows:
Brine (enough for one 7-8 pound fish; if you have two, double it, etc.):
1/3Cup sugar (Sam prefers brown sugar)
1/4Cup non-iodized salt
2 Cups soy sauce
1 Cup water
1/2Teaspoon onion powder
1/2Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2Teaspoon black pepper
1/2Teaspoon Tabasco Sauce (Sam doubles the garlic and Tabasco)
1 Cup dry white wine
Sam adds 4 or 5 drops of liquid smoke, but says it’s pretty powerful stuff and not to overdo it.
Cut skin-on fillets into conveniently-sized pieces (approx. 2 inches square) and marinate for about 8 hours in the refrigerator, turning to make sure all surfaces are covered (about 12 hours for larger fish and thicker fillets). Remove. Rinse with cold water. Place skin-down on racks and air dry for 2 to 6 hours, depending on temperature and other conditions, until the pieces exhibit a nice, shiny glaze (“like a doughnut,” Sam says).
Smoke skin-down with two or three pans of chips (Ingram likes alder or hickory), depending on thickness, not turning, for 6 to 8 hours, until done. Fish will last for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
“My wife likes hers golden, moist, and mild,” Ingram says. “But for the guys in the hunting camp, I use more Tabasco, more liquid smoke, and smoke them darker.”
Half the fun, he says, is to experiment with different combinations of brine ingredients, woods, and smoking times, and he says if you have more than you can use, food banks or senior centers will be happy to take it off your hands.
“Have fun with it, and share the bounty,” he says.
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