Become A Kokanee Catcher

Our multi-part

By Tom Schnell

Kokanee are becoming a favorite fishery in the Northwest, and no wonder: They are fun to catch, delicious to eat and found in lakes and reservoirs throughout the region. When runs of ocean-returning salmon decline, anglers turn more and more to the landlocked version.

A kokanee is a sockeye salmon, but unlike its relative, which travels to and from the Pacific, kokanee live their entire lives in freshwater. While most kokanee average between 10 and 15 inches, they can get larger. The IGFA-record 9-pound 10-ounce kokanee was caught in Oregon’s Wallowa Lake in 2010.

Kokanee filter feed on tiny plankton and zooplankton in lakes and reservoirs. That said, they are known to consume small larva that are present in the water. During a hatch they may prefer a certain color that closely resembles the larva that they are feeding on. They may also be feeding on freshwater shrimp known as mysis shrimp if the lake has been stocked with the crustaceans. What is interesting is that most of the time kokanee are not hitting a lure because

There are many rods and reels specifically designed for kokanee fishing. The author’s favorite are the Edge KDR-760-1 rod for downriggers and the Santiam Rod for a dropper rod. He pairs both with Daiwa Lexa 100 linecounter reels. (TOM SCHNELL) they see it as a food source. Most kokanee lures have no resemblance to anything a kokanee would eat. The fish most likely are hitting out of aggression or curiosity.

Kokanee have delicate flesh and are known as excellent table fare. Prepare them the same way you would salmon or trout. You can help preserve their deliciousness by bleeding them and getting them on ice as quickly as possible. Once home you can fry, barbecue, smoke (our favorite) and even can them. Making salmon patties and salmon dip with kokanee is a favorite among some kokanee anglers.

KOKANEE TEND TO be an open-water fish, and most anglers target them from a boat or other watercraft such as a kayak. Boat size does not matter; we have seen very small boats and kayaks all the way up to cabin cruisers fishing for kokanee. Very few kokanee are caught from the bank.

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Kokanee can be found anywhere from close to the surface to hundreds of feet down in deeper lakes. Having a fish finder, downriggers and a longhandled net are all very helpful.

There are two primary ways to catch kokanee: trolling and jigging. When jigging, find schools of fish on your fish finder and then jig just above the depth the schools are located. You also can cast a jig when you see fish jumping at the water surface. Slowly twitch the jig back to the boat, paying special attention to when the jig is falling. Most strikes occur on the downward fall of the jig. Often it is a very subtle hit, so don’t be afraid to gently set the hook, being careful not to rip the hook out of the fish’s mouth. Jig weight can vary from ¼ ounce all the way up to 1 ounce, depending on how deep you are targeting the fish at.

There are three primary trolling methods: long lining, dropper rod and using downriggers. These methods have been covered in previous articles in Northwest Sportsman, so here is a brief recap:

Long lining entails using a heavier attractor, usually a dodger, and letting out 100 to 150 feet of line with no weight. This will get you down to as deep as 10 to 12 feet.

Dropper rod fishing uses a weight in front of your attractor, although some anglers still use lead core line instead. Most use 1 to 3 ounces of weight; anything over 3 ounces and you are better off using a downrigger. This setup will get your lure and bait as deep as 40 feet, depending on the amount of lead, the length of the line and the trolling speed.

When you need to go deeper than

30 to 40 feet, downriggers are an invaluable tool.

SPEED, DEPTH, BAIT, scent, dodger, lure action, color and even leader length all factor in when trolling for kokanee.

When trolling for kokanee go slower than you would for other salmon species. Most anglers will troll between .8 and 1.6 miles per hour. Adding some “S” turns as you troll can often incite a bite. Try to run your attractor and lure just above the depth of the fish you are marking. You want your gear to be going over the top of the fish, not underneath them.

Bait is very important when trolling for kokanee. A longtime favorite tactic is to tip your lure’s hooks with white shoepeg corn, where legal. With the corn, you can add scents such as tuna oil, garlic, anise and a variety of other enticing odors. Adding pink, orange and even chartreuse dye can help change it up some too. Other good baits for kokanee include small pieces of salad shrimp, maggots, small marshmallows, pieces of nightcrawler and even salmon eggs. Maggots can be either natural or artificial. Berkley Gulp! Maggots have become a very popular substitute for corn where available. Always check your local regulations to ensure the bait you are using is allowed and legal.

Rods and reels should be on the ultralight side. There are many kokanee-specific rods on the market, with most ranging from 7 to 9 feet in length – watch for an in-depth story in the near future. There are rods specifically designed for jigging, downriggers and fishing a dropper.

Fishing with a downrigger calls for a rod that’s very flexible and “loads up” under pressure. A good dropper rod will have more backbone for trolling with extra weight. A limber rod will let you feel the fight of the fish and improves your hook-to-land ratio.

A good linecounter reel will make it easier to know exactly how much line you have out. Smaller reels designed for kokanee are good in that they have a steady retrieve and a lighter, smoother drag.

Most kokanee anglers use 8- to 12-pound monofilament mainline; it all comes down to personal preference, as most kokanee will average under a pound. Some anglers prefer braided mainline because of the small diameter/pound strength it possesses. One downside to braid – and which is why we prefer mono – is that mono stretches. With their acrobatics and soft mouths, having a little extra stretch in the line often helps in landing kokanee. Using mono with a good ultralight kokanee rod also replaces the need for snubbers.

POPULAR ATTRACTORS FOR kokanee include inline trolls and dodgers. Both dodgers – which we’ll look at more in depth in an upcoming article – and inline trolls work similarly in that their job is to help attract fish to your lure presentation. How they work, though, is where they differ. Dodgers are typically some type of metal or plastic “blade” that dodges, or swings, side to side. These kind of dodgers are also common among salmon anglers, with the smaller version being used for kokanee.

A lake troll is usually a length of heavy mono or wire where two to four spinning blades are attached. Inline trolls are still utilized, but with the advent of lighter gear, dodgers are becoming increasingly popular due to their low water resistance. Their attractiveness is found in both adding action to one’s lure and their low drag coefficient. Lake trolls can produce a fair amount of drag as they are being trolled, while dodgers have far less drag, allowing one to actually feel the fight of the fish.

Spinners, spoons, hoochies, flies, Spin-N-Glos, Brad’s Kokanee Cut Plugs, Apexes and other such lures work for kokanee. Think salmon lures, just in a much smaller size since most kokanee don’t exceed 15 inches. There also are a lot of kokanee-specific lures and dodgers on the market. Talk to kokanee anglers at the dock and many are more than willing to share what is working on any particular day.

Preferred colors for kokanee are pink, orange and chartreuse. Red, blue, purple, white, black or any combination of these colors can also