lake nantahala kokes?

I have heard of this lake in north carolina called nantahala producing kokanee any of you guys ever fished it or know a little history about this lake??

I have been to this lake 3 times with no luck. I thaught i would try the forum for info and help. The lake was stocked in the mid 60's and they have survived until present day, so they tell me. I have caught several trout but no Kokanee. The lake is very remote and is quite a chore to get to it pulling a boat. I took the Outrage the first two times and smelt breaks all the way back. Last time I returned with the fifteen that made it a little easier.I just found out about the lake and have been hitting it every chance I have. I have been using downriggers with Sutton spoons and flashers with the smallest Doctor spoon I have ever seen( suggested by a local). Must not be holding my mouth right yet.

FINALLY a answer

thanks for the info,, we need more koke lakes back east so i can stop trolling the western us boards lol loltongue2

So with what I have told you what would be a good approach. Should I drop the Sutton spoons , should I always use flashers or dodgers. I was told that 35 feet is plenty deep enough. Water temp (surface is 76) . Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

kokanee methods in east

our koke lakes in ct are running about the same temp wise,, although our mature fish are just starting to color up now,,if you like to troll try to find the thermocline and fish it,,ours was 32-40 fow most of the last 2 months try the set up the gorge boys do rmt dogers sqiuds etc, or do our east coast method of downrigging wedding ring spinners behind a dodger,, and tip the spinner with a live maggot or try the GULP maggots or my fav method jigging kokes while they are schooled tight this time of year if you get on them stay on themthumbsup

Sounds like good info . WHat are you using for jigging? I will let you know how we do, we are trying go this week. Thanks again

4lb test gamma clear line,6 1/2 ft fenwick med light hmg rod shimano 1500 sahara reel.small 1/64oz or 1/80oz ice glow teardrop tipped with a maggot or you can use small kastmasters too.just wind drift over a likely looking area while jigging rod up and down.no snapping just short smooth pulls hpoe this workstongue2

Fyi

news releases
Another Swann Breaks Kokanee Salmon State Record


Ashley Swann, of Swannanoa, holds up the newest freshwater fish state record, a 3-pound, 9-ounce kokanee salmon.

MEDIA: A hi-res version of the image may be downloaded here. Please credit the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
RALEIGH, N.C. (July 1, 2009) – The Swanns of Swannanoa are keeping it all the family when it comes to breaking freshwater fish state records.

Ashley Swann reeled in a record-breaking 3-pound, 9-ounce kokanee salmon from Nantahala Lake on June 20, nearly two years after her father-in-law Mark Swann accomplished the same feat — twice in one month — by reeling in a 2.48-pounder on Aug. 3, 2007 and a 3.07-pound fish on Aug. 28.

“I had no clue that I had broken his record until I reeled it in and he said ‘You just beat my record,’” Swann said. “I had no intention of breaking his record – but I did.”

Like her father-in-law, the younger Swann caught her fish on a custom-built rod with a Penn 209 reel. She used a custom-made lure to reel in the fish, which measured 21 ½ inches in length and 12 ¼ inches in girth.

Unlike her father-in-law, however, this was her first time landing a big fish. In fact, it was her first time fishing on a boat.

“I’ve only fished in creeks before and just caught little fish,” Swann said. “This was my first time ever fishing for big fish.”

In addition to the record-breaking fish she reeled in, Swann caught five other nice-sized kokanee salmon. Although she had her father-in-law on board providing instruction and encouragement, she said it was still difficult to reel in that many big fish.

“After the first one I caught, it got easier, but it was still hard to bring the fish in the boat, they fight really hard,” she said.

While the Swanns appear to have found the magic combination of luck, skill and custom-made equipment to reel in so many kokanee salmon in one day and three state records between them so far, Commission biologists say some kokanee in Nantahala Lake may get as big as 5 pounds during the spawning run.

Nantahala, a 1,665-acre lake located in Macon and Clay counties, is the only body of water in North Carolina that supports a kokanee salmon fishery.

The fish is native to the western United States but was stocked in Nantahala in the mid-1960s by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish for other predator fishes in the lake. This stock has remained and become a favorite target for anglers like the Swanns.

Swann’s fish was weighed on certified scales at Ingles Store No. 035 in Bryson City and was examined and certified by Jacob Rash, District 8 fisheries biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

To qualify for the state record, anglers must have caught the fish by rod and reel or cane pole, have the fish weighed on a scale certified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture, witnessed by one observer, have the fish identified by a fisheries biologist from the Commission and submit an application with a full, side-view photo of the fish.

For anglers who catch a kokanee salmon that doesn’t quite measure up to this latest record-breaker but is 14 inches or longer or weighs 2 pounds or more, the Commission has created a new kokanee salmon classification for its North Carolina Angler Recognition Program. NCARP officially recognizes anglers who catch trophy-sized freshwater fish that do not qualify for a state record with a certificate featuring color reproductions of fish artwork by renowned wildlife artist and former Commission fisheries biologist Duane Raver.

For a list of all freshwater fish state records in North Carolina or more information on the State Record Fish Program, click here. For more information on fishing in public, inland waters, visit the fishing page or call the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 707-0220.





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Awesome Day

My son Alex and me wanted Ashley to have a great first boat trip,man did she ever.We got 11 kokes 10 in the 16-18 range and Ashely's 21.5 beast. It was an incredible fish ,it came fighting hard to the boat.It took my breath when I saw it and then it ripped line off in a blistering run.Next trip to the boat ended in the net. Thought we had them dialed in for the summer,not quite. Two trips later in the summer we got skunked.Power company was draining the lake 60' for maint. didn't help the fishing

Thank you for your report on your success with Kokanee fishing at Nantahala. The picture of Ashely's NC record fish was one of the reasons I suddenly came down with a bad case of "kokanee fever". I summer at the lake and finally got a boat in the water. While exploring the lake I turned my depth/fish finder. Soon I began to detect some large schools of fish in the 45' to 90' depths along the river channel from the inlet to the dam. Also found some schools in the Big Choga cove. Don't really know what type of fish these were but kokanee salmon/trout came to mind. Since then I have started to research the kokanee and invest in some tackle ( ie downrigger) to target them next year when the lake stratifies. Any basic advice you can provide me with especially in the area of lures/dodgers/colors etc. that might work at Nantahala would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Dude,I can't divulge family secrets so soon. We worked at it for several years a trip or two a summer. I will tell you research and experimentation will probably pay off. One big plus you have is being at the lake all summer,we only manage 3 or 4 trips a year. I have a white 16 ft KEY LARGO CC with two Penn riggers if you see us swing over and say hello.

Thanks for your reply. I understand your position. One last question. Have you had any success with trout at Nantahala?

We 've had spotty success with the rainbows.There are some monsters in Nantahala ,but the best ones we've managed were 18-20'' maybe 2-2.5 lbs no 6 or 7s yet. Early in the summer we caught 14 or 15 stocked rainbows and 5 kokes.Usually the rainbows in Nantahala and other WNC lakes are wild fish they are mint silver, sleek ,and very strong. WE call them steelhead,which will make the western and great lakes guys laugh,but it works for us.My son and I were out in august on a day we got skunked,talked to a man from Georgia who caught 9 or ten trout in about an hour midmorning.Some days you can pick a walleye or two, yellow perch,and a huge bluegill 10 or 11''.

Thank you for your informative reply. I always suspected there might be some good sized trout lurking Nantahala. Guess they are fattening up on young kokanee. Seems most fisherman at the lake target the bass. I have seen some big ones but they all seem to have "lock jaw"! Well good luck in the quest to break the state record with a 4+ pounder.

HARPOON, you still around? Did you have any luck later in the summer? Just curious ,because things really went sour for us.Also I was wondering if you fished Jocassee much?

Troll Monkey , I fished a couple more times and caught very nice trout but no kokes. I love the NC trout they are crazy and make the trip fun. Lake Glennville is closer and same crazy trout are there. Not many folks fishing with downriggers up there. I guess I want be back until summer because of the drop in the water , not sure how that will effect the fishing. Sorry for the delay in responding.
Jocassee is a common stop for me . Alot of big browns and rainbows .

Be advised the dam/penstock has been fixed and the turbine replaced. The lake is currently at about 6' below full pool. Duke Energy plans no major future draw downs. This year will be my first attempt to catch a "dixie koke" at Nantahala. I did a lot of reading and research about them. Plenty of good advice on this forum. I also invested in lures, tackle and a pair of easi trolls. I plan to post any success I have on this forum. Would be much obliged that if you fish the lake this season you let us know how you made out. Thanks!

WIll do on the post. Let me know when you head up and I will do the same. I wonder if there is a season for Kokes on the Nantahala , or are they like the trout on Jocassee which are easier to catch in the winter( closer to the surface). Let me know what you think I may have to head up on a warm day. H

According to the NC fishing regs there is no closed season, no size or slot limit and a daily bag of 7 kokanee. I reckon they would be just about anywhere in the lake at this time of year. Last summer(July) I was marking the schools at 45' to 90' of water. They seemed to go deeper with the hatch of jet ski's and power boaters that plague the lake in the summer. I am hoping to get my boat in the water by the end of May and begin putting into practice some of the things I learned from the guys on the West coast. Hoping we can hook up some day.

Harpoon how big of a trout have you caught at Glenville or Nantahala? There are huge trout in both lakes ,but so far the best I,ve caught was a 21" wild brown at Glenville and several 18-19" rainbows at Nantahala.My son Alex and me have tried to pick up a big rainbow while fishing kokes but haven't quite got that dialed in yet. As for the lower water level it seemed to kill our koke chasing. I did hear of some being caught later in the year.I think the fish adjusted to changing conditions and I didn't. A friend in the area told me that after the last drawdown 20 some years ago the warmwater fishing suffered.The power co. was pulling lots of water from the thermocline so that surely bothered the trout and salmon.