Hey guys, i dont get out alot during the summer other than the sockeye and some fly fishing. But everyyear i hook into the odd spring while i'm fishing for coho, and i've always wondered why wont they bite more often? Mabey its what i use or where i fish, but i need some help. I wanna start targeting springs exclusivly. What bait and water do springs like? i usually get them on plain roe. Never on spinners or spoons. Any one wanna help me out with my delema. I just need to know the basics for targeting those beasts.
Preparing for the summer
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Ok, first of all....where are you planning to fish????? you stated fishing for coho, now I realize the cap has a summer run of coho....there? fraser? vedder? where are you wanting to fish for summer chinook? And what setup are you using to flog the water with? if you answer these crucial descriptions, I'm sure someone will greatly help you out.
Mike <")))))))><
Mike <")))))))><
sorry guys, i will be fishing the cap mostly(june-july,sept - oct). And i stated hookin them while fishing for coho, when i fish for coho in the fall, on the vedder or chehalis (sept-oct) i hook into chinooks some are dark but some are still silver or a little grey. I mostly use roe, wool. Pencil lead with a balsa float. 25 - 32" leader or 8,10,12 lb test. #4-#1 gammy's. I fish cured chinook or coho roe, from last fall. what else can i say.
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For one thing, your leaders are to long on average. I would only go that long in crystal clear water. A longer leader makes it much harder to control your drift and make a good presentation. I would shorten up to about 18". This length of leader has worked well for me on all occassions and in most water conditions. 
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There's fish in the cap? :-X
:-X
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Mikey .....Is your tongue stuck in your cheek?.......LOL ;D
Young Gun.......I fish the cap a lot and if you are targeting springs in that system you only have four things to remember, not three.
1) Shorten your leader to 16-20 inches regardless of the water clarity.
2)Use your roe and a small colour tuft of woolPale green or chartreuse works well
3) Learn how to fish large spoons in fast water without losing gear.
4) Fish deep.fast water, ....period!
Tight lines, Ortho
Young Gun.......I fish the cap a lot and if you are targeting springs in that system you only have four things to remember, not three.
1) Shorten your leader to 16-20 inches regardless of the water clarity.
2)Use your roe and a small colour tuft of woolPale green or chartreuse works well
3) Learn how to fish large spoons in fast water without losing gear.
4) Fish deep.fast water, ....period!
Tight lines, Ortho
Why Go short?
So you don't miss subtle takes, yes, even springs can take subtle sometimes. Shorter leaders allow you to detect strikes sooner, less distance for the weight to travel before the leader comes up tight to a fish, giving it less time to shake it while you are standing there unaware. Also you avoid incidental snagging of non target species, and keep your leader out of the rocks, amongst a few other things I haven't mentioned here...
Why go long? ???
So you don't miss subtle takes, yes, even springs can take subtle sometimes. Shorter leaders allow you to detect strikes sooner, less distance for the weight to travel before the leader comes up tight to a fish, giving it less time to shake it while you are standing there unaware. Also you avoid incidental snagging of non target species, and keep your leader out of the rocks, amongst a few other things I haven't mentioned here...
Why go long? ???
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Hey YoungGun........The Cap is a difficult river to fish as ,no doubt, you are already aware if you spend so much time there. One thing I forgot, is the water level dependancy for the bigger fish. They almost always enter the river after a HUGE rainfall later in the summer . You must fish after high tides, and you better have VERY flexible hrs. 'cause these fish as well as 'hos go through this system in a hurry!!
That is the main reason this river is not too popular with the weekend warriors. The fish are there one minute, gone the next!!....Oh, did I mention to shorten your leaders??......Ortho 8)
That is the main reason this river is not too popular with the weekend warriors. The fish are there one minute, gone the next!!....Oh, did I mention to shorten your leaders??
......Ortho 8)Ortho i'm aware of that dont worry, 8 years of experience on that river have taught me alot, especially when i got out alot when i was young, almost every day of the summer/fall. I usually didn't hook to many springs cus i knew i couldn't handle a 15-30lber at 8,9,10 years old. But the hoes were always in good numbers, 2 hours and my limit would be on the beach, sometimes faster than my dad! I fish the deep canyon and its hard to get in but it pays off. the cap is always clear and those fish are usually finicky so first light the lunch time bite and last light is when i catch them(for some reason i caught more fish inbetween 5-7pm then all the other times put together) I hooked my first spring,coho,and STEELHEAD in that river. ITs a home away from home. But the springs have always evaded me in that system, i'd get the odd one but i could never hit the run, mabey its cus i was suspended well over the bottom,(15-20ft deep pool, u can only cast with ur float so deep) mabey its cus i didn't find them but it just hasn't clicked for me on the cap for springs.
I use long leaders so i dont spook the fish, i use drennan or balsa floats so super sensitive, small hooks. I guess i'm gonna have to change from the coho set up!
I use long leaders so i dont spook the fish, i use drennan or balsa floats so super sensitive, small hooks. I guess i'm gonna have to change from the coho set up!
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You have made a good point in the time of day for "the bite" Different areas of the river are more productive at different times of the day and this is usually due to the direct or indirect light that filters the water..It is a little like trying on seven or eight different colours of sunglasses with similar light conditions. The subject and scenery take on a different colour. This is one main reason for catching fish on one colour in the am then switching to another colour in the pm....Try dark colours in dark water and lighter colours in clear water....Try fishing the spoons in the deep pools....Read the book catching steelhead on spoons by Hertzog....good info here on fishing those deep holes and enticing fish from their daytime cover.........Ortho 8)
i'm a gut chucker, all i need is some cured spring roe, a couple colorado blades, and a gibbs koho spoon. Colour is a key with the spoon and blades. That's my arsenal on the cap. And the coho hammer it. Now i got to find out what the springs like. I've got the book. Read it all the time.
G
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·if im fishing the cap i use crocs for coho on the lower rock on the cable pool .springs i use wool pink or red works for me usally a bait ban when the freshies come in .so no roe for me plus that shit stinks theres a little rip between cable and dog leg thats about 3-6 feet deep just above the big rock watch for botteom or you will loose your gear
Young gun, I know it is hard to change...it's that way for everyone, and you will do as will in your own time I'm sure, just like anyone else...but just so you know, many, many years ago, as recently as maybe 10-12 years now, I too fished longer leaders, on the cap and elsewhere. I used really sensitive balsa floats and size 4 hooks, and I never thought of changing to shorter leaders, not once. I figured I wouldn't get fish on short leaders, and that they had to be a minimum length...then, sometime in my mid twenties I began to change my thinking and work with the idea of fishing shorter leaders and I never looked back. For years now I have fished the same tiny, sensitive balsa floats, and tiny hooks on leaders from 16-20 inches max, and enjoy more success than I ever did in the past. When using roe or blades I go towards the shorter side of that scale, when fishing a lighter item like a wool tie, I'll stretch it out to a lengthy 20 inches max still. It took a while for me to get used to it, but not as long as you might think. You won't spook fish with shorter leaders.young gun said:
I find the most common ways to spook fish are: how you approach a pool, where you fish from height and angle wise, where you cast to for the start of your drift, and how you control your drift from the start...not leader length.
I said this just to give you food for thought...fish long leaders if you like, nobody is going to bend over backwards here to change you, just keep it in mind, you may find one day, like I and so many others have, that your leaders can get too long, and the only way you will be able to tell, is you won't be as efficient as the next guy...
As for finding some springs in there, check out the river at low water, really late in the season, (without targeting them). There are a several pools through the canyon that they prefer over all the others. You can watch them holding in these pools as they are getting ready to spawn, and this will give you a good idea where they will hold earlier in the season when they first come in. Then you will know where to find them next year when they come in fresh. As you stated, you know this river well, so I am not going to name these pools, the biggest part of the adventure is the journey...
One last item of note, as was mentioned before, regarding fishing faster water...it is very beneficial to fish a shorter leader in faster water, I'm sure you can figure out the reason why...
Good luck in your pursuit,
rib
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