Northwest Reel Life March 2024 Volume 3 Issue 5 - Flipbook - Page 31
Kokanee are filter feeders,
and the bulk of their
calories come from
plankton blooms. There
are windows any given day
where a bloom or hatch will
occur, and the kokanee will
briefly leave their comfort
zone to feed. Because the
bite may go off at 2:08-2:24
with your gear running at
43’, it is best to choose a
kokanee lake close to home
and as said before learn it.
Especially when late winter
or spring kokanee fishing,
keep a detailed fishing log.
Be the local expert and
share your hard-earned
knowledge. Back at the
ramp… “Yeah, it was great
fishing today… Good luck,
tight lines and may your
cooler be full”
Although I align my tactics
for a given lake, seasonally
I don’t really change my
overall approach much.
The usual kokanee drill:
a small dodger, lure with
tuna corn is a great place
to start when hunting for
spring kokanee. Make sure
you have your favorite
scents, maybe a container
of worms and additional
leader onboard. Not always
but occasionally you will
need to revise your leader
length. When trolling for
spring kokanee you will
want to run 0.8-1.2 MPH. “S”
turns or tools like the iTroll
NOW BOOKING
WALLEYE
TRIPS ON THE
LYONS FERRY,
SNAKE RIVERS, &
BOARDMAN, OR
Enter to WIN a
FISHING TRIP for 2
2 0 8 .7 9 0 . 2 1 2 8
R E E LT I M E F I S H I N G .C O M
“Hunt” mode help. Make
sure to make a mental note
of what’s working when
you get bitten. “Monkey
see, monkey do” strongly
applies to kokanee fishing.
Repeat what works.
Our dodger box has more
dodgers in it than most but
during the spring Kokanee
fishery my go-to dodgers
are painted dodgers in
various colors. Using
either spinner rigs, flies
or a very small Spin-n-glo
behind the dodger seem
to consistently produce
kokanee during the spring
fishery. After you hook your
prize, gently fight the fish.
Always lead the fish to the
net, don’t repeatedly stab at
the fish with your net and
hope that the slimy bugger
ends up in your cooler. As
with any kokanee fishery,
a long-handled net will
increase your actual catch
verses hook up statistics.
During the spring the lake
temperatures should be
down. But still make sure
you still care for your catch.
Bleed them and keep them
on ice or even better in a
slurry (ice, water, and salt)
in your cooler. You’ll want to
preserve the quality of your
hard-earned prize.
MARCH 2024 | 31
