My buddy and I decided to hit Strawberry today and the fishing was slow..... but the three kokanee that we did catch were big. I'm curious to know if other anglers are having the same success because last year at this time I was reeling in kokanee one after another on every trip I took. This is the third time to Strawberry this year with only catching three or four all day. I was using the same squid set-up as last year and its making for slow days. However, it was well worth the trip with a 5.1 pound kokanee and the other two weighing in at 4 pounds each. Caught several small cutthroat as well.
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I tried really hard for half a day last week to get them and only got one. I don't have any trouble catching the cutts but the kokes I have to work hard for. I was catching cutts at the same depth and on the same kokanee wedding ring setup. The cotton candy squid behind a dodger also picked up a couple of nice looking cutts but no kokes. Eventually I just went back to going after cutts.
Anyone good at identifying kokes on a fish finder? Do they have any unique characteristics to look for?
Nice tank! That is about how it's been this year, nothing like last year.... just enjoy the time on the water and if your getting few like those each time, consider it a bonus!
Awesome Koke!!!
Same situation we have been having this year but I tell ya what, after catching a few @4 lbs, I would take quality over quantity any day!
We had a few trips last year where we caught 30-40 kokes, but I'm digging catching the bigger ones this year to sure.
I haven't crossed the 5 lb. mark yet but 4 pounds is a hell of a fun fish to catch, one of these days I will catch me one, hopefully soon.
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wow that is a fish you can be proud of it is very rare to catch a 5lb koke so good job
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About your question of any unique characteristics to look for on your fish finder for Kokanee .
I have a older X102 color Lowrance and I can tell Kokanee from any other fish because of the signature of the arch that they make, it's very short and stubby and at a angle with lots of red color but every brand & model might show a different signature but I would bet if you study the arch signature when you get in to Kokanee it will be different from trout on almost all brands
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Thanks for all the nice comments. It was truly the first kokanee that I had to put the boat into reverse for to gather the 100 feet of line that he ripped off. Fun catch. In response to the question about identifying them on the fish finder (Humminbird 859DI), I am unable so I just put the downrigger where most the fish are and that proved to be from 32 to 37 feet. I would like to know what the giant masses I occasionally see right off the bottom are. They appear to be a submarine and are larger than marks of big macs at Flaming Gorge. Anyone else notice those on their fishfinder at Strawberry? I will have to take a picture next time I go.
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At Strawberry I have stopped and jigged the giant blobs on my fish finder, only to be into a school of chubs but sometimes it is the mother load of Kokanee especially in late July and August they gather in huge schools. One year I found a blob on my fish finder that looked like the bottom and as big as a football field, it turned out to be Kokanee and everyone in the boat limited up in just a few minutes on large Kokanee.
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Here is a blob from my fish finder at Strawberry last week. I don't know what it is. I am trolling when I have passed over these so I don't stop and jig. I will have to try jigging next time I run across a blob. What do you jig with for kokes or does in matter if it is a large school?
Those are Kokanee for sure. I jig Kokanee with a small silver Buzz Bomb or silver & hot pink, sometimes with a Chartreuse mini tube or hot pink.
Also when your trolling and you come to a blob like that, try putting the boat in neutral for 15 seconds and slowing to a crawl and then starting up again. lots of time that will produce a strike.
Or try putting the boat in a tight circle for awhile or zig zag.
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[quote talyn]Here is a blob from my fish finder at Strawberry last week. I don't know what it is. I am trolling when I have passed over these so I don't stop and jig. I will have to try jigging next time I run across a blob. What do you jig with for kokes or does in matter if it is a large school?[/quote]
I don't think the blob are kokes, Did you catch any thing at 25' ?
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We caught all cutts and 1 koke around that depth. Also saw fish at 40+ feet but always just one or two at a time.
What I said in first reply ( Kokanee from any other fish because of the signature of the arch that they make, it's very short and stubby and at a angle with lots of red ) if you look at the photo of your graph that you posted it's full of Kokanee ! there are three right on the bottom of the blob three more at the top and the reason it is a blob is because there is probably ten more so close together that the graph just draws a blob. Also if you look at the number 25 the graph is showing three more and the loner down at 40ft.
Just because you did not catch many, does not mean you were not into Kokanee . The boys at Rocky Mt Tackle or Trophy Fishing Guides could confirm what I am saying about your graph photo.
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Thanks for helping me understand the snapshot. This last time out was the first time I tried seriously to go after kokes. But being a novice going after kokes I was trying different dodgers, RMT squids, and kokanee killers at different depths at different times of the day. If I want to get a cutt I have that dialed in but the kokes are making me try something new.
It was a kokanee killer on an all silver dodger 5 colors out that I got the one koke. Next trip I will look closer at the fish arches as you have described. I don't know how to interrupt the arches on the finder so I was only paying attention to fish depth.
Nice fish! I have heard the numbers are down, but the quality is up.
TiteLines
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I use two fishfinders I like the split screen
2D Sonar...Why Fish Arch
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