Kokanee Fishing.

OP
tkhuntsman
Joined
Feb 19, 2023
Messages
480
Location
Montana
NIce haul, heading out to blue mesa this weekend to hopefully hook up with a few of those!
Good luck I used to fish the mesa a lot and still do once or twice a year. It was best about 15 years ago before they practically drained it but the fish are still there and they still get big.
 

svivian

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
3,254
Location
Colorado
Good luck I used to fish the mesa a lot and still do once or twice a year. It was best about 15 years ago before they practically drained it but the fish are still there and they still get big.
The gill lice have gotten pretty bad. With that said the lake is 7 feet from full right now. Unless that world record lake trout ate them all I’m hoping to come home with a few

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mattwill00

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 22, 2019
Messages
216
Does anyone night fish for them? I’ve heard good stuff just not sure if anyone here has it dialed in
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
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2,076
Location
Colorado
I know a guy that is a hardcore kokanee fisherman and he trolls for them using downriggers and big flashers. He has a really nice fish finder as well which seems very important to his endeavor. Every so often he will catch a 28 inch rainbow or a monster brown but he could care less because he's only out there for the kokanee.
 
OP
tkhuntsman
Joined
Feb 19, 2023
Messages
480
Location
Montana
Summer jigging is where it’s at!!
Those big fish don't school up as much and they move a lot in the summer chasing the water temps it's hard to really get on em and jig but you can load the boat with the 10-14" schoolies.
 
OP
tkhuntsman
Joined
Feb 19, 2023
Messages
480
Location
Montana
I know a guy that is a hardcore kokanee fisherman and he trolls for them using downriggers and big flashers. He has a really nice fish finder as well which seems very important to his endeavor. Every so often he will catch a 28 inch rainbow or a monster brown but he could care less because he's only out there for the kokanee.
Yeah that's kinda how it goes in the Kokanee world. I don't ignore my big trout though and if the Kokanee shut off I always switch over to the trout.
 

spudists

FNG
Joined
Apr 20, 2023
Messages
9
Wow those are some big kokes. I have only used downriggers for them, what kind of jigs are people running?
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2021
Messages
474
Location
Western NC
man this thread has got me jacked up. After a crash in the early 2000s of the Kokanee that were stocked here in NC in the 70s. They stocked the lake again about 3 years ago, biologist are saying next year we should see fish that are harvestable again.
 
OP
tkhuntsman
Joined
Feb 19, 2023
Messages
480
Location
Montana
man this thread has got me jacked up. After a crash in the early 2000s of the Kokanee that were stocked here in NC in the 70s. They stocked the lake again about 3 years ago, biologist are saying next year we should see fish that are harvestable again.
Yeah I've read a little bit about that fishery. Hopefully it comes back in good shape and does well for you. Kokanee are a blast to catch and it's addicting to get into.
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2021
Messages
474
Location
Western NC
Yeah I've read a little bit about that fishery. Hopefully it comes back in good shape and does well for you. Kokanee are a blast to catch and it's addicting to get into.
use to catch them growing up. Now we've just been catching lots of trout, and some walleye in other lakes, even some lakers if im willing to make the drive. but would like to catch some kokanee again.
 
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