By Eric Martin

Finding yourself in the middle of a hot coho bite is arguably one of the best ways to spend a summer afternoon. Coho often bite aggressively, attacking lures and bait with almost suicidal tendencies, especially in ocean or estuarial fisheries. They feed near the surface, within easy reach of light tackle, and fight with great ferocity and acrobatics. When coho are schooling and actively feeding it is common to have multiple rods with fish on at once. It's not an exaggeration to see hooked fish nearly jumping into neighboring boats and making blistering runs across the surface. Simply put, it's a great way to spend a summer.

Earlier this spring, the Pacific Fishery Management Council announced what many fisherman have been waiting years for: a bumper crop year. With over 1.3 million coho predicted to return to the Oregon coast and the Columbia River alone we're facing what could be the best summer coho season since 2001. Similar predictions are awaiting fishermen in Washington, off the coast of British Columbia and farther north into Alaska. And in Oregon the recreational ocean fisheries will see the largest quotas since 1992, with some areas receiving increased limits to three adult coho daily.

Which is to say break out those trolling rods, dust off the dodgers, and start stockpiling cedar planks, because this summer will be one to remember. But wait, before you go stocking up on spinners and herring, allow me to show you a new trick to putting coho in the box.

Amputated rigs - those tied with the straight shank of a sacrificed hook and a piece of braided line or coated wire - have been a staple in fly fishing circles for years. They're fished on the swing and are extremely popular among fly fishermen. But don't let that fool you into thinking they're not just as ffective swinging behind a dodger amidst the Bouy 10 crowd. In fact, amputated rigs can be dressed up and applied to a variety of common salmon trolling situations, both in-river and offshore, with great success.

Coho are notorious short strikers. They are famous for tripping divers and popping downrigger clips without ever touching steel to their jaw. For this reason, it is important to dangle that extended rear hook farther back in the danger zone. Once you learn to tie them you'll see this is easily done by varying the lengths of the braided loop attached to the amputated shank. By matching the “hang-back” length to the size of lure being used, and how aggressively the fish are striking, you can turn shy bites into punches on your tag.

For years, ocean trollers have found that a flashy skirt tied on a hook or sliding tube above the hook is absolutely deadly for both chinook and coho. Until recently, tying gobs of flashy synthetics on these rigs was time consuming, but with the new Baitfish Emulator by Hareline Dubbin, it takes only seconds to create killer patterns. Hareline Dubbin is a commercially sold fly tying material available at most fly shops. The flashy dyed synthetics and opalescent strands, stitched together on a continuous band, allow for only a few quick wraps to complete a skirt. The pulsing, flowing, shimmering movement of these skirts, especially when run behind dodgers or Hot Spot style flashers, really gets fish going.

Prefer to run squid style lures, like hoochies? Simply slide the squid of preference up your leader; next, slide on a bead, gum pucky, or tinsel skirt, tie on a plain amputated rig, and suddenly the same squid that was getting its tentacles bit without hooking up has a hook sitting perfectly at the back end, just daring any coho to try his luck.

You can also mix and match various rigs, such as the addition of a couple beads and Twin Twins or perhaps a quick change clevis and small spinner blade above a skirt. A plain squid can be easily dressed up by using it in conjunction with a dressed amputated rig. Add flashers, dodgers, maybe a small chunk of herring on the hook, and the possibilities are endless.

Coho are a notoriously frail fish, often experiencing higher mortalities from hooking than other salmonid species such as chinook. Now that many coho stocks are on the upswing, and recreational fishing opportunities are increasing, there will no doubt be an increase in angler effort. This is great for us anglers, but it can also take us right back to where we've been with low returns and closed seasons if proper precautions aren't taken.

It is not uncommon to land as many wild fish (non-adipose fin clipped ) in a day as hatchery fish. It is of the utmost importance to ensure these fish are released as quickly as possible in the best overall health possible. Tools such as de-hooking devices, not netting or removing unclipped fish from the water, and the use of lures instead of double hook mooching rigs with bait will all help to protect valuable wild fish stocks. Using single, barbless hooks on amputated rigs can allow for easy on-the-water changes based on what you're seeing in fish health as they are caught. Also, by changing the way the braided loop is positioned around the hook, bringing the loop through the hook eye from either the front or back side, you can cause the hook to ride point up or point down in the water, resulting in varied hooking locations (upper jaw vs. lower jaw) that may benefit fish health. By making every attempt possible to protect the resource, we can hope for continued healthy runs in the future.