WILD BLOG: Quick, name a fishery where you can catch 50 coho in a day ...
POSTED April 10, 2012 / 10:40 a.m.

MOSSYROCK - The attraction at Riffe Lake kiddies - that 23-mile long, 11,830-acre (full pool) Cowlitz River impoundment - is landlocked coho, the only place I’m aware of in Washington State with such a population.

You've undoubtely seen photos all over the Interweb of "kokanee" limits coming out of Riffe this month, but I assure you, Kokanee Nation, THESE ARE NOT KOKANEE. Nope, there are no landlocked sockeye in Riffe, just the other silver bullet that averages 13 to 15 inches. They'll push 18 inches in July.

So you out there who call them “kokanee”, stop it. Now. Landlocked coho.

And there are tons of them. Red-meated and out of sight barbecued or smoked. Twelve to 30 thousand, figure the biologists. They strike very hard, rip lines out of the clip, leap repeatedly, fight remarkably well for their size. And they bite early, so sleep this time of year (first light is at 6 a.m.) is out the window.

But the thrill of just the chase is worth the pain ...

Holy Diver
I always giggle when I take a first-timer to Riffe. I warn them: Rapid-fire hookups are the norm here when the conditions are right. The magic that you feel is worth a lifetime.

A typical hot bite is six, seven, eight, nine doubleheaders and upwards of 50 coho in two hours. Raining, dark day. Who notices? Just a rainbow in the dark.

Although this year nearly every combination of dodger, trolling blades, wedding ring spinner or mini squid can and will catch Riffe Lake coho, there are still a chosen few that outshine the others.

First by a long shot is a 5.5-inch teardrop-shaped dodger, 12 inches of 10-pound leader to a hot pink mini squid, two tandem No. 2 Vision red hooks tipped with natural Gulp maggots soaked in Pautzke’s Powdered Krill. If you can find it, a slather of Pautzke’s Gel Krill on the head of the squid and game on, fellas.

Make it better? Yep. Add a tiny 00 or 000 blade and clevis on top of the squid. Called by the toll of the bell.

Troll 1.5 to1.8 mph. Coho like it much quicker than their sockeye brothers. Put it down 40 feet behind the clip, 27 to 35 feet down.

After this all-time combination, take your pick. "Tackle box challenge" out on Riffe. Cry out to legions of the brave, bring the kids, enjoy one of the best bites in the state right now. Average days see nearly 50 hookups!

Low water in April presents it challenges, but there are typically serviceable launches on Riffe until the lake rises, one at Mossyrock Dam and the other on the east side of the lake at Tadnaipum Park near the fishing bridge.

Metal to the end.

-The General

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