New Melones 7-10-09 - The underwater battle for Kokanee

Yes.. a report from 7-10-09 - a bit late but we've all seen 13-14 inch fish so I decided to throw together an underwater video of the fishing which we all know has been "off the hook" in quantity this year.

This was my first trip to Melones this year and the fish did not disappoint. You could throw a bit of everything down there and eventually it would get bit or followed around. When people talk about short strikes or fish not sticking there's good reason for that and it's because these small silver bullets are ballistic for their size and can shake off the corn as well as throw the hooks easily with their explosive nature after getting hooked. It may be hard to tell from the Youtube versions of the video but I witnessed many a hook get thrown on video as well as corn being stolen without getting hooked. That's not tail slapping the dodger on those short strikes, it's mouthing the lure on and off repeatedly.

Enjoy the video and make sure to hit the HQ button in the lower right of the video to get a higher quality if your connection supports it. More videos to come with bigger Kokes from Berryessa when I get the time to put them together.

Here's the Youtube Video link... and I'll place it in the video gallery here as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxfTCQNKfQg

Kevin

Great job HTK. What depth are these kokes at? One would think it would be getting dark once you get beyond 30ft and some difficulty seeing the fish. This shows up really well.

Thanks. The video and fish ranged from 45-65 that day. The light penetration is a factor of where the sun is, plankton / algae levels and depth. In general there's enough light from the sun for video from 8 to 3 but best light is 10 to 2. Melones has a a strong algae / plankton bloom this year so it is not as clear as I've seen it but that's a good thing for the Kokanee. Once you get down to 80-100 the light will drop off dramatically at most lakes. See my Pardee jigging video which is very dark since it was at 100 and that is a very clear lake.

Kevin

I have been waiting for more of your videos. Excellent as always. I learn something new every time I watch them.

HiTechKoke said:

Thanks. The video and fish ranged from 45-65 that day. The light penetration is a factor of where the sun is, plankton / algae levels and depth. In general there's enough light from the sun for video from 8 to 3 but best light is 10 to 2. Melones has a a strong algae / plankton bloom this year so it is not as clear as I've seen it but that's a good thing for the Kokanee. Once you get down to 80-100 the light will drop off dramatically at most lakes. See my Pardee jigging video which is very dark since it was at 100 and that is a very clear lake.

Kevin

Click to expand...

Does the camera use visible light or uv light?

Hey DLM,

Visible light only and no assist from external lights at the camera level... I've been wondering if extra lightning would scare away the fish as they make cameras that have the extra ring of LED lighting.

Kevin

Kevin,

Can't get enough of the footage. Thanks and great job.

JD

Thanks for another great video Kevin, they just keep getting better and better! I always wonder what's going on down there, and the time and effort you put into these videos is greatly appreciated. You can really see the type of lure action they prefer, and what the dodger does to help attract. thumbsup

Love the videos, it would be really cool to watch how the fish react to the lure, and the effects turns, and speed variation have on them. thanks for taking the time to put it all together.thumbsup

Steve

Thanks... actually watching them on video live can get to your head when they don't bite.... I definitely have done the speed up / slow down twist and turns on a regular basis.. It can prolong their interest for sure and induce the bite but not always, the percentages definitely work in your favor though I believe. In the 2nd portion of the video you'll notice before the bite the lure slows way down and drops in to the lower portion of the screen... and then on a bit of a speed up as it wiggles tighter the fish comes back in from the edge and took it.

Thanks Kevin....I'm always interested in your videos. It's still a mystery to me why kokes bite at all. When I watch the videos, I never get the impression that they are biting out of aggressiveness or territorial protection, like you'd expect from a largemouth bass. They seem to act more like trout.

Good points Monte and they do act like trout in a lot of ways, in fact they mix with trout as well, but can be more finicky it seems. The aggressive streak comes more in the late summer and fall typically as they get ready to spawn. The most aggressive Koke I got on film was the Shaver one from last year where he did not hesitate to destroy the lure. Hopefully I'll get some more of that kind of video. My camera is out for repairs currently but I should have it back fairly soon I hope.

Kevin