Slow day at Rockport

[wiperhunter2]

Heard rumors of there being kokanee in RP, so Jmorfish and I got up there today around 6am and fished till noon or so. We trolled around the dam area and were marking a lot of suspended fish that we thought could be kokes and at the least were trout but after trolling through them a few times and no hits we moved on. We were switching lures and dodgers and Joe got one hit but no hookup, as we trolled toward the inlet end of the lake. Finally Joe hooked up and we got a decent sized bow in the boat. As we got toward the back of the lake and it started getting  shallow, we decided to troll toward the opposite shore line, when we got there, just out from the campgrounds we started marking a lot fish on the bottom, perch I reasoned. We decide to try and vertical jigged them and after a lot of bites, Joe finally got one in and it was a monster, at least 2.5" long, we finally decided to yell Uncle and we gave it up for the day. Water temp was 71 degrees. Thanks for getting out there with me today Joe, really enjoyed the wide range of topics we talked about.

[Jmorfish]

Mama told me there'd be days like this...and this was one of them...don't know if DWR is still stocking small koke fry here, but if they are, they must be getting gobbled up by German Browns, bass, and fish eagles that are here...Nice A.M. to be out on the water with Curt...sorry we didn't get a pic of that monster perch...but I think Curt was stretching the size by at least .5" .... That class size might be all the way up to 5" come ice fishing season!! tks again Curt...rainbow filleted and donated...

[lovetofish]

DWR planted 30119  3.5 inch    5-2022
                    24087 3.11 inch   4-2021
                    30045 3.01 inch   3-2020

Someone posted about a week ago with a picture of a koke that he caught at Rockport. Someone else was also catching perch around 9 inches while casting along the shore line with a slip bobber.

I wonder what percentage of the small kokes make it passed the size that the bass and perch don't eat.

[wiperhunter2]

DWR planted 30119  3.5 inch    5-2022
                    24087 3.11 inch   4-2021
                    30045 3.01 inch   3-2020

Someone posted about a week ago with a picture of a koke that he caught at Rockport. Someone else was also catching perch around 9 inches while casting along the shore line with a slip bobber.

I wonder what percentage of the small kokes make it passed the size that the bass and perch don't eat.

I think it is just a new lake for kokes, that we just haven't figured out, we were marking the fish but just did not got a pattern for them. I thought they had been in there for four years now, I guess not. I mentioned to Joe that the water looked very dark, could be it will take more glow lures and dodgers than we tried. As far as the perch go, what we likely found was a lot of young of the year perch, if we had spent more time searching for them we likey could have found those bigger ones.

[Anglinarcher]

DWR planted 30119  3.5 inch    5-2022
                    24087 3.11 inch   4-2021
                    30045 3.01 inch   3-2020

Someone posted about a week ago with a picture of a koke that he caught at Rockport. Someone else was also catching perch around 9 inches while casting along the shore line with a slip bobber.

I wonder what percentage of the small kokes make it passed the size that the bass and perch don't eat.

Bass and perch are more shore and bottom orientated and kokes are open water orientated.  Their habitats overlap very little so, how may survived the bass and perch?  Almost all of them.  How many survived other natural hazards?  No idea.

[lovetofish]

I just figured that because they were only 3 inches long that they would hang around and hide in rocky areas by the shore until they get a little bigger.

DWR planted 30119  3.5 inch    5-2022
                    24087 3.11 inch   4-2021
                    30045 3.01 inch   3-2020

Someone posted about a week ago with a picture of a koke that he caught at Rockport. Someone else was also catching perch around 9 inches while casting along the shore line with a slip bobber.

I wonder what percentage of the small kokes make it passed the size that the bass and perch don't eat.

Bass and perch are more shore and bottom orientated and kokes are open water orientated.  Their habitats overlap very little so, how may survived the bass and perch?  Almost all of them.  How many survived other natural hazards?  No idea.

[2knots]

Well you gave it a try, bummer you didn’t find them. Will have to try it next spring, got to be some decent sized fish that have survived.

[wiperhunter2]

Well you gave it a try, bummer you didn’t find them. Will have to try it next spring, got to be some decent sized fish that have survived.

Or maybe the Winter while ice fishing

[2knots]

Well you gave it a try, bummer you didn’t find them. Will have to try it next spring, got to be some decent sized fish that have survived.

Or maybe the Winter while ice fishing

There is that to 

[wiperhunter2]

Well you gave it a try, bummer you didn’t find them. Will have to try it next spring, got to be some decent sized fish that have survived.

Or maybe the Winter while ice fishing

There is that to 

i don't remember any big schools coming through last Winter while we were fishing for perch but with the higher water this year it might make a difference

[2knots]

Well you gave it a try, bummer you didn’t find them. Will have to try it next spring, got to be some decent sized fish that have survived.

Or maybe the Winter while ice fishing

There is that to 

i don't remember any big schools coming through last Winter while we were fishing for perch but with the higher water this year it might make a difference

I never was down near the dam during the ice season, but thought I heard of some kokes being caught down by the rocks/cliffs

[wiperhunter2]

Well you gave it a try, bummer you didn’t find them. Will have to try it next spring, got to be some decent sized fish that have survived.

Or maybe the Winter while ice fishing

There is that to 

i don't remember any big schools coming through last Winter while we were fishing for perch but with the higher water this year it might make a difference

I never was down near the dam during the ice season, but thought I heard of some kokes being caught down by the rocks/cliffs

That makes sense, that was where we were marking them.