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LAND-LOCKED SOCKEYE SALMON
Kokanee salmon were experimentally introduced into
several lakes and reservoirs in western North America in the
mid-1940s. The success of these introductions has since blossomed
into a growing sport fishery in the west and has spread to
many eastern waters as well.
Successful kokanee fishing is an art. There are many documented
cases where high concentrations of kokanee exist in a lake
but where sport harvest is minimal.
An understanding of kokanee habits, fishing methods, their
preference for specific water temperatures and their life
cycle is necessary in order to obtain consistent results and
to catch fish where other anglers are failing. This Tech Report
will provide you with that information.
Lakes of the Pacific Coast, Siberia and Japan were the original
homes of kokanee salmon, which, for one reason or another,
became land-locked and unable to migrate to the ocean like
their cousins the sockeye salmon. The kokanee spends its entire
life cycle in fresh water and dies after spawning as does
the anadromous (lives and matures in salt water and spawns
in fresh water) sockeye.
There are many strains of kokanee, depending on the particular
parent sockeye salmon run which contributed to the land-locked
variety. Today, hatcheries and egg-taking sites on reservoirs,
where kokanee runs now occur, regularly provide millions of
eggs to fish and wildlife agencies, many of which are shipped
to the northeast and east to supplement trout fisheries.
LIFE CYCLE:
Kokanee are also known as silver trout, bluebacks, sockeye,
silversides and redfish. They have a life cycle which spans
from two to seven years, depending on the particular strain,
with most reaching adulthood in four years as do other salmon.
They are late summer or fall spawners that choose tributaries,
outlet areas or the gravels around the shoreline of a lake
in which to complete their life cycle.
Growth and size in a particular body of water depends upon
the abundance of plankton, their major food source, and also
upon the numbers of other fish species competing for this
food. Adult kokanee will range in size from 8 to 20 inches
with most in the 9- to 14-inch class. Larger lakes and reservoirs
where concentrations are small produce the largest fish, some
to three and four pounds. Insect larva or nymphs may become
food sources, but not in preference to plankton. Thus, when
a lure or bait is used to tempt kokanee into hitting, it must
be small and must appeal to the fish in both color and movement.
PREFERENCES:
Kokanee prefer water temperatures of 50° or colder, which
is why many anglers fail to catch them. In some lakes they
will spend the summer concentrated in a very narrow band of
50° water. If an entire lake is warmer than 50°, they will
be found close to the bottom or near underwater springs or
in old river channels, where the coolest water is available.
Once you've located the right water temperature layer and
a school of fish within that zone, kokanee can be caught with
a variety of lures. The most popular lure colors are Nickel/Red
Head, Fire/Pearl, Rainbow and Pearl/Red Head. Trolled spoons,
spinners or small plugs behind lake trolls such as the Beer
Can or Ford Fender® should be tipped with a small piece of
worm, maggot, grub, salmon egg, Jensenegg, or white or yellow
corn kernel. Some anglers add a strand of white or chartreuse
yarn to the hook for added attraction.
KOKANEE TROLLING TECHNIQUES:
Trolling is the most consistently productive technique for
catching kokanee as you are able to cover a large water area
in a short period of time, thereby locating the schools most
efficiently. Lake trolls, flatlines, leaded lines and sinking
fly lines are four productive ways to troll for kokanee, depending
on the time of year and level of the 50° temperature zone.
In spring and fall when kokes are near the surface, flatlines,
small trolls without added weight and slow-sinking or floating
fly lines often are used. In summer when they head for deeper
water, leaded lines and large (sometimes weighted) lake trolls
are needed to reach the right temperature zone.
FLATLINE:
Flatlining is a term used to describe a technique whereby
a small troll, lure or lure tipped with bait is worked in
the top 10 feet of water with no or very little weight. It
is particularly adaptable to light tackle where 4- to 8-lb.
test main line is commonly used and is a method wherein the
lure is let out behind the boat and trolled close to the surface.
Most anglers find trolling a Jeweled Bead Spinner, Needlefish®,
Kokanee King, Midge Wobbler, Super Duper® or Hot Shot® behind
the lake troll with one or two split shot 18 to 60 inches
up the line from the lure a very effective kokanee technique
when the fish are near the surface in the spring and fall.
The flatline technique can also be used with good results
in conjunction with floating or slow-sinking fly lines, utilizing
15 to 25 feet of 4- to 6-lb. test mono as leader and the same
lures and split shot arrangement as suggested above.
LAKE TROLLS:
Trolls (a series of flashing blades) are especially effective
for kokanee in medium to deep water or on days with overcast
skies. Small trolls can be flatlined with the larger models
geared for deeper running. The "Kokanee Trolling Rig" (with
rudder, Ford Fender® troll, snubber, leader and No. 1 Rainbow
Needlefish®), Beer Can and Dave Davis® trolls are deadly for
kokes and should be rigged as illustrated. A troll appeals
to several fish feeding instincts providing flash and visual
attraction and, particularly in the case of kokanee, the flash
represents other kokes feeding. When trolled, the blades act
as attractors, kokanee follow the sound and flash to the source,
spot the trailing lure and attack it. Another excellent attractor
is the size 4/0 Jensen Dodger which was specifically designed
for kokanee trolling and provides fish-attracting flash without
unwanted drag. Note:
These fish have very delicate and tender mouths, much like
crappie. Care must be taken in making sure the shock of the
initial strike is absorbed by using a rubber snubber or a
rod having a sensitive tip. Make sure kokes are played carefully
and are landed with the aid of a net to prevent hooks from
tearing out.
A troll consists of a rudder at the front end which prevents
line twist, a series of free-swinging blades on a wire cable
or shaft and a swivel on which to tie a leader. From the end
of the troll a 4- to 8-lb. test leader should extent 18 to
36 inches back to the chosen lure. One rudder that will not
only prevent line twist, but can also function as a means
to add extra weights in the Troll Eze. This simple device
has a wire frame which will quickly accept hollow-core sinkers.
You can change weights easily with the snap of a metal pin
while still maintaining the advantage of a non-line-twist
rudder.
LEADED LINES/FLY LINES:
For fishing small lures with a fly outfit for kokanee, use
15 to 20 feet of 4-lb. test leader utilizing a nail knot to
attach the leader to your line.
Depending upon the depth you wish to reach, fly lines can
be floaters, sinkers, or sink tips. The 15 and 30-ft. sink
tip models lend themselves very well to trolling when kokanee
are at medium depths. Once you have chosen the line based
on the depth you wish to fish, knot the lure to the end of
your leader, strip out 40 to 60 feet of fly line and begin
the troll.
Another variation to reach kokes in deep water without
using heavy leads or large trolls is lead-core line. This
is color-coded in 25- or 30-ft. sections and anglers often
refer to distances in terms of how many colors they have out,
such as "three colors" which would translate into 75 to 90
feet of line, depending on the color section length of the
lead core you choose, plus whatever leader length was used.
Lead-core sinks at about a 450 angle on a slow troll so with
90 feet out, your lure would be about 45 feet deep. A 25-ft.
section of 4- to 6-lb. test monofilament commonly is used
as leader for lead-core kokanee fishing. Lead- core line does
require the use of a large capacity fly reel or casting reel
as it is bulky and requires a large amount of reel storage
space.
TRICKS THAT TAKE KOKANEE:
TROLL S-L-O-W-L-Y! One of the biggest mistakes made by
anglers is working a lure too fast. Most lures will not perform
correctly at fast speeds plus kokanee will generally not hit
a fast-moving lure . . . they need to be tantalized by it.
The best advice we can give you is to troll slowly, the slower
the better. If using a lake troll like the Ford Fender® or
Beer Can, your rod tip should have a slow, regular pulsing
action. Many expert trollers refuse to use a motor as they
feel it's just too fast; they use oars instead. If you're
going to use a motor, make sure it will throttle down to a
crawl or purchase a multi-speed electric motor or a 1- or
2-horse gas motor in addition to the one you use for power.
VARY SPEED:
While slow is the password, this does not mean slow all the
time. A lure running through the water at the same speed,
the same depth and giving off the same vibration pattern will
not catch many fish. Slow, yes, but every few minutes speed
up a bit so the lure changes its speed and vibration pattern.
WORK IN "S" CURVES:
Trolling in a straight line between two points is the least
successful path you can take. Consistent trolling results
require that you do everything possible to keep from running
that straight line. An "S" pattern between those two points
will produce many more strikes and kokanee. Every time the
lure or troll is on the inside of a swing of the boat, it
will slow down and drop deeper in the water. Each time it
is on the outside of a curve it will speed up and rise in
the water. With each turn of your boat you will produce different
speed and vibration patterns from the lure you are trolling.
This will interest kokanee more and tempt them to strike.
SHARP HOOKS:
One of the easiest things you can do to improve your catch
is to maintain super-sharp hooks at all times. A small file,
such as the Sharp Hook File, has proved to be the absolute
best fish hook sharpening tool available and will produce
a needle-sharp point in seconds. Hold the file parallel to
the hook point and, with gentle, one-way strokes, remove a
small amount of metal from at least two sides of the point.
This will create both a sticky-sharp point and a knife-like
cutting edge.
DEPTH FINDERS:
There probably is no one accessory item as important as a
good quality depth finder such as those made by Lowrance,
for producing optimum trolling results. A flasher unit will
pinpoint the level at which kokanee are suspended, thereby
allowing you to get your lure to the right depth without guesswork.
A paper chart recorder unit such as the X-15 model will provide
the above advantages plus give you a permanent record for
future reference. You can chart specific areas, bottom contours
and the like and actually see fish. Schools of fish which
are only momentary blips on a flasher unit can be seen and
followed with a chart recorder. It's an investment which will
pay for itself in both fish and fishing enjoyment.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
Two other tips to file away in your memory bank:
- Use a quality, premium monofilament line such as Trilene
XT, which has high knot strength, low visibility in water,
thin diameter in relation to strength and abrasion resistance
and...
- Know the area you are going to fish BEFORE going out.
Talk with local anglers, sporting goods personnel, study
charts and maps and read local fishing publications.
GOOD LUCK FISHING!
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