Riffe Lake Coho's

[doyourtime89]

   I have been reading on line about how Riffe Lake is on fire for the landlock Coho's.  Most people have been saying fishing by the dam just outside Mossyrock.  Others at some fishing bridge on the east end of the lake.  I have never been there.  I am planning on taking my son and 2 of his friends there Friday morning.  I have been hearing its all about bobber with worms or shrimp.  Oh we will be fishing from the shore.  I was wondering if anyone on here knows much about fishing at Riffe Lake and could pass on any info you might have.  I have heard the shrimp is just the little salad shrimp from the store.  I have used prawns before for chums and pinks but not the little shrimp.  Do I need to do anything to them, like cook them, brine them?  Just any info on this fishery would be great.  Thanks for your time and help.

[lewy]

pm sent

[cougkilr]

Salad shrimp work great, I buy them in the styrofoam package and microwave them for about 30 seconds which firms them up so they stay on your hook better, you'll get hits pretty much as soon as the shrimp hit the water.  I usually fish at the fishing bridge, it gets pretty crowded, but theres lots of room,  im sure the earlier the better.  Good luck!

[rasbo]

last time at the dam we used slip bobber 50 deep with shrimp

[doyourtime89]

last time at the dam we used slip bobber 50 deep with shrimp

I heard that is later in the year when you have to use the slip bobber and sometimes up to 100 feet.  But from what I am reading this time of the year 2ft to 5ft under the bobber.  Thanks for the info everyone.

[rasbo]

last time at the dam we used slip bobber 50 deep with shrimp

I heard that is later in the year when you have to use the slip bobber and sometimes up to 100 feet.  But from what I am reading this time of the year 2ft to 5ft under the bobber.  Thanks for the info everyone.

could be that would be sweet,I really dont remember what time of year it was...I need to get over there and troll

[Sumpnneedskillin]

One of my earliest fishing memories is fishing the 108 bridge when it had logs for guard rails.  Dad would get off work and the family would head down and fish till dark.  It would be shoulder to shoulder on the downstream side.  I remember walking down the bridge looking in peoples buckets to see how many fish and how big they were. 

We used a night crawler and a bobber.  Don't remember how far down.

[SCRUBS]

My son hit it both days last weekend, they used marshmellows and worms on the bottom. He was telling me a bunch of the fish they caught had lumps on them, when they cleaned them they were parasites balls? Any of you guys have any experience with this?

[Mudman]

Ya fish it 3 weeks ago at the foot bridge (Taidapan park).  Shrimp and worm and you have your limit of coho real quick. Be sure to nuke em like said.  Average 16inch and great eating!  All but one of us got our limit both days.  Still have some in freezer getting thawed soon!  Fish bite better on park side of bridge and come in waves. Small shrimp work better and small hook with large slip sinker worked great for us.  Go get em, might have slowed by now?

[HntnFsh]

My son hit it both days last weekend, they used marshmellows and worms on the bottom. He was telling me a bunch of the fish they caught had lumps on them, when they cleaned them they were parasites balls? Any of you guys have any experience with this?

Yep, There are signs posted at the ramps and cleaning stations with a little info.

[lewy]

  ok to eat if cooked right but kinda gross

[tony04]

I just use night crawler. Id go just below the cowlitz falls dam on either side of the river. Most of the silvers have worms in their guts. But if you catch one with a big swollen belly, I'd throw it back.

[doyourtime89]

Thanks for the post, tips and a couple PM's.  We ended up at the Mossyrock Dam as it was getting daylight Friday morning.  Only one other guy there.  The water was really high so not a lot of room to fish.  By the time we left there were people shoulder to shoulder.  There were 5 of us, 3 kids, 2 that have never fished.  So most of my time was working with them.  We ended up getting 13 good size coho out of there.  Lost a few other nice ones and a lot of little one.  And of course miss a good amount of bites.  Nothing really big, I think one might have went 18"..most were 12" to 14", I couple around 16".  I should have had slip bobbers the guys that were doing really good were 15' to 20' under a slip bobber.  We did drive on up to the fishing bridge at Taidnapam Park they were shoulder to shoulder there too, we didn't fish but took a look and seen some caught there too.  Sorry no pic's...forgot my camera and with me running around crazy with the kids I forgot I could have taken some with my cell phone.  Anyone know when it ends or slows down.  I was thinking about going back next Friday. 

[BigGoonTuna]

i always did really well with spinners down there.  riffe also has some great smallmouth fishing, i can remember hooking into a bunch one day just below the fishing bridge on jigs.

[Fishnclifff]

While I'm not sure if Riffe has land locked coho in there, but,  if you are fishing for Kokanee--- they are land locked sockeye salmon.

[C-Money]

While I'm not sure if Riffe has land locked coho in there, but,  if you are fishing for Kokanee--- they are land locked sockeye salmon.

I too wondered if it was a Kokanee fishery. Sounds fun, and great eating!

[doyourtime89]

Nope these are not Kokanee (Sockeye), there are coho salmon in that lake.

[Mudman]

They are coho.  MY bad. misunderstood definitions.

[Button Nubbs]

They are cohokanee.

[Curly]

They are cohokanee.

[HntnFsh]

They are Kokanee guys.  Talk to the cowlitz workers and they will tell ya how many they release!  The older robust one is a hoot to talk too!

Kokanee in Riffe?  Not hardly.  They are definitely coho.  But just for the sake of compromise I like cohokanee too!  Oh,and they arent released in there either.

[Mudman]

They are Kokanee guys.  Talk to the cowlitz workers and they will tell ya how many they release!  The older robust one is a hoot to talk too!

Kokanee in Riffe?  Not hardly.  They are definitely coho.  But just for the sake of compromise I like cohokanee too!  Oh,and they arent released in there either.

You right.  Sorry.