Low water coho

I fished the Stave today in what was supposed to be a rainy day. Much to my surprise the day was warmer than I thought and not a drop of rain fell. When I arrived the water was very low as the tide was out. My first destination was almost dry except for a smallish pool below some shallows. In the pool were many chum and coho swirling around. I tried a few casts into the tail out, steering clear of the main body for fear of simply snagging fish but I soon moved on. As I walked the river I found a few nice spoons someone had snagged on various stumps that had previously been submerged. I walked down stream and found more coho holding in what little water was left. Many of the coho were colouring up but there were some nice chrome fish in there too. I fished a few side channels on the fly, holing a small presentation would be the ticket. Alas, the fish were too spooked by the lack of water. I waited until the tide started coming back in and went back to my original spot. A few casts in and I was into my first fish. It was a hatchery coho, about 7 lbs but was more coloured up than I like to keep so I let it go. The day progressed and the tide rose. By the end of the day I had landed another coho (wild and released) and a handful of chum.

The season is winding down and at this time of year I often take some time off from fishing until steelheading gets into full swing. Although... I may get out for one more trip before that happens...