How to Fish for Kokanee Salmon
The kokanee is a land-locked sockeye salmon that thrives in deep, cold mountain lakes and their tributaries. They are sporting to catch and delicious to eat. Although they have been caught by other methods, such as spin-fishing, the majority of kokanee are caught by trolling in lakes. Some fishermen use a downrigger to take the bait deep into the lake without the interference of heavy lead weights on the line. This setup is one of the most successful; however, if you can't afford a downrigger you can still troll and catch kokanee.
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Things You'll Need
- Trolling rod -- 7-foot, light action
- Reel -- open-face trolling model
- Monofilament line -- 10 lb. test
- Lead sinker weights -- trolling style, 4 oz.
- Gang spinners
- Leader material -- 6 lb. test
- Lures
- Corn -- white kernel
- Landing net
Instructions
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Catching Kokanee Salmon
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1
Select the right gear for trolling. A 7-foot trolling rod with light action, and a matching open-face trolling reel loaded with 10 lb. test line, is a good combination. Gang spinners, a wire with several spinners in a row, are mandatory for attracting the fish. They come in several spinner designs; the "willow leaf" design is the most commonly used. A gang spinner called a "kokanee troll" is also an option.
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2
Collect the most successful lures. Ask folks at the lake's tackle shop what the kokanee are hitting on in that particular lake. Spoons in the ¼ oz. size are regular fish-takers. Silver, gold and bright colors are good. Small, brightly colored winged bobbers, in sizes 10 and 12, work as well. Trolling with bait is popular, with white kernel corn topping the list.
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3
Rigging the rod starts by running the line up through the rod guides. Tie a swivel on the end of the line. Clip one end of the 4 oz. trolling sinker to the swivel. On the other end of the sinker, tie a foot-long piece of 10 lb. monofilament line; then, to this, tie on the gang spinner. Cut a 2-foot piece of the 6 lb. leader and tie it to the end of the gang spinner. Finish off by tying one of the lures onto the leader.
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4
Get the boat out into the water and begin moving at a slow speed--just enough to keep moving. Hang the rod out over the gunwale of the boat and start to manually strip out line from the reel, letting the weight take the spinner rig down and out behind the boat. You can make a rough estimate of the depth at which the spinner rig is running by counting the number of pulls off the reel multiplied by the number of feet per pull.
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5
Keep trolling across the lake. You will have to experiment with different depths until you hook a kokanee. When you catch a kokanee, chances are good that is the depth they are at on this particular day. Let the spinner rig back down and count out the same number of line pulls as before.
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6
Work one lure for a while; if it doesn't catch a fish, try another. Keep trying different lures until one takes a fish. Kokanee are sporting fighters and will run and dive until you get them up to the surface. Once at the surface, a kokanee will thrash and spin over the line; this is where most fish are lost. Have the landing net ready; when the fish comes to the surface, net it right away, before it has a chance to thrash.
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Tips & Warnings
Patience is important when trolling a lake for kokanee. But where one is caught, chances are good there will be more.
Tip the hook of a "wedding ring" spinner with a kernel of white corn and troll it behind the gang spinner. This rig has taken countless kokanee.
A fish finder is helpful in locating where the fish are hanging, and at what depth. Using a fish finder can save hours in trolling unproductive water.
When turning the boat, turn in a wide arch; turning too sharp will tangle the spinner rig and possibly run the motor over the line trailing out behind the boat. This will result in dozens of feet of monofilament line wound into the boat propeller, killing the motor mid-lake.
Mountain lakes, where kokanee are most plentiful, are known for vicious storms with high winds. Mountain winds will turn the lake into a sea of rolling whitecaps and can capsize a boat. When you see a storm coming, get off the lake immediately.
