Kokanee Trout Fishing

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The Kokanee silver trout is really a landlocked sockeye salmon. Its nickname is not that derogatory though because rainbows and cutthroat trout are more closely related to salmon than they are to brown trout. So if you are out Kokanee trout fishing, relax and catch some fish. The Kokanee is a cold water fish often at deep depths in lakes and reservoirs. Trolling with a downrigger is the most effective method to catch this hard fighting fish.

The subject of a good downrigger is important. If you fish deep lakes, a good downrigger will last you a lifetime. Expect to pay between $400 and $500 for a good downrigger set-up. The Bass Shop has a good selection of quality downriggers.

As for spinners to use when trolling, the smaller the better. The Kokanee instinctively live of plankton so willow-leaf spinners in sizes #00 to #1 are effective so are nymphs like the Polar Shrimp. I once saw a stripper fisherman with a tree set-up where six squid imitations were spread out by a tree structure about 18" at its widest. If you could find something like this, I think it would work well with some small green willow-leaf spinners.

The Kokanee become more plentiful the farer north and closer to the coast you fish. British Columbia is the prime area but Kokanee can be caught as far away from the ocean as Colorado. The Kokanee come out of the deep, cold water to spawn on gravel beds by the shore and up feeder streams. They turn a bright red and are more likely to take a bigger lure, particular one the threatens their redd.

Fly fishermen casting a weighted line with an egg-sucking leech works well during this period. Try to get an egg-sucking leech whose egg is roughly the same color as the roe in that particular region. The local fly shop should be able to help you match the right color. Strip the leech near the spawning grounds for best success but check local regulations about fishing near spawning grounds.

Although I am a believer in catch and release, Kokanee are great on the grill. Their flesh is firm and very tasty. Kokanee also take well to canning. But don't say you heard it from me. So if you called them land-locked sockeye salmon, redfish, bluebacks, or silversides they are a fine game fish and great for the table. If you call it Kokanee salmon fishing or Kokanee trout fishing, it doesn't matter if you get them in the boat.