How to rig up for kokes

[jonn5335]

Well I have'nt been koke fishing since I was about 6 years old I mainly steelhead/salmon fish and so how would I go about catching them at merwin or yale resivor I would be trolling banking anything but I don't have downriggers pictures of setups would be very helpful

[Cannon]

Originally Posted by jonn5335

Well I have'nt been koke fishing since I was about 6 years old I mainly steelhead/salmon fish and so how would I go about catching them at merwin or yale resivor I would be trolling banking anything but I don't have downriggers pictures of setups would be very helpful

This time of year, long lining can be very effective. Try running your line out 150 to 200 feet behind the boat. A good indicator that you are far enough out is that you will have about 75' before the line hits the water with your rod in the holder. When doing this, I run a sling blade dodger because they are a little heavier and pull your rig down in the water more. Run slow, no more than 1.2 MPH.

Effective lures are smaller this time of year: such as the sockeye slammer or Humdinger. My favorite colors this time of year are pink and chartreuse. I also have good luck with hoochies, again in the same colors. Spinners such as wedding rings, or any variations to that theme in the same colors with hammered brass blades work well this time of year. Be sure to run hoochies and spinners on a short leader, no more than 12" because the dodger gives the lure it's action. Lures need a longer leader 18-30 inches.

Shoe peg corn is the best bet for bait with some scent applied. My favorite scent brand is Pro-Troll but I also have good luck with some of the others as well. When I am not into mixing up my bait or I forget it at home, I use firecorn or Gulp maggots which are kept in the stink box on my boat.

As the weather/water warms, if you want to effectively target koke's you will need to invest in some downriggers to hit the required depth trolling or wait for fall and do some jigging. I have some more info on my web site with the basics if you need some more info or just google kokanee fishing. There is a ton of info out there, you just need to look for it. This site has some of the best koke fishermen around and most are very helpful.