Casting Plastics For Spring Cohos!

Casting plastics for spring cohos...
By: Chuck Anderson

Spring time is here and so are the Coho salmon. If you live in the Midwest by one of our beautiful Great Lakes you know what I mean! In April I grab my rod and head out to the long piers that jet out into Lake Michigan at the marina by my house in northern Illinois. I have one thing on my mind and that is Coho salmon.

A lot of anglers think that salmon fishing is saved for the summer charters and fall spawning runs in the local rivers. Spring shore fishing can also be just as good.

I have observed over the years the same old techniques being used by shore fisherman in these parts. Although they have proven effective I was determined to find a new presentation that would work as well.

The Coho in the spring act differently than the other trout and salmon species in the great lakes. They prefer the top of the water column to feed. I have witness many times Coho chasing alewives right up to the cement walls of the piers and just shredding though these schools of bait.

Although casting spoons and floating spawn sacks have proven to be effective, I was determined to find something that was more realistic to these feeding patterns that I have witnessed. Instead of digging into my salmon box for a spoon, I dug into my bass box for a swimbait. Yes! You heard me correctly a plastic minnow like bait with a paddle style tail.

I notice I could control a swim bait must more effectively to keep in up in the top third of the water column than I could with any heavy spoon. So I found a 5” Berkley Swim Shad and tied it on. Don’t forget the forage in all lakes and rivers is different so match your colors to what the fish are feeding on. I chose a blue and white. This combination proved to be fantastic and draw a lot of attention.

After casting out the swim bait and continuing with a slow and steady retrieve I had my first strike of many that evening. I landed more fish that evening this way than any other pattern that I have tried yet. I even had follow ups all the way to the pier in between landing fish. I looked at the Coho’s response when they followed the bait and adjusted my retrieve to a speed which seemed to be consistent.

So go out and try these few simple changes and see if they make a difference in your hook up ratio with these spring time silver bullets.