Kokanee rookie

[Redband Chaser]

Hello all, this is my first post here. I'm an fisherman and have never fished for kokanee before. My stepsons really want me rent a boat at East Lake and pursue them memorial day weekend.

Any suggestions? Is it a lake we can be successful at being inexperienced or would we be better off hiring a guide?

[5-Cents]

Last year was the first year I fished for kokes, its really fun and there can be constant action for the youngsters if you are fishing at the right depth. We only trolled as the fish were not in huge schools. East Lake is where we were at when I tried it for the first time - once we got the depth dialed we were in fish nonstop. Here are some tips that worked for us -

1. Have a good depth finder and believe it. If you are marking fish you are in the right spot.

2. We used 1.5 oz of lead, that kept our lines at a 45 degree angle when trolling (just like salmon fishing). One pull of your line from the reel to the first eye will equate into one foot of fishing depth. If you are marking fish at 40' - start with 40 pulls and you should be in the zone.

3. When trolling zig zag a lot. The more eratic your trollling the better the fish bite. If you mark a good pod of fish troll thorugh then whip around and troll through again... stay on top of the fish.

4. We used lake trolls with wedding rings for our trolling rigs. I would start out with both red and green wedding rings - it seems the fish keyed on one color when we were there - green. If you notice all the bites are coming off of one rig switch them all to that color.

5. They did like some lake trolls better than others... the one that was most effective was called a "Bolo" with smaller willow leaf blades. After looking at these things I am thinking I could build my own with beads and spinner blades from my spinner making kit.

6. Use long limber rods if you can - kokes have soft mouths and a stiff rod will lose fish. When reeling them in do it slow but keep constant pressure - if you try and reef them in you will lose a lot of fish.

7. Bait the tips of your hooks with corn or gulp grubs. They were keying on white, red, white corn combos when were there. I heard the gulp grubs are the bomb tho!

8. Check at the store - they will point you in the right direction to start. Dont forget to get a coffee at the coffee stand - OMG the girl that works in there was SUPER MODEL hot! :whistle:

8. Use salt, pepper and thorw those babies on the grill with some tinfoiled pouch potatoes/onions/bacon and a cold brew and eat next to the camp fire = a GREAT day! :D

Hello all, this is my first post here. I'm an fisherman and have never fished for kokanee before. My stepsons really want me rent a boat at East Lake and pursue them memorial day weekend.

Any suggestions? Is it a lake we can be successful at being inexperienced or would we be better off hiring a guide?

[Code4]

5-Cents, you rock! Above and beyond with the tips. Good Karma coming your way.

My tip...if your a little lost, follow the crowd. Meaning if you see a bunch of koke boats fishing...probably means they are on top of the fish. That would be a good starting point.

[Smalma]

Redbank chaser -
In addition to the excellent advice from 5cents I would offer the following.

speed can be critical, usually slower is better. I typically shot for a speed of between 0.8 to 1.5 miles/hour usually starting in the 1.1 to 1.3 range. Sometimes a change of just a couple tenths of mile/hour can make a big difference.

Add scent to your corn; I like to soak my corn for a day or two in one of the kokanee scent mixtures that are on the market. They all work. In addition I will usually add another scent as I bait my presentation. Scents to consider include anise, squid oil, krill, DNA, etc.

Wedding rings have become the standard for the kokes with the more popular colors include red, orange, and various greens with gold or silver blades but other success lures can include mimi squids, apex lures, thin spoons, spin-gos, etc. Of course bait them all.

Finally consider using a two hook rig. I space mine about 3/4 inches apart, others space them closer. I like size 2s and 4s single hooks and have found that gammi drop shot hooks are a great hook style.

Kokanee fishing is often a game of changing presentations - depth, speed, location, lures, lure color, bait, scent, etc. If you are not catching fish change different part of the equation and don't be afraid to ask or try to mimic those that are having success..

A long handle net can also be handy.

However a word of warning - kokanee chasing can be adictive and habitat forming.

hve fun
Curt

[Queeg]

If you can catch a trout you can catch a kokanee without much trouble.

I think the keys are remembering that they travel in schools, and they will run at a certain depth depending on lake conditions.

Alas, early in the season they are shallow and the schools are scattered.

Fish by the red rockslide, oh wait that's Paulina.

[goose]

what water temperature do Kokes like?

[SilverBullets]

what water temperature do Kokes like?

Generally the 50-55 degree range. You might have to experiment a bit above or below that to find the one's that are biting.

[bwild]

Heck, at Paulina last week, it ranged from 35 to 39 degrees and we faired alright. I was actually surprised they were schooling up. I figured they would've been more spread out.

[mic4fish]

Great tips thanks!! :)