One aspect I have wondered on the first light fishery is:

Do Coho "lay-up" for the night? And if so, would it be best to hit these areas at first light and then move out to the tide rips after the sun hits the water?

Smalma's point about Traveling fish vs. Milling fish is interesting. I expect that my local fishing grounds (West side of Whidbey) are "Traveling grouds" more that say Shipwreck or the Hat Island, where I would expect the fish to mill around until the river conditions are right.

From my limited experience, I feel my best shot at landing a fish is first light or high tide.

But I prefer first light, as the rest of the family is still sleeping and don't even know I'm gone