If fishing the waters avoid the shallow waters, creek mouths and gravel inlets as this is where the adult spawning Kokanee will be found. As mentioned before, these fish have a high mortality rate when caught and released. By far the most effective way to target this fish is by trolling. Fly fishing can be successful in the spring while Kokanee are cruising the shorelines, but majority of the open water season trolling is the most productive approach.
Trolling also allows you to cover a large amount of water in a short period of time. Use your electronics to discover the schools of fish and correct trolling depths as mentioned above.
Being alert to trolling speeds is vital when fishing for Kokanee. Slower trolling will produce the best results. Speeds from 1mph to 1. If having challenges slowing down your boat enough you can drag a drift sock or bucket behind the boat to help slow it down. Due to this, Kokanee are programmed to flee from larger fish. Fast aggressive flashers or dodgers moving through the water can present as a threat to Kokanee causing them to take off.
Kokanee are a curious fish and they want to know what is going on within their environment. They are aggressive in manner and want to control what is going on. They are attracted to certain vibrations and then to colours. When trolling for Kokanee your goal should be to position your presentation at a targeted depth to obtain two reactions; an attraction and a striking reaction.
Kokanee have three primary characteristics that they use to detect sound. The first two are the inner ears and a lateral line on each side of the fish. The third is a long air bladder that is much longer than most freshwater fish.
They use these three sounds detecting characteristics to find where the sound is coming from. The air bladder is used primarily to pick up on long distance far away sounds and the inner ear and lateral lines are used to pick up on short distance near sounds. The tackle used to create an attraction response is items like dodgers and flashers. This setup is the most important part of your presentation. The dodgers and flashers create displacement within the water; this then creates a sound wave that the Kokanee will be attracted to through their air bladder.
The speed and size of the dodger or flasher will determine the size of wave that is created. Short distance near sounds that draw the Kokanee in for a striking reaction is created by the lure. Lures such as wedding bands, spinners and small spoons like needle fish all create the shorter sounds that help the Kokanee zone in for the strike. Creating a presentation that creates both of these types of sounds that complement each other is the goal.
Some anglers tip their spinners and spoons with pieces of corn or use an attractant to get the fish's attention. A lead is required, as this salmon has plenty of sharp teeth with which to cut a line. Some even use unique corn dyes to add even more attractant and flash to the kokanee lure. There are individual poles and reels, most with light to medium action, specially designed for anglers fishing for kokanee.
Along with bright colors and plenty of attractants, the most popular method to catch this fish is trolling. Use a fish finder to locate a school and troll right through the middle of it. Another more challenging way to catch this salmon is fly-fishing. The ideal time to fish for this species is when the kokanee are spawning in streams, as the fish aren't feeding when they're spawning, and they then exhibit greater levels of aggression.
These are the ideal fish to throw on the grill hours after you've pulled them out of the river. Just be sure to store one correctly after you catch it so it won't spoil before you get a chance to enjoy it in a meal. The kokanee are much smaller than their saltwater counterparts and only grow to about 12 to 15 inches. Because of its more diminutive size, you should clean and cook this fish as you would a trout that also lives in the streams and rivers.
Kokanee is best eaten just before the spawning stage. Their flesh is the dazzling bright orange that many anglers long for, and it is richer in flavor than trout but softer than other salmon. If the fish is longer than 12 inches, you can fillet it. You can also butterfly it or gut-and-grill it. The latter method is ideal for camping dinners, and you can leave the skin and head on if you're not fussy.
Even if you butterfly or fillet your Kokanee, leave the skin on when you grill it. This salmon's flesh is soft and tends to fall apart on the grill. Butterflying is useful because it gives you a larger canvas for spices and marinades.
Much like sardines in the Mediterranean Sea, some anglers' favorite methods for cooking their kokanee are grilling it whole or smoking it. The Takeaway. Angling for kokanee is incredibly fun, as the fish generally don't bite a lure out of hunger but out of aggression. Trolling for kokanee salmon with multicolored lures is a major thrill, and they also make an incredible meal.
Whether you throw it on the grill whole, butterfly it, broil it, or poach it, this beautiful fish is reminiscent of its larger cousins but also has ties to the trout, with which it shares its habitat. Break-Up Country. Elements Agua. Elements Terra. Shadow Grass Habitat. Explore All Patterns. Back About Our Story. Meet Our Staff. Leader lengths vary between 15 to 30 inches depending on water clarity, when there is less water clarity use shorter leaders.
Tipping your lure with a piece of bait will help close the deal once the Kokanee approaches your lure. Once piece of corn or 2 small maggots on each hook is adequate. Yes, you can catch Kokanee without it but if you really want to increase your odds in catching more Kokanee using scent is key! Consider this: a Kokanee are said to have a hundred times greater sense of smell than a Bloodhound Dog! Sockeye Salmon will make a run up a river over kms to the same water in which they came from based on scent alone!
Not only does adding scent to your bait and lure provide a scent trail that helps the Kokanee hone in on your gear and tempt them to strike, but it helps mask any other unwanted smells that may repel a Kokanee.
Kokanee tend to attack these irritant smells out of sheer aggression. Establishing the correct trolling speeds is necessary when it comes to Kokanee fishing. Much slower speeds are used when trolling for Kokanee. Unlike when fishing for Rainbow Trout where the average speed is over 2mph, speeds for Kokanee range from. Kokanee tend to follow your gear for miles around the lake until something changes.
At which point the Kokanee thinks your lure is getting away or they get annoyed with it and strike. Yes, you can catch Kokanee without scent, but if you really want to increase your odds in catching more Kokanee using scent is key!
Consider this: Kokanee are said to have a hundred times greater sense of smell than a Bloodhound Dog. Sockeye Salmon will make a run up a river over miles to the same water in which they came from based on scent alone. Not only does adding scent to your bait and lure provide a scent trail that helps the Kokanee hone in on your gear and tempt them to strike, but it helps mask any other unwanted smells that may repel a Kokanee.
Pro-Cure Bait Scents are the industry leaders in creating scents for Kokanee. Kokanee tend to attack these irritant smells out of sheer aggression. Establishing the correct trolling speeds is necessary when it comes to Kokanee fishing. Much slower speeds are used when trolling for Kokanee, unlike when fishing for Rainbow Trout where the average speed is over 2mph.
Speeds for Kokanee range from. Kokanee tend to follow your gear for miles around the lake until something changes. At which point the Kokanee thinks your lure is getting away or they get annoyed with it and strike. Kokanee fishing can sometimes be challenging, but once you get your presentation just right to the conditions, you will have a lot of fun bringing them into the boat.
Some days will be much easier than others, but keep applying these basic methods and you will have consistent results. The important thing is to get out and give Kokanee fishing a try, experiment and most of all have fun! Not only are Kokanee a blast to catch, but they also make some of the best table fare that a freshwater angler can get.
Every time I scoop a Kokanee into the net I immediately start to think of preserving the fish for quality table fare. I instantly dispatch the fish and bleed it by swiftly cutting the gill with my sharp fillet knife. The best way to process Kokanee is to cut them into fillets. Since these fish average between one to three pounds it is vital to have a sharp fillet knife so you can make precision cuts without losing any meat.
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