Family Cascade Lakes Trip

[troutman69]

After a long hiatus from boating (and ifish) due to Scouting and other life projects, I am hitching up the boat and taking the family camping and fishing for a week. We will be leaving Sunday to camp at Crane Prairie and making day trips to other lakes. If you see the Fishing Fantasy (blue and silver North River), come say hi!

I have two goals for the trip: 1) Get my boys their first fish on a fly rod, and 2) I am going to try to figure out how to catch kokanee at Crane Pairie. I know they are in there. Any tips would be appreciated.

I will give everyone a full report when I return. Tight lines everyone! :)

[Dullhook]

Can't think of a better way of sharing a week with your family. We used to pick up some kokes incidentally while targeting bows and brookies using a worm and marshmallow off the bottom. The best area was around the mouth of the Cultus channel. That was quite a few years ago but if you fish specifically for them there could be some dandies there for the taking :shrug:. I've heard that trolling out where the channels converge with a light spinner with worm trailer set-up works but haven't spoken recently with anyone who has fished there. That could well be a blessing in disguise since most folks go after the big bows and bass leaving the kokes alone.

Anyhow, have a great trip and many of us will be interested in your report! :cheers:

[Quick Fish]

Back in the 60's and 70's I caught a few kokanee in Crane stillfishing worms, worm/corn, or worm/egg combo's under a bobber. There may be better methods to more specifically target them in Crane. Catching kokanee under a bobber is actually some of the most fishing fun I've ever had. The bite starts with a few light twitches of the bobber then it stops. About the time you think maybe you should reel in to check your bait, the bobber twitches a couple more times and then moves 3-6 feet across the surface and totally stops. After another pause (sometimes long), The twitching begins again only this time a little more vigorously. The above process may again repeat. At some point, the bobber may actually go under and you're in business.

The most difficult part of this is practicing restraint and trying to determine when they may have stolen all your bait. I didn't have very good results attempting to set the hook before the bobber went fully under. If you try this method, use the smallest bobber you can still see for the least amount of resistance.

Good luck and please post your results when you return.

[troutman69]

Thanks, guys! I will be sure to post when I return. I heard today from a customer at Joe's that Wickiup, Odell, and Crescent are picking up again for kokanee. I might have to try those out too.