Lake Washington Coho 9

Ever since I moved to Lake Washington last year I have been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to fish coho in the lake.  I have fished coho in the lake a few times in the past with some success but I also know how frustrating this fishery can be when you see silvers jumping all around the boat and not one of them is a biter.  That's okay though because I'm a determined fisherman and I decided to call everyone I know that fishes LW and to do all of my research on the web, so by the time September 16th rolled around I wold be even more dialed.

The first stop I made was Google.  I searched LW coho, fishing for coho in LK Wa, and every other combo I could think of and came up with very little if anything.  That's just fine though, what does Google know about fishing anyway?  I went to Gamefshin and Piscatorial Pursuits next, surely one of those sites would have what I was looking for! Negative, nada, zip, zero, nothing that I had not heard or read before.  Undaunted, I decided to call Tom Pollock from Sportco in Fife.  Tom is Mr. Go-to-Guy when it comes to fishing Lake Washington.  If there is an answer, Tom has it and is always willing to help.  Well imagine my surprise when Tom told me he doesn't fish for silvers in LW and in his recollection is that he'd never even caught one in the lake  before.  What?!!  Anyway, Tom told me that he knows a guy that guides on LW and that I should give him a call.  Call him I did and if I was surprised when Tom said he didn't fish for coho on LW, well I was incomplete shock when the LW guide gave me the exact same answer.  What is going on here?  Is this one of those great fisheries that nobody wants to talk about?  Is there a conspiracy to keep this quiet and only let a few guys in on the secrets?  Well if it is, I am about to let the cat out of the bag.

It is true that these fish can have lockjaw once they enter LW.  That being said, I have also had days when I have fished for half an hour, caught my fish and then enjoyed a great fall day cruising around LW.  One of my favorite of these days came when former Seahawk teammate Grant Wistrom was supposed to go with me on our day off.  His wife called an audible so I left his dock only to return forty-five minutes later with two really nice coho.  Oh the joy of rubbing it in!! 

Carl Lopez (my friend and agent) displays one of the lakes nice bonus catches.

Anyway, back to talking about how we catch these fish.  A lot of the guys that I have talked to that fish this fishery use standard trolling gear.  Flashers, dodgers, hootchies, herring, anchovies and flies.  That's right, the same thing you use in the salt.  I saw a guy this past weekend net two inside of two hours using a dodger set-up.  Heck, I even saw some guys anchored up and mooching.  For me however,  I like to pull noisy plugs off my downiggers.  Wiggle Warts in red and black or orange and black have always been a favorite.  The action on these plugs and the noise that they make can draw a strike when other techniques aren't producing.

Scent is also a vital part of getting these fish to bite in the lake.  All of the usual suspects can work just fine but I like to use Mustad Activate Slow Release Gel for Salmon.  Mustad uses pherotech technology that combines pheromones, fish oils, and attractants.  This combination really stimulates feeding and I wipe it on everything.

These areas are great starting points when fishing LW for coho but don't be afraid to venture out into the open water as well.

No doubt LW coho fishing can be frustrating at times but for those willing to put in a little time, it can be rewarding as well.