With all the talk on kokanee at lucky peak, I couldn't resist anymore. I bought a downrigger, some wedding rings, shoepeg corn, pautzke nectar, dodgers, snubbers, beer cans [both kinds
], and some willow leafs. I gave it a try last Saturday. I could see some fish checkout my lure on my fish finder, but no takers. I was trolling about 1-1.2mph. I tried the beercan connected to my weight and the line about a foot above with the dodger and snubber then wedding ring with shoepeg corn. I had about 3 feet of line from the clip to the dodger. I also tried connecting the clip to the end of the beer can with a foot or two before the wedding ring.
I'm going to try again on Saturday, but I'd like to get some techniques on the rigging it all up. How far from your clip should the lure be? Should I connect the clip to the end of the beer can or above the above the weight? If above, how far above? I used a 4/0 dodger. Is that size good or should I go larger? Should I use a dodger when using beercans?
Any other tips on rigging it all up would be appreciated as well.
Thanks.
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Hi Corey,
OK, let's see if we can't get you into the kokes this next time. You may have been doing everything right, and they just weren't hitting. The last time we went up was the first time this season we didn't limit out. But, little things can make a big difference. And, no two people seem to agree on technique, but I will share my approach. First, I would go with flashers instead of a dodger. Aluma165 has experimented more than anyone with different approaches on L.P., and he is convinced that flashers work best. I use a Jack Lloyd 2-blade in silver, but the kokanee flashers work great, as do many other types. Double Dees are popular. I don't attach the flashers to the ball. I hook my release directly to the ball, and go at least 30 feet back from the ball, depending on depth you are fishing. If they are real shallow, I will go back 100 feet, for example. I attach a silver spooned wedding ring at least 18 inches back from the flashers. If it has some pink or red on it, all the better. I then use a couple of Green Giant shoepeg corn kernels that soaked overnight in nectar. I would pick your troll up a bit. I like 1.5-1.8. Ignore all those blips on your depth finder at 30, 60, etc. Start at about 20 feet, and try that range. Even last week, we connected at 17 feet, and later in the day 21. They might have dropped a bit deeper with the warm weather, but don't go past 28 at the deepest. They have stayed quite shallow this summer for some reason. Stay with the crowd across from Spring Shores. We caught several kokes by the orange fencing across from the point. Stay with the basics, and you should pick some up. Let me know how you do, and if you have any questions, call me at 344-8726. Good luck!! Mike
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BFT has a sister site that is dedicated to kokanee fishing. go check it out.
[url "http://www.kokaneefishingforum.com"]www.kokaneefishingforum.com[/url]
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[quote Kodiak1]Hi Corey,
OK, let's see if we can't get you into the kokes this next time. You may have been doing everything right, and they just weren't hitting. The last time we went up was the first time this season we didn't limit out. But, little things can make a big difference. And, no two people seem to agree on technique, but I will share my approach. First, I would go with flashers instead of a dodger. Aluma165 has experimented more than anyone with different approaches on L.P., and he is convinced that flashers work best. I use a Jack Lloyd 2-blade in silver, but the kokanee flashers work great, as do many other types. Double Dees are popular. I don't attach the flashers to the ball. I hook my release directly to the ball, and go at least 30 feet back from the ball, depending on depth you are fishing. If they are real shallow, I will go back 100 feet, for example. I attach a silver spooned wedding ring at least 18 inches back from the flashers. If it has some pink or red on it, all the better. I then use a couple of Green Giant shoepeg corn kernels that soaked overnight in nectar. I would pick your troll up a bit. I like 1.5-1.8. Ignore all those blips on your depth finder at 30, 60, etc. Start at about 20 feet, and try that range. Even last week, we connected at 17 feet, and later in the day 21. They might have dropped a bit deeper with the warm weather, but don't go past 28 at the deepest. They have stayed quite shallow this summer for some reason. Stay with the crowd across from Spring Shores. We caught several kokes by the orange fencing across from the point. Stay with the basics, and you should pick some up. Let me know how you do, and if you have any questions, call me at 344-8726. Good luck!! Mike[/quote]
Thanks Mike. I'll give that a try on Saturday. Where are you getting the Jack Llyod flasher? I'm unfamiliar with them.
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[quote petty4life]BFT has a sister site that is dedicated to kokanee fishing. go check it out.
[url "http://www.kokaneefishingforum.com"]www.kokaneefishingforum.com[/url][/quote]
Thanks for the link.
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The Jack Lloyd is a hard one to find, considering they started the whole thing! Turner's Sports, just west of Smoky Davis on State carries them. They're not unlike a Ford Fender, but with much less drag. Mike
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[quote Kodiak1]The Jack Lloyd is a hard one to find, considering they started the whole thing! Turner's Sports, just west of Smoky Davis on State carries them. They're not unlike a Ford Fender, but with much less drag. Mike[/quote]
I checked Turners, but they were out at the moment. I picked up a Ford Fender for now. One more question. Snubber. Where are you placing it? Between the flasher and the wedding ring?
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Thanks. I'll let you know how I do.
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Well I landed my first kokanee. Not a very big one though. Unfortunately I don't know when I hooked him as he didn't release the line from the clip. I set the release as light as I could, but the drag from the ford fenders is pretty substantial and he couldn't break free. How much less is the drag with the jack llyod? I'd much prefer to know when I have a hookup rather than drowning them.
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The larger kokanee often kick off the ball, but certainly not always. What you need to do is tighten up your rod enough that it lifts the clip up into a vertical position. That way when the trout or kokanee hits the lure, he pulls it back to horizonal, and you will notice a dipping of the rod. Then just take your rod, tighten up the line until your rod tip is near the surface and give it a tug. Even when I am salmon fishing in the ocean, I often have to release the line from the clip. You can play around with the release until it will release with small fish, but then you will be plagued by false releases. Glad you got that first koke. Were any other boats landing fish? You may have gotten started a week or two late. The fish may be staging for spawning, in which case they get off the bite. Mike
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I had read to put tension on the rod so that when the fish hits it will take out that momentary slack when the rod rights itself. So I think that would have brought the clip vertical. I used a real light weight rod as well. I guess that shows how small it was that I couldn't tell I had hooked it.
There were several other boats out there as well. One I spoke with had caught two. I went into the first cove on the little floating dock for a bit. While there another small boat pulled up as well. They had caught 8 of them, and at least two were good size. Guessing 18-20". They were using Jack Llyod 4 blades and a 2oz weight. No Lead core and no downrigger. He figure every two feet out equaled one foot down. He said he was catching them at 30'. My fish finder seemed to concur that that was were they were hanging out. One of the guys said he normaly limits out with that technique. It was obviously working well for them. I'm sold on the Jack Lloyds now. I can't wait to get back out there again.
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Don't give up on your downriggers. The beauty of them is--besides not having to drag in a 2 oz. weight--is that regardless of how much line you put out, or what speed you are travelling, you are always at the exact right depth. Did you get out early? That is most important when fishing for kokes. I always get on the water by 6:30 at the latest.
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No worries. I'm not giving up on my downrigger. More pointing out the similarities of rigging they used and what you suggested vs the differences. They were just in a jonboat. So it's probably easier for them to not use one. I tired for 6:30, but made it by 7:00. I'll try next saturday as well.
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coreyva: All good information here. One thing I try to do with the release clip is get just the right amount of tension so that if the fish does not release the line (often the case) then it will release by my simply starting to reel in the fish after the takedown. In other words not having to jerk the line out of the release clip. My Scotty DR's came with huge salmon release clips so I went to lighter ones and finally to small Crystal River clips. They work just about right. That rod tension Kodiak mentions is key. I now use Lamiglas ultra-light kokanee rods that will bend right over almost 180 degrees without releasing the line from the clip. Small kokes of 8 inches or so sometimes will drag along and not even be noticed. With the ultra-light rods you should get that rythmic tapping motion with most flashers mentioned here. This helps to insure its working properly and no tiny koke is trailing along unnoticed as long as you can see your flasher motion.
Hope this makes sense...
I like the beer cans but Kodiak's got me thinking Jack Lloyds now. I've got a few of them somewhere and will try them next time.
Anyone getting pinks or hook jawed males yet? My last trip 3 weeks ago I got one of each. Didn't grill very well although the other silvers were fine.
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Very nice post Kodiak, Being from Boise but now live in Utah I sure do miss LP Close to home and a great fishery. You just convinced me to bring the boat next time i come up to see Family.
Tight lines
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Petty you are everywhere[fishin] and yes kokaneefishingforum.com is a great site hope to see more Idaho BFT'ers there
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A friend and I went out Saturday morning. First Kokanee had already turned color. Full red, green face, and hooked jaw. It released itself at the boat and took our lure. Second one was just smaller, but chunky. Very silver. I had one more ldr and had one follow my lure to the surface while reeling it in to check my lure. Ended up the day with a friggin pike minnow. Bonk and released.
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