Beach fishing for Coho on the Island

[Islander]

So I’m trying to get some flies together for some beach fishing of both juvenile Coho and returning Coho this summer/fall. I haven’t done it much before nor had a whole lot of direction in the fly selection category. From what I can gather so far though it seems that the flies tend to be on the smaller side with neon blues and greens being preferable colors.
I’ve used with success olive wooly buggers and Coho Buggers (aka Neal fly) and been told to use blue rolled muddlers and weigh westers.
If I’m mostly fishing in the Campbell River/Black Creek to Port Hardy areas are there any other flies that I should be tying up or colors I should be using?
I only have a couple weeks left and my summer work starts up. Once it's here life is too busy to tie flies again till end of October, so if I could get a head start now that would be prime.

[tbar24]

some clousers always work and some pink eve's in blue(which have a special name but i cant remember it) and depending on the beach you could try some scuds
hope that hel[ps a bit
-tyler-

[Islander]

Oh I think I made up some of those Pink eve's in Blue already. Have them in size 2 and size 4 (do I need to make them smaller) unweighted with blue wings silver body wrap and a red tail that about right?
Oh yea I found it in the gallery here:
http://www.flyfishbc.com/photopost/s....php/photo/828
What sizes are the clousers normally for Coho I gernally make my pink clousers in a size 6 that about the same size for Coho? I know in Washington lots of guys are using surface patterns or very little weight on their Coho patterns is it the same here?

Just found a post in 2007 with some helpful suggestions as well. Looks like I thought mostly small flies, subsurface on floating or ghost lines.

[SalaR]

You might seriously want to have a large selection of Barry Thornton's "Kathy's Coat" on hand for any area of East Coast Vancouver Island! This fly was tied specifically for the Black Creek Area some years ago out of necessity and forgotten flies ...but has proved to be a major pattern for COHO,Pinks and even Chum. Fairly easy fly to tie in many sizes ...White Polar Bear, Fl. Orange ,Pink and Red Lazer Wrap,Pearl Krystal Flash and various colours of thread for the head.
C
PS...The Coho Bugger in a light Blue is also great...tied with either regular short barb Grizzly Hackle of Chartreuse Grizzly Hackle...
C

[SalaR]

Here is Barry's Kathy's Coat.......


Landed 24 Coho off Oyster River with this fly in 2001 ,,on One day in Late September
This particular version has a bit more flash than the original pattern ,also,the original was tied with a more Orange lazer wrap...however...this version is really a great fly

[Islander]

Thanks for that Salar especially for posting the pic of the Cathy's coat. I had found a different version of the coat with metalic braid instead of the lazor wrap. I'll have to tie up some new ones with the lazor wrap. Are those Size 6 and 8 long hooks?

[SalaR]

Winterbum,
Barry also has a fly called the "Silver Thorn"...a very simple and effecive pattern tied with Silver Chenille body,a bit of Peacock Sword Fibres for the Tail,a bit of a Red Throat(Sparse) and Peacock Sword for the back...of course with the availability of materials we now have subsitutions are great. I like that fly with Stick On Eyes. Barry Thornton and Bob Weir used to fish off the Kelp beds along Campbell River ,Oyster River , Black Creek,Deep Bay and even in Bowser when we had Kelp Beds there and Fish were around. March was there best time for Blue Backs and Cutties.
Of course Summer and Fall for mature fish
C

[Islander]

Thanks again Salar, just wondering if the jack Coho fishing is like the Cuttie fishing in that you often see the fry/bait boil when the fish are around?
I do a lot of time on the water in the summer and I often see Coho and small springs chasing the bait way out in open water, but I haven't spent too much time up against the kelp beds. I remember around August that there were a few chaps that fished the end of Quadra - cape mudge in those kelp beds for Coho, but I never asked them either if they "see the fish" and know to keep fishing or if they just fish, move, fish, move, fish move....like cuttie fishing.

[SalaR]

These Jacks terrorize ...and keep moving...Deep Bay has a bunch as we speak
C