06-24 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 9
Techniques
Although Lake Washington
has a wealth of shore
access, kokanee tend to
hang out in water out of
casting distance. Your best
bet is to troll for them.
Typical kokanee gear works
well. Toss out a variety of
lures and let the fish tell
you what they want. Some
days they like spinners,
other days they want plugs.
Kokanee can be very picky.
Artificial maggots and corn
should both be in your
tackle bag, as well as a
few bottles of scent. While
pink is the classic kokanee
color for a reason, orange,
red, and watermelon are all
great choices for lure colors
too. Sometimes giving the
fish something they haven't
seen before is the key to
success. Trolling flies works
great! Make sure you have
a variety of dodgers too.
You can experiment with
different dodger styles and
colors. I also tend to use a
shorter leader than usual
on Lake Washington. The
fish seem to respond well
to a 9-inch leader.
Make sure to bring a longhandled net for landing
the fish. Kokanee have soft
mouths- boat flipping them
often results in lost fish. It's
also a good idea to bring
a stringer or a bucket to
bleed the fish in.
A cooler full of ice to keep
your fish cool once bled is
also crucial. Kokanee also
has soft meat, to get the
best meat quality it's a
good idea to bleed and ice
them.
Locations
One of the most important
things to bring along on
your Lake Washington trip
is a fish finder. Especially
during late summer when
the kokanee dive down
deep to escape the warm
surface water, you'll need
your fish finder to show
you what depth to fish. I
also recommend placing
marks when you get hits or
reel in a fish. Set your fish
finder to show your trail,
and you can set up a good
trolling pattern. On the
southern end of the lake,
try fishing on either side
of the I-90 bridge. On the
north end, try fishing south
of Highway 520. Target
points and coves. The
fish will move depending
on the time of day and
weather. Don't be afraid to
try somewhere new!
Before we wrap up, let's
talk about a few lastminute tips for your Lake
Washington trip. First,
I highly recommend
planning on starting and
ending your fishing trip
early in the morning. This
lake is incredibly popular
with jet skiers, inner
tubers, and water skiers,
particularly later in the day.
If you get off the water
early, you'll minimize your
chances of tangling your
lines or getting a rocky ride.
It's a good idea to wear a
life jacket and make sure
your kids and/or dogs have
them as well. The limit is 5
fish, and you must release
any fish over 18 inches in
length. This rule is in place
to protect sockeye that
run in the lake during late
summer.
Lake Washington kokanee
are the perfect fish to go
after on a warm summer
day. They're absolutely
delicious on the smoker
or even fried. Kids will
love reeling in fish after
fish! So, head out to Lake
Washington and get your
limit!
JUNE 2024 | 9
