Kokes in Swift with Pics?????

[Fly Junkie]

This is little bit overdue but I was just thinking about it. This last summer when I was flyfishing for trout in the river above swift resivoir I caught 4 or 5 chrome Kokanee that were all about 10-14 inches. I was just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences in the river or the resivior? I had allways read in the regs that they were in there but never experienced catching them until last summer, I just never thought that there were any in there.

[trollin4trout]

I wish the next person who catches a "koke" in Swift would post a picture- just sayin' -I've never seen one yet. I've had people troll by who say "caught a couple small kokes- that's all".

With Yale and Merwin full of kokes right down the road- I'm sure bucket biology has occurred- I've yet to see one though.

There are land locked chinook stocked in there- I always seem to catch some small ones. Could it have been one of those?

Jim

[Fly Junkie]

No it was definetley Kokanee. I have a few pictures of them in front of eagle cliff. If I knew how to post pictures then I would prove it to all of you guys.

[Tightlip]

we caught over a hundred last year on opening day dont have pics but it was a blast mouth of the river

[Fly Junkie]

Well here it is for all of you guys that don't beleive that there are Kokanee in swift.
Attachment 25066

[Fly Junkie]

And here's a close up...
Attachment 25068

[hookumhi]

Is there a ramp useable now at Swift? I looked for access and couldn't find any open!

[sucker]

Originally Posted by hookumhi

Is there a ramp useable now at Swift? I looked for access and couldn't find any open!

The lake is up fine but doesn't open until the last sat. in april. Yale is the only option up there right now; yale park ramp should be good to go.

[Fly Junkie]

I didn't think yale opened until april also???

[sucker]

Yale is open year-round as is yale park boat ramp; lake level is only three feet from full pool.

[hookumhi]

Is there more than one boat ramp for the public at Swift? I found the closed private one near the east end but any others???

[VanDaddy]

I'm no expert, but this is what I see in the photo above:

That is a land locked coho - not a Kokanee which is a land locked Sockeye.

I think T4T is correct, no Kokes in Swift.

However, I have caugh silvers (coho) there myself.

[sucker]

Originally Posted by hookumhi

Is there more than one boat ramp for the public at Swift? I found the closed private one near the east end but any others???

Only one public boat ramp at Swift; that at the forrest camp on the North-east end of the lake. The camp/ramp will be closed until opening of trout season in April.

[hookumhi]

Thanks for the heads up sucker, it's kinda weird there's no other ramps .

[walt1er]

I think the fish in those pictures are coho, not kokanee. According to WDFW records, Kokanee have not intentionally been planted in Swift in 40+ years.

However, here's a WDFW Weekender Report from June, 1999:

"The Lewis River Reservoirs -- Merwin and Swift -- are producing some kokanee. Boat anglers on Swift Reservoir averaged four fish per person."

From a 2004 Pacific Power study:
"One kokanee, probably mixed at the hatchery with rainbow trout planted in Swift Reservoir, was observed in the creel."

So go figure. Swift has had a smorgasboard of plantings over the last few decades.

[Fly Junkie]

So there should be no doubt that it is a kokanee right? I've done my fair share of kokanee fishing in merwin, and also have caught alot of silvers. To me it is a kokanee because of the thin delicate mouth and a long forked tail. Anyone can see that it is the attributes of a kokanee not a coho.

[Loner]

Sorry I don't have a better pick on hand but here are come Coho out of Riffe lake, note the forked tail. I think I would go with "walt1er" looks like a coho.

[MegaByte]

Originally Posted by trollin4trout

I wish the next person who catches a "koke" in Swift would post a picture- just sayin' -I've never seen one yet. I've had people troll by who say "caught a couple small kokes- that's all".

With Yale and Merwin full of kokes right down the road- I'm sure bucket biology has occurred- I've yet to see one though.

There are land locked chinook stocked in there- I always seem to catch some small ones. Could it have been one of those?

Jim

I got some pics from fall of 2008 on Swift. I think they are Kokes but some may disagree. Let me know what you think. They look like the same fish I catrch in Yale which are definately Kokes.

[Cannon]

Originally Posted by MegaByte

I got some pics from fall of 2008 on Swift. I think they are Kokes but some may disagree. Let me know what you think. They look like the same fish I catrch in Yale which are definately Kokes.

It looks to me like they are chinooks. The inside of the gum line apears to be black. Kokanee don't have that and unless you are looking for it you would never know. Otherwise they look pretty much the same.

[Addicted2Koke]

Originally Posted by Cannon

It looks to me like they are chinooks. The inside of the gum line apears to be black. Kokanee don't have that and unless you are looking for it you would never know. Otherwise they look pretty much the same.

I agree 100%. With the looks of the heads and mouths, they are definately not kokes. Also, with the landlocked coho & chinook, the fish do not lose their scales like a kokanee. Not sure why a lot of guys have a hard time identifying kokes could be lack of experience?

[sucker]

Originally Posted by MegaByte

I got some pics from fall of 2008 on Swift. I think they are Kokes but some may disagree. Let me know what you think. They look like the same fish I catrch in Yale which are definately Kokes.

Spots are too prominate for sockeye; spots on lower part of the tail so not coho; my vote is chinook. I have caught kokanee, coho, and chinook in swift. If you fish Yale you need to know the difference where the limit for kokanee is 16 and the limit for trout (which includes landlocked salmon) is 5. They have been trucking adult salmon from below merwin to swift for years now to take advantage of the spawing areas in the upper Lewis. Suppose to be trapping the small salmon on the down stream trip and truck them back below Merwin. These fish may be the ones they missed. There were more of these fish in the lake last year than I had ever seen before. These should make excellent food for the listed bull trout in swift.

[Smalma]

Of the top of my head I can not think of a single Washington kokanee population where the maturing fish would be making the spawning run up spawning tibs during the summer, let alone as chrome fish. With just a handful of exceptions the Washington kokanee are Lake Whatcom stock which holds off the mouth of creeks until they are "colored" before starting their spawning run.

I too think those fish are landlock coho. On the lake where I do most of my kokanee fishing depending on the year around 5% of the kokanee caught are actually coho yet it is the rare angler that recognizes that they have two species in their catch.

Tight lines
Curt

[eric71m]

sure fire way to tell...

check the gill rakers on the back of the gills. Kokes have a bunch, it will look like a fine toothed comb, trout, chin, or others will have some, but not very fine or close together!

[MegaByte]

I will definately disagree with the idea these are Chinooks. Even small Chinooks have a definate Chinook smell to them. These did not. I would go with the idea of Silver Salmon. The skinny lower jaw line was not like those of Kokes either. I am not a biologist, and the idea of lack of experience as stated by another post on here may be true when it comes to fish identification. Bottom line is the meat was very red, they eat well and fight hard. I really don't care what they are as long as they bite. I never took Koke 101 in school......lol

[Tred73]

Looks like a great shoreline lunch to me!!!!!!!

[Fly Junkie]

Originally Posted by Addicted2Koke

I agree 100%. With the looks of the heads and mouths, they are definately not kokes. Also, with the landlocked coho & chinook, the fish do not lose their scales like a kokanee. Not sure why a lot of guys have a hard time identifying kokes could be lack of experience?

I agree comletely. The scales on the fish that I caught just fell off right away. Definetly the charicteristics of a kokanee.

[Stowaway]

Aren't those Coho a nice bonus to the trout you get out of there?

[joemomma]

Originally Posted by MegaByte

I got some pics from fall of 2008 on Swift. I think they are Kokes but some may disagree. Let me know what you think. They look like the same fish I catrch in Yale which are definately Kokes.

Look like Chinook to me!

[sucker]

Originally Posted by MegaByte

I got some pics from fall of 2008 on Swift. I think they are Kokes but some may disagree. Let me know what you think. They look like the same fish I catrch in Yale which are definately Kokes.

I sent a copy of you photos to WDFW and this was their response:
Hello Mr. Nickelson.

Thank you for sending in your photo. Your first instinct was correct. Those are not Kokanee they are Coho. There are no Kokanee in Swift Reservoir. There was an attempt to introduce them about fifty years ago to that reservoir and due to very poor results they have not been planted since.

Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Melani R. Gonzalez

Melani R. Gonzalez
Customer Service Specialist
WDFW - Region 5 Vancouver
ph: (360) 906-6701
fx: (360) 906-6777

[ProElite30x]

Hmm, I would agree, but remember the WDFW also said we did not have wolves in Wa 5 years ago.... I know for a FACT that is not true.

[sucker]

Originally Posted by ProElite30x

Hmm, I would agree, but remember the WDFW also said we did not have wolves in Wa 5 years ago.... I know for a FACT that is not true.

I thought the fish were chinook because of the spots on the lower part of the tail. Coho will normally only have spots on the top part of their tail and none on the bottom; if I had the fish I would look at the gum line; black for chinook and white for coho. The spots on the back are way to big for sockeye. As for wolves that is a politically charged issue and would not believe any public official with that much politics involved. With the politics public workets just parrot what they are told by their bosses. I also do not buy the fact kokanee are not in the lake because they haven't been planted for 50 years. These fish are not listed so not political = most likely the truth.

[KingSalmonBoy]

A fine distinction on the gum line. I have seen alot of coho with black mouths which some see as a black gum line. The distictinction is the line where the teeth come out of the gums. If the line where the teeth come out is black-chinook/ white-coho(as stated above).

[Nw dukn]

I agree..

[MegaByte]

Silvers makes sense! In the fall you can see them migrating up the river at thehead of the lake as well. So I was wrong....they are not Kokes, but they certianly did not have that Chinook smell so I knew I was at least right about that. Thanks for clearing this up for me at least. I am going with the verdict SILVERS!

[Fly Junkie]

Thanx for crushing my hopes and dreams.

[ruger357]

Originally Posted by ProElite30x

Hmm, I would agree, but remember the WDFW also said we did not have wolves in Wa 5 years ago.... I know for a FACT that is not true.