somethings to think about (Kokanee) and.

[liketrolling]

been fishing a lot but not posting

Deer creek the rainbows are still diving a lot the ones you see down 40 are 50 feet under your boat on your fishfinder are rainbows. but before the boat got close there on top.
and hard to catch down there.   have not been in the shallow water there yet but this coming week will see what they do there.
the rainbows are big that I'm catching 18 to 21 in>  also 1.1 mph was the best speed but that depends what you are using for lures.

Jordanelle the kokanee don't dive like the rainbows at deer creek but they turn sometimes try to out run the boat.

Flaming gorge  the kokanee are deep so they are not afraid of the boat,  they are hard to find some  down 50 and 60 feet 40 was best at catching them.  some of the kokanee are jordanelle size  others are good size.

also been fishing for sturgeon in Idaho.

found this on you tube something to think about, some of the things I do 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qtYpqlR...tedFishing

[BSF]

Wow Robert you have been busy fishing. Hope you have a great year.

[MrShane]

Majority of Kokes are not lost due to type of pole or reel, they are lost because of loss of ‘give’ of the dodger.
Think of the stress on the mouth of the fish as it shakes violently while only having 8-18” of line between hooks and a almost 2”x5” FLAT piece of steel, especially when the dodger is broadside to the direction of the shake. And, we make this connection from the fish to the dodger not only short, but we make it out of heavy line so as to not lose action between the dodger and lure prior to the strike.
Don’t believe me?
Go catch a Koke jigging or on a spinner sans dodger with as heavy a pole or crappy a reel as you have and you will land it everytime.

[wyoguy]

Majority of Kokes are not lost due to type of pole or reel, they are lost because of loss of ‘give’ of the dodger.
Think of the stress on the mouth of the fish as it shakes violently while only having 8-18” of line between hooks and a almost 2”x5” FLAT piece of steel, especially when the dodger is broadside to the direction of the shake. And, we make this connection from the fish to the dodger not only short, but we make it out of heavy line so as to not lose action between the dodger and lure prior to the strike.
Don’t believe me?
Go catch a Koke jigging or on a spinner sans dodger with as heavy a pole or crappy a reel as you have and you will land it everytime.

I agree Shane.  This is especial[y true with the kokes who go airborne.  When the dodger is out of the water flying around it puts pressure from different angles, not just straight on.  That guy was appeasing his sponsors and trying to sell you stuff.

[MrShane]

Couldn’t agree more about an airborne Koke, perfect recipe to lose a fish by conditions you just mentioned.
When I have a fish airborne, I bury the pole tip in the water as far as possible to force it back to it’s watery world.

On a side note, even though I mentioned in my first post most fish are not lost because of the pole, I do believe in using the finest tools available to make the experience as awesome as possible.
I’ve used a lot of Koke poles but there is none finer than the KCT Kokanee Pro troller.
Life is short, fish with the best possible (that includes humans also)!!

[dubob]

When I have a fish airborne, I bury the pole tip in the water as far as possible to force it back to it’s watery world.
When kokanee fishing, my rod tip goes immediately into the water as soon as it is lifted from the rod holder with a fish on.  Retrieve slowly (not at all when the fish is headshaking) and lift the tip when I can see the dodger.  I lose very few fish.

I’ve used a lot of Koke poles but there is none finer than the KCT Kokanee Pro troller.
Same here.  I've tried several brands over the last 5 years.  I now run 4 Ugly Stik Model #USECA702UL (7.0 ft Ultralights) for kokanee & trout.  I switch to MED rods when looking for lakers at the Gorge or wipers at Willard.

My trolling reels are all the Abu Garcia Digital Line Counter Baitcast Reel - AMBS-5500LC or 6500LC.

[addicted2fishin]

I don't exactly have the available funds to throw at the high-end rods and reels, and prefer to use the money to keep the boat on the water. With that said, my manual Scotty downriggers and $40 WalMart rod/reel setups have done great over the years, including quite a few kokes. We've also caught a LOT of fish off my kids' $15 Shakespeare setups we got at a little grocery store in So. Utah, and still using the line that came on them.
While manufacturers and sporting good stores would like you to think otherwise, you can sure have a lot of success using the cheap stuff. The fish can't tell the brand / type of pole or reel you are using.

[Mildog]

I think the rod when downrigger fishing for Kokanee is not nearly as important as getting a good reel with a quality drag. I like them to be Kokanee type when Koke fishing so softer with a nice parabolic bend which can be nicely loaded so when it releases from the down rigger release it helps remove the slack. IMHO The place to save is the rod. I have 4 matching rods I paid 25 bucks for and they work great, they are fun to land fish on and soft action to help with not losing fish. Spending a lot of money on a koke trolling stick is silly to me.I have had streaks where I don’t lose a fish forever and think I have the secret, then Murphy kicks in and we lose a few to bring me back to earth.
With all that said I have several 800 dollar fly rods and 200 spinning and casting sticks. Just don’t think that is needed for Koke trolling rod. Buy whatever you can afford and enjoy fishing with.

[bblake98]

So I have a good fish finder, some dodgers, a few banana weights and some decent rods with good line capacity and drag, as well as some wedding rings and some spoons and whatnot. What line do you recommend to tie from my main line (braid on these rods) to the dodger? I'm thinking Berkley trilene monofilament, but what lb test? I will be fishing out of a paddle kayak. I have had big browns following my rig out of Porcupine, so I would probably want something that would hold up to a good brown

[MrShane]

8 or 10 pound mono works great, it is all you need.

[Mildog]

A couple things that could make a difference. Are you downrigger fishing or using the banana sinkers or other weights to get your gear down? There are a couple setups you can use depending how long you want to make your leader as well.
If using a banana sinker, I would connect the sinker to the braid. As suggested 8 or 10 leader would be fine to the dodger, I usually run heavier to my dodger say 14-16 lb it will take more abuse and won’t affect action on the dodger or the fish and you are less likely to lose gear if it gets nicked or something. I would run at least 4 feet of leader so that the dodger action is not inhibited by the weight, but not much longer depending on your rod length, you want to be able to net the fish and if your leader is too long the sinker will hit the tip guide and your fish is still a ways out. Another thing to consider is the leader test to your hooks hoochie etc., there the 8 or 10 will be fine. I usually make the leader to the hooks lighter than the main line so if for some reason it gets snagged up or breaks off you just lose hooks and not your more expensive dodger. If downrigging you can run a longer leader by using a braid to mono knot that will be small diameter and reel into your guides /reel without issues. Another option is run a longer leader and instead of tying directly to your sinker use a snap weight system, you can put your weight on by snapping it on your line further from your gear, then when you reel in, just unsnap the weight from your line and bring the fish and gear in and that way you can make the leader as long as you like as long as it is connected in a manner that you can reel in through your guided and into the reel. You can buy snap weights or make your own system to snap/connect and disconnect from your line.

Good luck tight lines!

[bblake98]

A couple things that could make a difference. Are you downrigger fishing or using the banana sinkers or other weights to get your gear down? There are a couple setups you can use depending how long you want to make your leader as well.
If using a banana sinker, I would connect the sinker to the braid. As suggested 8 or 10  leader would be fine to the dodger, I usually run heavier to my dodger say 14-16 lb it will take more abuse and won’t affect action on the dodger or the fish and you are less likely to lose gear if it gets nicked or something. I would run at least 4 feet  of leader so that the dodger action is not inhibited by the weight, but not much longer depending on your rod length, you want to be able to net the fish and if your leader is too long the sinker will hit the tip guide and your fish is still a ways out. Another thing to consider is the leader test to your hooks hoochie etc., there the 8 or 10 will be fine. I usually make the leader to the hooks lighter than the main line so if for some reason it gets snagged up or breaks off you just lose hooks and not your more expensive dodger. If downrigging you can run a longer leader by using a braid to mono knot that will be small diameter and reel into your guides /reel without issues. Another option is run a longer leader and instead of tying directly to your sinker use a snap weight system, you can put your weight on by snapping it on your line further from your gear, then when you reel in, just unsnap the weight from your line and bring the fish and gear in and that way you can make the leader as long as you like as long as it is connected in a manner that you can reel in through your guided and into the reel. You can buy snap weights or make your own system to snap/connect and disconnect from your line.

Good luck tight lines!

I am using banana sinkers and other weights, I think in the future I will buy some downriggers that can attach to my kayak; a vibe seaghost 110. I will definitely take what you have told me into consideration and see what I can do! Thank you.

[wyoguy]

I don't exactly have the available funds to throw at the high-end rods and reels, and prefer to use the money to keep the boat on the water. With that said, my manual Scotty downriggers and $40 WalMart rod/reel setups have done great over the years, including quite a few kokes. We've also caught a LOT of fish off my kids' $15 Shakespeare setups we got at a little grocery store in So. Utah, and still using the line that came on them.
While manufacturers and sporting good stores would like you to think otherwise, you can sure have a lot of success using the cheap stuff. The fish can't tell the brand / type of pole or reel you are using.

Yep, how many million fish have been caught on a Barbie pole and reel?