Northwest Reel Life March 2024 Volume 3 Issue 5 - Flipbook - Page 30
On any given trout or
kokanee trip I pack several
pre-tied rigs and various
components to craft more.
Often several of them were
tied the previous year. Last
year we caught a lot of fish
and the 12# fluorocarbon
I use to tie gear looks
frazzled. It’s time to retie
much of my Kokanee
arsenal. Fishing with sharp
hooks is critical when
chasing kokanee. Check
your hooks and replace
them as required. Look
over your gear, and retie
anything questionable.
A few years back, one of the
kids and I were fishing at
the Lake Stevens Kokanee
30 | NWFISHING.net
Derby. We ended up losing
a huge kokanee. When I
looked at the rig afterward,
the trailing hook had come
unraveled. It was a hometied kokanee fly and after
catching many fish it had
just failed. There’s peace of
mind in knowing that your
gear is in tip-top condition.
Now is a great time to
develop your Kokanee
game plan. With all the
PNW Kokanee lakes
to choose from, my
recommendation is that
you choose a Kokanee
lake close to your home.
Somewhere where you
can fish both on the
weekend and during the
week as your schedule
permits. Don’t fret about
the size of the fish or
even the numbers. This
will be your learning/
confidence building lake.
Learn your boat, fish finder,
downriggers, trolling
speed, lure presentation
and generally become
the local expert while
building confidence in
your kokanee angling
abilities. Then, whether
you’re fishing a new lake or
fishing a frequently visited
lake the lessons learned at
your home lake will help
you catch kokanee with
confidence.
