2013-2016 Idaho Kokanee Fishing Reports Quick Links

[kodiak1]

Hey Terek,
Just checked out your pics, and your initial inclination was correct.....at least two of your fish are Chinook. They have prominent spots on the upper part of the body, less of a cut in the tail, and spots on both the upper and lower part of the tail. Sockeye (kokanee) have no spots on the tail, coho have spots on the upper part only, and pinks have oblong spots. Didn't happen to notice what was in the stomachs of them did you? Should have been some small kokanee. I wonder to what extent they are responsible for the larger kokanee so early in the spring? Thanks for the great report, and congrats on a great day of fishing. Which end did you put in, and is the dock in water? Mike

 

[sawtooth]

Terek,

The two larger ones on photo #2 are both Chinook. You can tell by the spots on the tail and black in their mouths and more defined teeth. The fish in photo 1, 3, 4 are all chinook as well. Looks like you had a great day on the lake.

 

[kenbarb]

John I hope someone says they had better luck than you did. We have put the ski's away for the season and will concentrate on fishing. Had planned on going to Dworshak tomorrow, but the forecast calls for 80 percent rain, and it's raining here in Hell's Canyon now, so we will wait for better weather.

Seems strange that the bite is so slow now when it was very good at this point in time the last two seasons, maybe it will turn on soon.

Ken & Barb

 

[fishingmom]

i heard the kokanee were very small also,,,and the bass are starting to bite...

 

[terek]

Terek,

The two larger ones on photo #2 are both Chinook. You can tell by the spots on the tail and black in their mouths and more defined teeth. The fish in photo 1, 3, 4 are all chinook as well. Looks like you had a great day on the lake.

I was pretty sure they were, but my old lady kept arguing with me about it so i gave in. She just did not want me to throw them back. Never caught one before. They were real fun fights, but the meat is almost white, like you would see in a 1-2 year old stocker trout. Probably because they are stockers? Im not sure, but I think I will be releasing them next time. Let them do there job and eat the kokes. Must be working, because the quality of the kokes is the best I have seen in many years. Nice fat healthy fish

 

[terek]

Hey Terek,
Just checked out your pics, and your initial inclination was correct.....at least two of your fish are Chinook. They have prominent spots on the upper part of the body, less of a cut in the tail, and spots on both the upper and lower part of the tail. Sockeye (kokanee) have no spots on the tail, coho have spots on the upper part only, and pinks have oblong spots. Didn't happen to notice what was in the stomachs of them did you? Should have been some small kokanee. I wonder to what extent they are responsible for the larger kokanee so early in the spring? Thanks for the great report, and congrats on a great day of fishing. Which end did you put in, and is the dock in water? Mike

Did not check the bellies, my bad. We put in at curlew. The dock is rolled out, and there is just enough of it in the water to get two boats on one side if you really squeezed em in. Plenty of room to tie up and back the trailer in for a solo launch/load.

 

[salmonster]

Hi Sawtooth,
I saw you guys working that corner. Glad to hear that you did well. We got off to a terribly late start again. We ended up one fish shy of two limits. I did turn back one of next years fish. We hooked a lot of fish but yesterday was one of those 50% landed days. We left about 2:30 to get some yard work done. Nice day up there. 3 of our 11 fish measured 15", which was really nice. I will actually start showing up at daylight.

 

[sawtooth]

Hi Sawtooth,
We got off to a terribly late start again. We ended up one fish shy of two limits. I did turn back one of next years fish. We hooked a lot of fish but yesterday was one of those 50% landed days. We left about 2:30 to get some yard work done. Nice day up there. 3 of our 11 fish measured 15", which was really nice. I will actually start showing up at daylight.

Get to sleep in a little, catch a couple limits of fish, and still get home in time to get the yard work done! Can't get much better than that. Sounds like the bite continued through most of the day. Nicely done.

 

[kodiak1]

Terek, you mention that the flesh is white, like a stocker trout. This is not a bad thing with chinook. Ocean chinook eat a lot of crustaceans.....shrimp, krill, crabs. They contain carotenoid, a red-orange pigment that turns their flesh the same color. However, 1 in every 30 chinook cannot process carotenoid genetically, and thus their flesh is white. Not too many years ago white chinook sold for a lot less than red chinook. However, they are now called "ivory" Chinook and command much more than the reds. Whites actually have a lot more oil in them, and thus more flavor. I am assuming that the reason land-locked chinook are white is simply because their diet is probably all fish and no crustaceans. Mike

 

[Kokedawg]

The bite is on!
Caught limits on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. We caught only a couple of fish early. The action is very fast between 12:00 and 3:00. We found fish in several spots throughout the lake. The fish seem to be fairly shallow; 5ft.-20ft. Watermelon and copper dodgers when it's overcast and chrome/coppper dodgers when the sun is out. Hoochie color doesn't seem to matter much; the fish were biting on every color we put in front of them but the more lure motion the better.
We tried jigging but didn't have success so we went back to trolling and hammered them.

 

[terek]

Terek, you mention that the flesh is white, like a stocker trout. This is not a bad thing with chinook. Ocean chinook eat a lot of crustaceans.....shrimp, krill, crabs. They contain carotenoid, a red-orange pigment that turns their flesh the same color. However, 1 in every 30 chinook cannot process carotenoid genetically, and thus their flesh is white. Not too many years ago white chinook sold for a lot less than red chinook. However, they are now called "ivory" Chinook and command much more than the reds. Whites actually have a lot more oil in them, and thus more flavor. I am assuming that the reason land-locked chinook are white is simply because their diet is probably all fish and no crustaceans. Mike

Makes sense, as they are supposedly eating koke fry. Will have to eat one tonight and see. Could be the bomb

 

[Jwood]

Had a good day on LP. Caught a limit all about 13" fished 20' used Kokabow tackle all the way, Chartreuse combinations worked the best.. Best luck across from Spring shores. water was tinted green but pretty clear. 42 deg at spring shores and 45 deg at Kokanee flats. Go out a good luck.

 

[Physion]

So how did the Chinook taste?

Physion

 

[jumperzee]

i heard the kokanee were very small also,,,and the bass are starting to bite...

That's what we've been hearing too.

John, no better luck here. Haven't got one yet in 3 trips. In fact I can't say with any certainty that we've even seen one on the FF. Tried Merrys Bay, the dam and Indian Creek. Nothing at any of the "usual" spots. Better not be an "off" year!!! Almost thru last year's supply of canned kokes!

 

[terek]

So how did the Chinook taste?

Physion

Better than expected. Flesh was more pink than I thought once I filleted it. Nothing like kokes, but it was very good. Good fat in the grain, you could see it well. I still like kokanee better, but a nice change and good thick fillets

 

[amxerhull]

What bothers me most is that fish are being caught in all the usual lakes at water temps lower than Dworshak's temps. Fish should be up and goin'.

Nothing strikes fear in me like seeing the last can of kokes in the back of the cupboard. (Envision music from the shower scene in "Psycho").

 

[terek]

about ready to head up to anderson for the weekend. got the boat and the camper. we will probably be the only ones camping at curlew, stop on in for a beer if anyone is around

 

[Sweetroll]

Probably going to hit the lake this Sunday - any suggestions on which area to fish? I'm thinking we'll put in at the dam but don't want to waste the morning if the fish are hitting further up... Thanks!

 

[livingidoutdoors]

Hey all, just happened on this site, really glad I found it. I just got myself a little boat this year, and looking forward to starting to do some Kokanee fishing this year. We were planning on heading up to Lucky Peak today, but with this wind, it would have blown us all over the place. Looking forward to learning what it takes to catch these little suckers.

 

[MackayGuy]

Hey all, just happened on this site, really glad I found it. I just got myself a little boat this year, and looking forward to starting to do some Kokanee fishing this year. We were planning on heading up to Lucky Peak today, but with this wind, it would have blown us all over the place. Looking forward to learning what it takes to catch these little suckers.

Welcome! You just happened onto a great site with tons of info and lots of knowledgable folks. Enjoy.