Game face

Hooked a nice 2 pounder yesterday evening, g/f took a couple pics.


That is my lucky KFF hoodie too

Took some 15 min to get him to surface.


Kept 5 like this last night, awesome evening on a dead calm lake, fish rising and jumping everywhere.

Are we going to get a full report on your board? Nice evening to be on the water.

Now thats the way to be fishing for KOKANEE!.....awesomereport

Looks like a perfect day & very nice fish! What Lake are you fishing & how do I get there from Portland Oregon!


Kokonuts.........laugh hyst......

Did you give jigs a shot while the fish were rising like that?

skookum9 said:

Did you give jigs a shot while the fish were rising like that?

Click to expand...

I've only tried jigs a couple of times, never with success. Would like to figure out how, as there's a few places there's always schools in this lake. Still do the slow troll with the flasher and a Pink/white spin'n'glo. Actually, both the bigger fish were caught on a spin'n'glo in front of a 2.5" long pink/white hoochie. No weight, just a few- 10' feet under surface. We caught 12 or so in just under 2 hours kept the bigger 5.

The Kokes were stocked in this lake, (Ten Mile Lake, 1094km-680miles from Portland OR.), a few times beginning 4 years ago, irrc. Interesting to see them get bigger and change a bit. Now the bigger ones are into 2lbs and though they still take the same lure at the same depth, they seem to be more scattered and dive when hooked. Only a couple jumps and then down, rolling up the line if given any slack.

Stronger and way more stamina too. First time I've been inspired to swap out the 6lb test for 8lb. Is braided worth the extra money? Is it any easier to tie a knot in?

In my opinion, braid is absolutely worth it. There are a few "tricks" to it that I will explain later, right now I am on my way out the door. I use 8lbs Fireline and recommend the high vis stuff in the bright yellow/green.

Okay, the first trick with braid is to not let any slack in it, slack can and eventually will cause a tangle. Usually, tangles in braid are not a problem and come out quite easily, but who want's to get a tangle when you want to be fishing. Keeping at least a light tension on your line will eliminate this problem. The next trick is probably the most important one and that is the use of the palomar knot. An improved clinch knot will snap like you're using rotten thread but the palomar knot will hold a lot more weight than the line's are rated. Other knots can be modified to make them work but the palomar is by far the easiest, fastest and best choice for braid. And the next most important thing is to not try and tie the braid directly to the spool arbor. I use a short piece of heavier mono to make the anchor to the arbor and then tie a uni to uni knot to join the mono to the braid. On spin reels I like to use 8lbs braid, in either fireline or spiderwire, and use either 12 or 15lbs mono for the arbor anchor.

Earlier this year there began some discussion here about using braid for trolling being a bad idea so this year I paid particular attention to the flaws and problems that others said would happen. Not one problem occurred while using the braided line. I even tried trolling with one line of braid running out and two mono lines running out and still no problem. The one thing that I think might be a problem is a downrigger release. These braids are so small and so slippery that it might be a real trick to get the releases to hold onto them. And even this can be solved but it might require an extra effort.

The reason why I recommend the hi vis yellow braid is because these lines are so small that if they are not brightly colored you can't tell where your line is or at what angle it is descending. Also, in the event that you do get a small tangle, the bright colored line will make it easier to undo. And if you're worried about the line spooking the fish, don't be. Fish are not as line shy as people like to make them out to be. Most of the difference between the success of one line weight or another has more to do with the action that a heavier line will remove from your presentation, or in the case of a hoochie behind a dodger, the lighter lines won't telegraph the desired motion. I have used the hi vis line right next to the dark green and have experienced zero difference in their impact on the number of strikes between the two.

One real advantage that the braids will give you that has helped to increase my catch rate with them is the fact that they cut through the water so much better that you won't need as much weight to get down just as deep.

Since you said that you are using pink and white successfully, I recommend that if you want to try jigs, you stay with pink and white, at least at first. I am a big fan of the 1/2 oz pink and white gibbs minnow. I discovered this lure at the sporting goods store several years ago and it quickly became my favorite jig. Even if it were to cost twice as much as some other lure, it is the one I would buy, without a doubt. Now try casting this jig out to one of the jumpers you said you are seeing and let it sink just a few seconds and then try jigging and reeling it back to the boat. Remember not to work it too fast or too aggressively because this will turn the fish off to it. You need only jig it maybe a foot or so and then stop for a couple of seconds while you feel for a fish to strike as it sinks and then jig it again. Make sure that if you're not getting any strikes that you try to wait a little longer between jig motions and maybe try using even less motion when you do. This makes it harder to hook them but it increases the number of strikes you will get. From what you described about the fishing conditions you experienced, you will have a lot of fun learning to use these jigs effectively. Let me know how it works for you.

Wow thanks for the info! I didn't really get what ya'll meant by jigging. To me jigging is a stationary, straight down thing. I've cast fished like you described for trout and salmon, but wasn't sure if I could do with out a dodger/flasher for kokes. I'll definitely give it a try.

I got a spool of 6lb braided line, coloured so I can see it, its pretty thing stuff. Like you said being thinner should let it go through the water easier, go a little deeper, and make the feel of the fight better...

Cool knot, I've never used it before, but loots like its easy enough to master. http://www.animatedknots.com/palomar/index.php
Cheers.

Most jigs are vertical but it never hurts to cast at a fish! Almost all the trollers I know that are chasing something besides Kokes troll with braided line. I run 40lb braid as I can troll, cast or jig and it's heavy enough to never have to worry about twisting up like the light weight stuff does. Depending on the species and method we run a top shot of 20 to 100' of mono or fluoro on top of the braid. This works well in the oceans and lakes.

Great to see your report!

Don

MMM, am I right in assuming that you are using a level wind reel with that heavy line? I've experimented with different weights and have never had a problem with any of them with level wind reels. But one year I tried using 14lbs braid on a spin reel and discovered that the heavier lines are definately not as good for spin reels. Way too much line twist. But when I stepped down to 8lbs or lighter all the problems went away. Now I use heavier braids on my level winds and light lines on my spin reels. And 8lbs braid is plenty strong for most any trout, steelhead or salmon out there. I will say most because it's not without its limitations. Your 6lbs stuff would be just right for kokanee. I've never tried anything smaller than 4lbs but that was what I first used and loved it so much that I've been hooked on braid ever since. The only reason why I use 8lbs now is because once in a while one member or another of the guys I fish with will hook into a laker while koke fishing, and some of those lakers can run pretty good sized.

You are both right that traditional jigging is a vertical presentation. But not only does it not hurt to cast a jig at fish, it is a very effective method of catching fish. And when the targetted fish are jumping, I'd bet that it will quickly outfish vertical jigging, or just about any other method of angling that I know of.

I hope that you'll try it and let us know how it worked for you. Good luck out there and tight lines.

skookum9,

I like your ideas on casting jigs! Most of mine are several ounces or heavier for fishing Macs and my vertical Koke rigs use 1/10th oz attractor spoons with two baited 3/32 or less Rat Finke Jigs attached 6" below the attractor and then another 6" below that. It doesn't lend itself to casting but it's a deadly set up for taking Kokes. I find that not having hooks on the attractor jig but suspended below is more effective for me.

All of my boat rods are Shimano level winds. I would imagine casting with a bail style reel with heavy braid would present it's own set of problems! If you reeled against the drag it would be a huge problem!

Cariboospeed,
The Palomar knot is a must know knot and tests out as one of the highest strength knots you can tie. It's also the simplest. That knot, the Surgeons Loop, the Reverse Snell and the Double Uni knot are my go to applications for fishing!

MMM, is the double uni knot the same as what they call the uni knot to uni knot? If so, it is my go to knot for leader connections. It has completely replaced my use of the blood knot that I used to use for making up leaders for flyfishing. Not only is it stronger by far but it also is not limited to similar sized line the way that the blood knot is. You mentioned the surgeon's knot and I used it for a time but once I found the uni to uni knot I never looked back. I still use the improved clinch when flyfishing even though it is inferior to the palomar but only because I prefer the angle that it puts the fly in. If you do an extra wrap through the eye of the hook you can make the improved clinch a much stronger knot.

I am impressed by your vertical rigs because these must take almost forever to get down to the fish. Some day when you have a mind to give something new a try, try a 2 1/2 inch Buzz Bomb and see what you get. I use either that or a Nordic or a Gibbs in 3/4 oz. The lightest of the jigs I use a 1/4oz but they are almost impossible to use if the wind is blowing very much. Even if I anchor up, which I almost never do anymore, the wind will put such a belly in my line that I will never feel the more subtle strikes anyway. I do think the koke's like the smaller jigs as well or better than the larger one's, but I find that fishing with the biggest jigs that you can get away with will add to the percent that stick on the hook.

Back when I started, all of my jigs were somewhere in the 3/4 to 1oz weight and my bait caster worked great for these. But as I began to finness down to the 1/2 and then the 1/4oz jigs, my need to go to a spin rod increased. Now when I fish for koke's, that is about all I ever use. I prefer fishing with a bait caster but they just don't like throwing that light tackle and therefore won't reach as far as the spin reels. Even at that, other than sturgeon, I've never seen a fresh water fish that 20 or 30 pound braid wouldn't bring in. My shimano bait caster is loaded with 14lbs braid and this is what I like to use in my quest for silver salmon and steelhead. The rod is a little light for chinook, (6 -12lbs rating), but I think the line would do just fine.

The whole casting at jumpers is mostly a springtime event for me as that is when the jumpers are out and about. If you get the chance and are willing to take the risk, I strongly recommend that you throw an extra spin rod in your boat next spring and tie a 1/2oz orange or pink and white jig on it and then if you see fish jumping on the surface in any number, pick up that rod and give it a try for a while. I don't believe that you'll regret your efforts. Make sure that your spin rod has at least 6lbs test mono or 4lbs test braid so that it will withstand the impact of the jigging action.

May your line's be tight and your rod ever bent and the smile from your fishing trips never leave your face!

Thanks for the well wishes. Fishing seems to make that all possible!

Uni to Uni is the same.

For jigging kokes I only use my 20" spaghetti stick ice rods. Tiny ultralight bait casters and 4 lb. fluoro/mono superline. The small diameter of line and jigs work well to get down there and feel the bite but are tough to fish with in a breeze! I do have a trout jigging rods that have Hay Bailers on them and will give casting jigs a try! I have both Buzz Bombs and and tons of Gibbs in all sizes. I'm kind of a tackle junkie!

Thanks again for the replies and I will be giving your ideas a try if spring ever comes to Idaho! Our opener is totally blown out and it's now rained for 36 hours straight! (frown)

Don

Well I loaded my light rod's level wind with 150yds of 6lb test. Wow its sure tough stuff and slippery. The box the line came in had the instructions to tie the palomar knot, so thats what I used. Weren't kidding when you said to get it tight on the reel, makes a mess pretty quick if not... I like it though, the no stretch with such thin line will be fun with my light rod. I'll give it a try trolling and load up my spin cast rod next week.

Cariboospeed, I do hope you tied a piece of mono to the spool arbor first and then tied the braid to the mono. If not, I cannot say enough that it will be to your every advantage to go back and do so. If you do not, you will not have very pleasant experiences with this braided stuff. No matter how tight you get this line, unless you use mono for your first few wraps or you have a hole through the arbor so you can tie it off through there, it will eventually slip and ruin your day until you take it off and correct it. Make sure you get it right and you will be enjoying this same line for years to come.

Well it looks like thats going to happen. I tried casting at some large rainbows I could see in shallow water with the level wind. Two good casts and one good rats nest.

The g/f caught nice koke out in the middle of the lake on a windy day. (cleaned it herself, might be a keeper). Filleted it and a couple big ones from last outing and put them in marinate. Going to dry them like we do making jerky.

You do need a base coat if your reel arbor doesn't have a hook like the Shimano's to start the line. I prefer electrical tape to mono because it's easier but straight braid and an arbor knot is a disaster. 101eatdrink101

When using a bait caster you will have to adjust the drag accordingly. This line is so drag free that it will have an impact on the way you cast. I just love the Shimano Curado's for the drag/brake features they have. I do hope that the rats nest didn't take you too long to get out. Try shorter, easier casts for a while until you get used to it. And definitely go back and anchor that line down to the arbor, using any method you want to. I've had good luck with the uni to uni knot to tie the braid to a mono base but use whatever you like, just make sure it cannot slip before you have any more bad experiences with it. Good luck out there and happy fishing. And yes, she does sound like she might be a keeper.

Took a knife to it and cut that stuff off the reel. Put 100yds of 8lb Mono back on. Went out yesterday in the mid day heat caught a couple and a couple more got off. Lots of ski boat traffic so it was a little rough. Will go out again tonight and hopefully it'll be quieter.

Really want to get a few more and fire up the dehydrator. The last batch was probably the tastiest fish I've ever eaten. I make note of the marinade and pot the recipe.

Cariboospeed, sorry to hear that stuff didn't work for you. Unfortunately, there are some very important steps that you have to take to make it work right but once you do, I find it to be the best stuff I've ever used. Best wishes to you on catching some more of those little guys.