# Superior coho's



## KC Black (Sep 3, 2015)

Looking forward to late fall coho fishing on the superior tribs. I have never experienced river salmon fishing like on the these tribs. Coho's are actively feeding while in the river, miles upstream from the mouth. We actually can catch them with crawlers and this is late sept early oct. I have fished a lot of rivers flowing to the g. lakes and never found actively feeding salmon. superior coho's bellies were full of food. We caught lots, lots of fish, so many if I told you would never believe. People that have fished these rivers will understand. Fish are mature, 3 to 5 lbs, blood red meat and real hard fighters. We always catch and release except for 2 fish each for the table.


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## Stash (Jul 24, 2016)

KC Black said:


> Looking forward to late fall coho fishing on the superior tribs. I have never experienced river salmon fishing like on the these tribs. Coho's are actively feeding while in the river, miles upstream from the mouth. We actually can catch them with crawlers and this is late sept early oct. I have fished a lot of rivers flowing to the g. lakes and never found actively feeding salmon. superior coho's bellies were full of food. We caught lots, lots of fish, so many if I told you would never believe. People that have fished these rivers will understand. Fish are mature, 3 to 5 lbs, blood red meat and real hard fighters. We always catch and release except for 2 fish each for the table.


I've caught a fair number of superior cohos. I'm not sure I've ever got a legitimate 4 pounder let alone a 5; but they are active biters and great fun on light tackle.


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## wdf73 (Sep 14, 2009)

Every year I vow to try it but seem to get derailed by a river in the southern UP instead. Maybe this fall.....


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

Sounds like fun. The misses and I are headed up to do some kayaking up near tahquamenon last week of September. Maybe I should do some recon and give it a try.


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## wdf73 (Sep 14, 2009)

Just curious, do the runs usually start on the west side and work east? I am coming up for a few days the third week of September and it sounds like that may be a bit early for coho


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Looking forward to it. 

Want to develop good creek mouth tactics for one where it would be hard to get a Coho out of a small creek. 

They are in tribs of all 3 Great Lakes...


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

wdf73 said:


> Just curious, do the runs usually start on the west side and work east? I am coming up for a few days the third week of September and it sounds like that may be a bit early for coho


No. It all depends on weather tight now it is getting more favorable.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Try a mepps #3 or a fly rod flatfish on light spinning gear the coho cannot resist. More rain coming in to the UP tomorrow it should get some fish moving. Another favorite ho bait is crawlers.


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## Teggs (Mar 20, 2013)

wdf73 said:


> Just curious, do the runs usually start on the west side and work east? I am coming up for a few days the third week of September and it sounds like that may be a bit early for coho


They started moving into the rivers the last week of august. You will find plenty. In the UP runs dont really start or end and if we get a huge rain some rivers just get big pushes. You can catch river salmon in august and still keep catching them thru january. They all come at different times


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## gatorman841 (Mar 4, 2010)

wdf73 said:


> Just curious, do the runs usually start on the west side and work east? I am coming up for a few days the third week of September and it sounds like that may be a bit early for coho


They catch them even in July off the mouth of trips co's and splake it's not just a fall thing. Slips n crawlers are great tactic for them, I watched a guy limit on splake and co's off a unmentionable right around the 4th of July this summer. A north blow will help in the warmer months but they can be caught up there pretty much year round with cooler months giving up better catches. You won't be early I think that would be a perfect time but the better fishing is usually around Marquette area


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## fowlharvestor (Oct 10, 2011)

I fished a couple small creek mouths once last week and once this week going up the lower section a ways to no avail. Chucking "deceivers" that look really good but can't say they work..I have read they do somewhere. I'm a novice wondering if I'm waisting my time in the lower sections of River at this time? I haven't caught a glimpse of a coho yet..


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I walked a east-U.P. creek on Saturday, no Salmon in it yet. Out at the mouth one guy had two lines out but no activity. He said he had checked numerous tribs from there back to Munising and also hadn't seen a lake fish yet.


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## Cdet (Jul 11, 2012)

The kings are in thick on the west end. A lot are dying already and most are rotten. Cohos should be coming in quick. We're also seeing a lot of pinks.


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## KC Black (Sep 3, 2015)

B.Jarvinen said:


> I walked a east-U.P. creek on Saturday, no Salmon in it yet. Out at the mouth one guy had two lines out but no activity. He said he had checked numerous tribs from there back to Munising and also hadn't seen a lake fish yet.


My river coho experience has been only on CANADIAN waters. My Canadian friends(chums) tell me that the bite and northern superior coho is much different than the UP provide. The fishing there is much different than in the UP.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I enjoyed the Michigan side thoroughly last year. We caught Cohos from all 3 northern Great Lakes, mostly where they haven't been stocked in 20 years. 

I found some new stretches of gravel to fish this year....


I think if I went to Ontario to fish I would never come back.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I wanted to note that when I reported on walking a creek last Saturday, it was truly a creek. 95% of it is 2' deep or less and if Salmon are in it, you can tell either way, they can't be just laying in the good holes as in a true river....

So another nice push of rain came through yesterday, and that can make footing for outdoor work a little treacherous. So my motto is Safety First of course and off I went to fish again. What? It's slippery walking around a rocky whitewater stream with sharp pointy hooks flying around? Shush.

I have been really wondering what gear I want to put together to fish more stream Cohos this fall. Now I am wondering even more...

I went to a wonderful non-Superior trib I have been exploring where we unexpectedly caught Cohos from a purely natural reproducing run last fall. We only kept one there last fall but had a great time chasing them, learning tactics, and C&R many nice double-digit stream Trout along the way too. Of course before Sep. 30th on that stretch I can only catch little Trout, but so it goes.

I did a little more bush-whacking and was rewarded with extending the length of rock sections I could fish. I was below a very small waterfall when I realized I needed to put on a #6 Panther Martin = 1/4 oz to really get the spinner down closer to the bottom. I usually fish a #2 on such a tight stream, but the rocky drops here open it up much more than in an Alder flat.

When I flipped the #6 into a fast moving narrow piece of water with just enough eddy on one side to maybe hold a Trout, I was rewarded with a dead-stop hit and a flash of a big fish. My little 5' Ultra-Lite bent completely double into a U as the drag started to scream. This was going to be the Trout of the year for me, for sure! I started to worry about having just 4 lb test on there for what surely had to be a monster double digit Brown, given some spots I glimpsed.

It was a double digit fish, it turned out - double digits in POUNDS. I had hooked into a Chinook on my little Trout rig.

The whole thing became an epic battle. I had nothing to land the fish with. Last year landing a 4-5 lb Coho I cracked the frame on my cheap little Eagle Claw retractable net that I quickly threw to the bank. Fortunately there wasn't any wood or brush around and I could lead and tire the fish a little. It was a nice fish, about half-way along on the Silver>Black scale of the spawning run.

When it was over and I had the fish laying on the rock shelf at my feet in several inches of water I bent down with pliers in my hand to grasp the shank of the treble. I had no intention of keeping a natural-run Chinook from the Great Lake with the fewest left in it, and very much wanted this one to find a mate. I looked it in the eye as I bent towards it this put one last pull of tension on the line from the rod I was holding up in the air. The fish casually flicked it's head, snapped the line, rolled off the shelf and slowly swam away.

I still can't really believe my Ultra-Light rod held up for the experience. I will be stopping at the local shop where I bought it to thank the owner for the Rx on that one. (A Celillo/Okuma from Canada/China).

Once the adrenalin wore off and I went back to fishing I had to wonder if I could have landed that fish in a more fresh silver condition... I was many miles inland as well. I thought perhaps I should give up on the little rainbows teasing me all the time on this stream and pick up the only heavy gear I have - a 9'6" rod with 8 lb test.

I went up above the little fall to a flat and discovered a near perfect hole. A slight bend with a shallow exit and a fat Alder along the inside bank I could stand along-side and flip in a spinner in near perfect concealment. I had to think if I was a Salmon that just climbed that little fall this would be the perfect Rest Stop.

I was correct. On the second spinner flip BAM went my rod again. A beautiful silver fish of about 4-5 lb or so. I didn't get to see much of it as it headed into some brush fairly quickly and that was the end of that. Another Chinook, minty fresh? The first Coho? Actually, it had a somewhat sleek profile without the chunk of the famous two Great Lakes Salmon and I suspect it may have been a nice Pink.

But now I was fresh out of quality Panther Martins and was convinced to just break out the heavy gear for some Salmon action. And dig deep into the tackle box for #2+ Mepps.

Those darn things just don't sink very well though the weight of a wet bucktail helps them some. I couldn't get hardly even a bump or follow from even the stream Trout for the rest of the day. It has been raining plenty and the water was high though not very stained at all - excellent riparian habitat on this largely Federal drainage. I think the Trout feed more on the rising water than once it has peaked for the day.

I still don't know what I will fish with in October when I can't chase my beloved stream Trout any more. The 9'6" is somewhat handy for some stream situations but for others it is not. I have heard there have been some big Cohos coming out of Lake Michigan so far this year...... hmmm.....


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## fowlharvestor (Oct 10, 2011)

Well it's nice to hear of some success being had out there. Keeps me a little more motivated and that's good. I live near Rapid River so I have a bit of a hike to head up to Marquette/munising area tribs to fish so I'm keeping that to once a week. Fishing around home here it's hard to get many reports as everybody is after walleye or bass. Have heard of some salmon coming in though but I'm empty handed around here too but I feel my day is coming soon Wether it be lake mi or superior I don't care just need some action!


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## wdf73 (Sep 14, 2009)

Thanks for that story. I am planning to head up on Sunday and you just got me psyched! 
I hope to have a few days with nothing louder than squirrels to listen to and nothing more stressful than wondering if I can land the fish I hook.....


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