Northwest Reel Life October 2024 Volume 4 Issue 2 - Flipbook - Page 13
Twitching jigs and swinging
spoons or spinners are
for active fish. Use these
techniques where fish that
are more active, such as
in runs, riffles, and deep
holes. Yes, they also work
in stagnant waters but
again you will notice that
out of the entire school
of fish, only a few will
chase down the lures. This
means having patience
and knowing that the fish
will eventually get their
strength back and bite.
Same with moving fish,
be ready for a long lull
in action and then all a
sudden the “bite” is on. It
is likely fish moved upriver
and to your location. One
cold November day we
were fishing the Satsop
River and anchored by a
small back eddy along a
cut bank. We stayed there
all day long twitching
jigs and occasionally, a
pod of coho would make
their way upriver. This was
announced by one of us
hooking a fish and then
it would be “on” for a few
minutes with everyone
catching a fish or two
and then the coho simply
moved on.
Lockjawed coho are hard
to catch and the best way
to catch them is to look
for fish that are willing
to bite. Knowing when
they are lockjawed and
not harassing them is the
best technique you can do
to catch more fish. Find
willing biters and leave the
tired fish alone. Wasting
time on them only hurts
the run and will cause
you to become frustrated.
When you make your
way to the edge of the
quiet river, pause and look
around, listening for the
splash of a coho. These are
the fish you can catch.
