Standing at the river’s edge and surveying the waters, a loud splash disrupted the silence of the day. Coho or silver salmon are known to roll and jump often, and this gives away their location. This fish was in heavy cover where downed logs had created a log jam and there was no way to get to it without risking gear being lost to the sunken trees. But it meant that fish were in the river and that was good enough to load the tackle into the drift boat and launch for a day of searching for more coho.
Rowing down the river, which was calm and quiet, we came to a large back slough. The water here was stacked up from the previous winter’s floods that cut the side channel deep but now the water was shallow at the outfall creating a lake of sorts. This is known as “frog water” and coho prefer to sit here and rest until they regain energy to continue upriver. With a lot of fish holding in the stagnant waters, one would think these fish are easy to catch but anglers often forget that these are resting fish and that means they are lazy and often lockjaw.
The term “lockjaw” means salmon unwilling to bite. Unfortunately, when anglers come upon a dozen or more fish that are lockjaw the temptation to snag becomes overwhelming. Not only is this illegal but also it hurts the runs of coho because these are resting fish and when snagged they exert energy they are trying to use to head upriver and spawn. When a fish becomes too tired to move it simply dies because water needs to flow through the gills and if the fish cannot move and it is released into slow or stagnant water it will suffocate and die.
So, how do you get fish to bite when they are all lockjawed? The answer is simple and that is to find fish that are not lockjawed. Seems silly to say that but it is true, you will not get a lockjawed silver to bite. This does not mean giving up fishing for the day but instead knowing that there are biting fish, or a bite might turn on throughout the day. Back to the stagnant waters of the slough.
These fish are resting but that also means they will get their energy back and will bite. If you have ever thrown a spinner or twitched a jig in this water when it is clear enough to see the fish, then you will notice a fish or two out of the school will start to give chase. These are fish that are done resting and have energy and are just waiting for the right conditions.
The right conditions can be anything from enough time to recover to a shot of rain bringing up the river just enough to make it easier for them to migrate. Anglers often head to the river early to get the “early morning bite” but what is really happening is the water has cooled off from a brisk fall night and the fish are more active. As the day heats up the water also warms, and this means less dissolved oxygen and therefore tired salmon. One way to beat the lockjaw is to fish on cool days, after it rains, or early in the day.
Sometimes, our schedules do not line up with the perfect conditions and anglers can only hit a river when the conditions are all wrong for active fish. You can still beat the lockjawed effect by looking for parts of the river where the fish are active. For coho this can be a deep hole where the water is cooler, and boulders churn the flowing water creating dissolved oxygen. Same with riffles and holding areas in the shade. One hot fall day we were floating a coastal river and working on our sunburns when we came across a long stretch of water.
The current was moderate, and the bank had overhanging trees. Peering into the shadows we saw coho stacked up in the shade, swaying their tails in the current and we thought they were just resting. Tossing a jig and a few quick twitches later a fish slammed it hard and erupted out of the water. These were not lockjawed fish but ones that were just staying out of the bright sun and being protected by the overhanging branches. They were also not in “frog water” but instead in a moderate current where they could sit and let the water run through their gills.
Log jams are notorious places for coho and for eating gear. It is the hardest place of all to catch salmon. Look for deep holes often created by the log jams and watch the fish, or when you see the splashing and rolling as this often means fish are active. A tired fish will sit and rest, but an active fish will be splashing and rolling as it uses energy to do this. Why salmon do this is still unknown with several theories but one thing that is known is that fish that are active are not lockjawed.
Be careful parking the boat over a log jam in current but if you find one that is in a soft part of the river then you can oftentimes move the boat over and tie up to the log jam. The key here is to let the hole rest because it is likely the fish moved out once you put the boat over them. Coho like log jams because it is covered and they feel safe from predators here; the boat will become part of that cover once the commotion stops. Several times we have looked over the edge of the boat and seen coho underneath, sitting there just like they do in other cover.
Techniques vary and sometimes you can get a “lockjawed” silver to bite–though the fish was just resting and is now recovered-by using a bait that it simply cannot resist. Such techniques are often the presentation of bait like cured eggs. If you have ever hoverfished, then you have caught resting fish using eggs. This technique which is extremely popular in the Columbia River Gorge is done at tributary mouths where the colder water from the tributary is dumping into the warmer Columbia. The fish will stack up here to rejuvenate in the cooler water and the bite is often very subtle. Floating eggs under a bobber is a top technique to get resting coho to bite. Back to the frog water slough, it is best to float fish it first and see if there are any resting but willing biters in there.
Twitching jigs and swinging spoons or spinners are for active fish. Use these techniques where fish that are more active, such as in runs, riffles, and deep holes. Yes, they also work in stagnant waters but again you will notice that out of the entire school of fish, only a few will chase down the lures. This means having patience and knowing that the fish will eventually get their strength back and bite.
Same with moving fish, be ready for a long lull in action and then all a sudden the “bite” is on. It is likely fish moved upriver and to your location. One cold November day we were fishing the Satsop River and anchored by a small back eddy along a cut bank. We stayed there all day long twitching jigs and occasionally, a pod of coho would make their way upriver. This was announced by one of us hooking a fish and then it would be “on” for a few minutes with everyone catching a fish or two and then the coho simply moved on.
Lockjawed coho are hard to catch and the best way to catch them is to look for fish that are willing to bite. Knowing when they are lockjawed and not harassing them is the best technique you can do to catch more fish. Find willing biters and leave the tired fish alone. Wasting time on them only hurts the run and will cause you to become frustrated. When you make your way to the edge of the quiet river, pause and look around, listening for the splash of a coho. These are the fish you can catch.
