Non-Fly Dirtbag kokanee
- Thread starter Wanative
- Start date
Nice work Fred.
Those things are tasty!
SF
Those things are tasty!
SF
Be warned before going down that kokanee rabbit hole. Collecting kokanee gear can be as addictive as tying more chironomid flies. My kokanee gear bag is as large as my lake fly fishing bag. Though my kokanee rod collection is only 1/2 of my fly rods
The upside is that they are interesting fish to figure out and smoked kokanee that have been taken care is right up there with the best of the smoked fish!!
Curt
The upside is that they are interesting fish to figure out and smoked kokanee that have been taken care is right up there with the best of the smoked fish!!
Curt
I met Curt at the launch of his local lake about 10years ago when I retired and took up Kokanee fishing seriously. I can confirm that yes he does have quite the gear collection which I too have now accumalated. With a two rod endorsement you need at least 2 of everything and a large assortment of colors and styles of lures. A morning can start off with 2 different setups fished at different depths and changed until you find a school and that combination that works. Then you double up on the gear and depth and try to stay on the school.
Thanks Pat. I believe it is a tightly packed school of kokanee.
No-
This time of the year (water temps in the low to mid 50s) it is not uncommon to see schools on the surface and those fish can be caught flat lining- no weight place a long distance (150 feet or more) behind the boat. Kokanee are boat shy and the boat will push them away. Have even caught some of those surface fish casting small emergers to them but that can be tricky as they constantly moving (often approaching 1 mph).
aA also get away a with a 1- or 2-ounce weight above a dodger which seems to help provide action to the lure/bait at the slow speed the kokanee seem to prefer, target speed would be 1.1 or 1.2 MPH though it sometimes pays to experiment with slower or faster speeds. Even better would be lead core lines, often fish a lead line 2 to 4 colors behind the boat and that approach has the advantage as gear raises and lowers on boat turns which can be effective. However, neither option provides the consistent depth control that a downrigger would. One of those small lake downriggers that clamp with a 4# lead ball is a reasonably cheap way to get into the kokanee game. Unlike down rigger presentation in saltwater salmon fishing for kokanee (and sockeye in lakes) it pays to get you gear aways behind the boat. I tell beginners to use the rule of 100; that is the distance behind the boat and the depth should add up to 100 feet or more. If fishing down 40 feet set your gear 60 feet behind the downrigger.
Again, take heed it can be an addictive fishery.
Curt
No. They are all over the water column currently. I used a half ounce weight about 4 feet ahead of my dodger and my partner did as well and outfished my downrigger rod. Later he switched to a 3 oz. weight and still hooked fish.
fish. A 2 ounce weight will easily get down to 35 trolled at 1.2 mph with 70' of line out.
I remember a friend of mine who chased Kokanee over on this side of the Cascades, used lead core but he had something like 50 or 60 feet of monofiliament trailing behind the lead core to get it waty back behind the boat. I see folks using side planers on Roosevelt.
That is how we used to fish Cushman for Kokanee back in the 60’s and 70’s. Not quite that much leader though, maybe 30’.
We had the lead core on Keen Kaster reels. Silver triple teaser with a red head was the ticket.
SF
Good question. Especially with the advent of gel-spun lines. 10# braid is pretty much like fishing thread, with virtually no stretch, and plenty of strength to handle kokanee. I'd think even a quarter ounce should get plenty deep.
Ok…I’ve fished a small bit for Kokanee on lake Washington since I live on the lake…there is a population on my side of the lake between Boeing and the Hawks training facility that I have taken fish on traditional gear without down riggers…I’m thinking of rigging a release clip to my gear rig with a heavier weight to a fly line…thoughts?…fly selection?…I could run a small flasher on front of the release clip in front of the fly…
I guess now would be a good time to discuss the dirty word in the fly fishing vocabulary "THE BAIT". My process is no secret as you can U Tube it. I start with a can of drained white kernel corn in a zip lock bag. To this I add the liquid from a can of inexpensive tuna in water or oil. Then give the tuna to the cat, he may or may not eat it. Refrigerate for a couple of days mixing occasionally. I then divide the corn into 5 separate bags and freeze them. For under $2 you have bait for for 5 days of fishing.
While there a variety of ways to get your gear to the level the kokanee are at there is a reason that the vast majority of kokanee anglers fish with downriggers. Impossible to beat for ease of using, precision of presentation, and quick changes in the depth being fish. In the course of a morning on the water the most productive depth will change.
While I have of a ton of terminal gear I would rate the most important pieces of in my assault in the local kokanee population in the following order:
My depth finder, the downriggers , my rods (soft action glass rods), my reels (direct drive), the hooks (# 2 drop shot), and a three way tie with the terminal gear, the bait, and a long handle net. All these items contribute to proven successful "system" to put kokanee in the boat. Finally to insure that those kokanee are the best product for the smoker my system also requires an ice chest well stocked with ice which receives the fish within minutes of being caught after they have been bled and cleaned (my live well helps with that). While not essential when a I added a bow mounted electric motor with a directional lock my 16 foot Lund Alaskan became a efficient platform to chase the kokanee. Is all the above excess? without a doubt but it is where one is likely to end up for those of us that become addicted to chasing kokanee..
Curt
While I have of a ton of terminal gear I would rate the most important pieces of in my assault in the local kokanee population in the following order:
My depth finder, the downriggers , my rods (soft action glass rods), my reels (direct drive), the hooks (# 2 drop shot), and a three way tie with the terminal gear, the bait, and a long handle net. All these items contribute to proven successful "system" to put kokanee in the boat. Finally to insure that those kokanee are the best product for the smoker my system also requires an ice chest well stocked with ice which receives the fish within minutes of being caught after they have been bled and cleaned (my live well helps with that). While not essential when a I added a bow mounted electric motor with a directional lock my 16 foot Lund Alaskan became a efficient platform to chase the kokanee. Is all the above excess? without a doubt but it is where one is likely to end up for those of us that become addicted to chasing kokanee..
Curt
To expand a bit to the excellent starting point in a kokanee bait. White shoepeg corn is what one wants (smaller and more bite shape). Soaking that corn in the oil from a can of tuna has become a standard. I typically add some borax to my bait brew. I often also add some additional scent to the rig as I fish. Have some scent is a key to producing more fish, while most of the time I not sure that it makes a great difference which scent is used. However there are times some scent will out preform better than others. Scents to consider include some generic "kokanee scent", krill, garlic, herring oil, squid, and/or clam. After more than a decade of experimentation in hard-core kokanee fishing if limited to a single scent it would be clam and I hate garlic.
Other base baits that have proven successful include live fly maggots, small pieces of cured prawns/crawfish, little pieces of worm/nightcrawler and the power bait maggots.
Curt
