Anyone? anyone?

[steelhead1]

Here is a question I would really like some input on.When the Kokes come up the rivers to spawn,which they do by the thousands every year,does anyone ever target them before they reach thier spawning beds?I bet they stack up just like the sockeye do,and I think they may be enticed into a hook just like thier larger counterparts.I am c/r fisherman,and believe this may be a huge untapped fishery!

 

[Raincatcher]

No idea

No idea

Do they make the run to the ocean? I had no idea. Guess I thought they lived in the lakes full time. Good question.

 

[Outdrsmn]

They do stack up like crazy up the creeks. i seen them on trapper creek at odell. I don;t think you can fish for them once they enter the streams though.

 

[steelhead1]

Kokanee are landlocked sokeye salmon.the lakes were they spend most of their are usually dammed,and prohibit a return to sea.They are considered trout if less than 15". I dont want to harrass them on their redds,but it seems like during the migration they would be a blast if a person could figure out what they will hit.

 

[beaverfan]

I remember reading in an article about the record Kokanee recently caught in Wallowa Lake. It said that the fish there typically spawn a little earlier than most Kokanee and that they were a couple weeks from heading up the creeks. I would think that they will be heading up in September. I am going to look more into it because it could be fun.

 

[TTFishon]

Every fall my me and my wife always check out Sheep Bridge campground at Wickiup Res just to look at all the spawning kokes. I'm pretty sure August 31st is the last day you can fish at that spot. Sometimes there's a bunch of eagles hanging around for an easy meal and once I saw about a ten pound brown come up out of the depths and grab a koke. That was awesome.

 

[Mad dog]

a lot of Kokanee spawn along the shorelines of certain lakes, Paulina is probably one of the best, one time we found a massive school of spawning kokes staged right on the spine of the red slide in about 50-60 ft of water on the 1st weekend of october. The way the red slide runs into Paulina your either right on top of the ridge as it decends into the lake or your off it and the water depth drops off immediately into several hundred feet of water. We literally caught hundreds between 3 of us, doubles and triples continuosly for about 3 or 4 hours! It was insane! If you weren't right on the ridge....no fish! Had to be right on that structure! We went back 2 weeks later, it was mid-october by then and they had moved right up against the shoreline in the red slide area, thousands of them! They were very fond of pink or red spinners cast towards the shoreline.

Lake of the woods and Fourmile are 2 lakes the the kokes look for gravel beds along the shoreline and will school up by the thousands, I'm sure there are a lot more!

All Kokanee in Paulina and East are stocked as fingerlings, so fishing for the spawners does not interfer with fish production.

 

[beaverfan]

I thought it might be nice for everyone who needs this to write down why here. The issue tracker thread is for votes only. I'll start.

Huh?

 

[rainbowfisherman]

i saw abunch of them going into the upper santiam out of the detroit lake.