Last week was unusually rainy for Juneau in August. The big storm that dumped multiple inches of rain on us blew out rivers and muddied up the shoreside saltwater fishing. On a positive note, the rains have slowed, the creeks have dropped and some saltwater areas are clearing up. The forecast looks pretty good for the next 4 days and it is time to head out fishing.
We know there are good numbers of coho in the area. The Golden North Salmon Derby was last weekend and we always keep an eye on how the participants do in terms of catching coho. This gives us an idea of the overall strength of the run. And this year the derby catch was very good so we are anticipating a strong coho run in the channel as well as in local streams.
Casting for coho at Sheep Creek.
If you are looking to go give coho a try, Sheep Creek is likely your best bet at the moment. The water off the beach is clear and it is always one of the first places to get a good push of fish. We have been getting consistent reports of coho being caught at Sheep along with some late pink salmon. Other channel spots such as 5 Mile, 9 Mile and Bayview are still hampered by marginally off color water. A few more tide changes will help them clear up and become more fishable.
If you are looking for flies, we have Grab & Go Coho packs at the shop in 6 Fly or 12 Fly quantities. These will give you some variety on the water as we dial in what the coho want to eat. If a gear upgrade is on your list, now would be a good time to jump on it. We just got a load of Echo and Sage 8 weight rods in so we have a set up in every price point and quality level. Swing in the shop and we can get you set up for a successful coho season.
The rod rack is loaded!
If you are still looking to chase some Dollies, reports are that the bite has turned right back on after the deluge of last week. There are still humpies in upper Montana Creek as well as Cowee Creek and the Dollies are sitting behind them eating eggs.
Get out there and enjoy it!
