I fish a lot for kokanee and I catch a lot one thing is you never know what a kokanee
will do that day
Kokanee are very sensitive to water temperatures. They prefer water temps ranging from 45F to 54F, with 53F being optimum. Any prolonged exposure to temperatures greater than 60F can be fatal to the fish. This is one of the many reasons why Kokanee do not handle catch and release well.
Kokanee can be scattered throughout the lake, so where they were one day doesn’t mean they will be there today. Using good sonar will stack the odds in your favor to locate the fish. Kokanee are a schooling fish that makes them easy to locate once you travel over top of the group.
I have been around this to know it is true
https://www.fishwithgary.com/kokanee_uni...part1.html
Targeted Depth - Proper Temperature
The single best predictor of kokanee location is temperature. I am not talking surface water temperature, but rather the correct temperature down in the water column, or temperature at depth. For kokanee, the preferred temperature is close to 54 degrees. It is true that they can be found at temperatures between 44 and 59 degrees. Below 54 degrees the kokanee are less active. Much above 54°, any extended stay will have detrimental or even lethal effects. Kokanee biology functions best at 54 degrees, and they will seek it out if it is available.
That temperature provides the most efficient growth from feeding. That temperature also allows for the least amount of energy to be consumed for swimming and generally being in the business of being a kokanee. Wherever that 54 degrees is in the water column, that is your target depth. Early season temperatures may not be as high as 54°, which accounts for sometimes slower fishing.
Water temperature is regulated mostly by sunlight, and then to a lesser amount by inflows. The coolest water throughout the water column will be in the winter and early spring, and the warmest will be in the summer. Between these times, water temperature cycles from gradually warming to the warmest, and then cycles from gradually cooling to the coolest. This temperature cycle moves the ideal target temperature of 54 degrees up and down the water column.
Determining where that ideal temperature is can be trial and error if you are unable to measure it directly. There are a few reliable devices available that you can use such as the Fish Hawk model 840. Sadly, Koch is no longer importing the inexpensive digital temperature device. Since kokanee have a very elongated air bladder, you can use your fishfinder to determine their approximate depth. Kokanee will show a bright orange with a color fishfinder. Take an average depth of the images, and have that as your initial target depth. Set your presentation within five feet top and bottom of that target depth. If the fish that hit your presentation are smaller than what is generally being caught, lower your target by five feet. Continue this process until you are zoned in.
Generally, kokanee fishing picks up in the spring, when water temperatures are warming, and continues through August. This period can be broken down further into categories, each with distinctive features and methods for best approach to your fishing. But to grasp the reasons for the differences, some additional discussion is necessary.
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