2018 Lucky Peak Reservior Kokanee Fishing Report

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Another LP Story

Despite the recent grim fishing reports, my wife and I decided to head up to LP today (Tues). First trip there since early summer. Needed a fishing fix badly. :) Got a late start; didn't start fishing until 11:30, stopping at 3. I normally launch at Spring Shores, but decided to launch at Turner since it has a dock still in the water. And I rarely fish near the dam (just never had much luck there in the past) but decided to start fishing there since it was nearby. Within minutes (like 3!) of our first pass along the dam, I had my first fish on and lo and behold, landed a Koke! Couldn't believe it. In fact, I thought it was a trout and just lifted it into the boat (without really looking at it closely) instead of netting it. Boy was I surprised to see it was a Koke and that I didn't lose it bringing it into the boat. Happy Days! So we kept running back and forth in front of the dam (maybe 100 yards out). Got 5 more hits within an hour. Two of those were those quick hits you get. Pole takes a dive but then nothing. One was a nice trout that I landed and kept. The other two I had on for several cranks of the reel before I felt them throw the hooks. So, given what I think a lot of us know, I believe these 2 hits and 2 hookups were Kokes as well. Who knows really, but that's what I think. Finally on the 6th hookup I landed another Kokanee. Had 4 more hookups in the early afternoon, landing all 4. And all 4 were trout. Kept 1 and released the other 3. So all in all, kept 2 Kokes (each 12") and 2 trout (each 13"). The wind picked up and it was getting a little squirrely keeping the boat on track so we quit at 3pm. Details: 2 poles, both using ford fenders. Started with chartreuse spinners, and then changed to orange spinners and orange hoochies. Chartreuse got the most hits. No downrigger this time, just using 2 and 3 oz lead weights. 75 to 85 clicks out fishing in the 20-25 ft depth range. Marked plenty of fish between 20 and 50 feet down. So with a little more luck, I think I could have landed a few more Kokes. Always the optimist! :) Definitely not a bad outing, especially since my expectations were pretty low to start.
Two pictures attached. First showing my catch for the day. The second pic shows the fillets after cleaning. Top two is one of the trout. Bottom two is one of the Kokes. It's always a nice surprise to find out a trout is orange/pink inside. But I was pretty surprised to actually see the trout were more pink than the Kokes. Don't think I've seen that before. Probably an age thing? Both BBQ'd up very nicely and tasted fantastic!
Kokes_Trout.jpgKokes_Trout_red.jpg
 
Thank you for the report!
I put in at turner about 12:30 and saw you as you fished in front of the dam.
I did not want to fish on top of you so I stayed further out in site of the dam and ramp.
I caught 1 large male Koke who was clearly spawned out, as well as 4 trout, the trout I caught were covered in parasites. Did you experience this?
 
Yaaa

Despite the recent grim fishing reports, my wife and I decided to head up to LP today (Tues). First trip there since early summer. Needed a fishing fix badly. :) Got a late start; didn't start fishing until 11:30, stopping at 3. I normally launch at Spring Shores, but decided to launch at Turner since it has a dock still in the water. And I rarely fish near the dam (just never had much luck there in the past) but decided to start fishing there since it was nearby. Within minutes (like 3!) of our first pass along the dam, I had my first fish on and lo and behold, landed a Koke! Couldn't believe it. In fact, I thought it was a trout and just lifted it into the boat (without really looking at it closely) instead of netting it. Boy was I surprised to see it was a Koke and that I didn't lose it bringing it into the boat. Happy Days! So we kept running back and forth in front of the dam (maybe 100 yards out). Got 5 more hits within an hour. Two of those were those quick hits you get. Pole takes a dive but then nothing. One was a nice trout that I landed and kept. The other two I had on for several cranks of the reel before I felt them throw the hooks. So, given what I think a lot of us know, I believe these 2 hits and 2 hookups were Kokes as well. Who knows really, but that's what I think. Finally on the 6th hookup I landed another Kokanee. Had 4 more hookups in the early afternoon, landing all 4. And all 4 were trout. Kept 1 and released the other 3. So all in all, kept 2 Kokes (each 12") and 2 trout (each 13"). The wind picked up and it was getting a little squirrely keeping the boat on track so we quit at 3pm. Details: 2 poles, both using ford fenders. Started with chartreuse spinners, and then changed to orange spinners and orange hoochies. Chartreuse got the most hits. No downrigger this time, just using 2 and 3 oz lead weights. 75 to 85 clicks out fishing in the 20-25 ft depth range. Marked plenty of fish between 20 and 50 feet down. So with a little more luck, I think I could have landed a few more Kokes. Always the optimist! :) Definitely not a bad outing, especially since my expectations were pretty low to start.
Two pictures attached. First showing my catch for the day. The second pic shows the fillets after cleaning. Top two is one of the trout. Bottom two is one of the Kokes. It's always a nice surprise to find out a trout is orange/pink inside. But I was pretty surprised to actually see the trout were more pink than the Kokes. Don't think I've seen that before. Probably an age thing? Both BBQ'd up very nicely and tasted fantastic!
View attachment 9531View attachment 9532

Gonna try dam Saturday . Canyon Marine rebuilt my Minn kota. Thanks!
 
Oldfishnfart, none of the 5 trout I caught had any parasites. All looked in good shape. Next time cruise by and say Hi. thumbsup

KokaneeKevin (AKA another old fishin' fart)
 
My wife and I fished the Gooseneck Bay on Th. Tried DRs at 20 and 25', and pop gear for trout. No kokes and nothing on the DRs, but four trout on the pop gear at around 5 to 7' (1 to 1.5 colors).

Sat, took my son and grandson out to the same area. Just targeted trout with pop gear and trolling fly; 1 to 1.5 colors. 5 trout and one 12 to 13" koke. The got very busy in the afternoon with jet skis, etc.

There is one dock in at the dam, but only one side has the sand removed. Very busy when we pulled out.
 
Maybe the last trip of the year? Color of kokanee meat?

I fished between Charcoal Gulch and Gooseneck for most of today. After the wind calmed down, I got one rainbow between 20 and 25 feet deep. I noticed some "boils" on the surface so then I tried trolling shallow. I got one more rainbow and two kokanee. All shallow and fairly close to shore. When I cleaned the kokanee I discovered their meat was much lighter than normal. Not white, but certainly not the rich orange color I usually see in kokanee. When cooked, they look more like trout than kokanee. The fish were bright with all their scales, so they hadn't tried to spawn this year. I am pretty sure they weren't chinook. Very few spots on the back and tail and the gums weren't black.

Thoughts? I have never seen this in kokanee.
 
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I have no thoughts on this that make any sense. I do not doubt what you are saying, but it all does not make sense based on my experiences and my understanding of Kokanee. I admit I have not fished for them for a long time. Maybe 4 to 5 years now is all.
 
I fished between Charcoal Gulch and Gooseneck for most of today. After the wind calmed down, I got one rainbow between 20 and 25 feet deep. I noticed some "boils" on the surface so then I tried trolling shallow. I got one more rainbow and two kokanee. All shallow and fairly close to shore. When I cleaned the kokanee I discovered their meat was much lighter than normal. Not white, but certainly not the rich orange color I usually see in kokanee. When cooked, they look more like trout than kokanee. The fish were bright with all their scales, so they hadn't tried to spawn this year. I am pretty sure they weren't chinook. Very few spots on the back and tail and the gums weren't black.

Thoughts? I have never seen this in kokanee.

Below is the pics. of the Kokanee meat color that compare to the trout at LP posted by Kokaneekevin on Sept.18-2018. Sometime I caught those fish in LP and AR too. The meat color of the Kok. somehow very light. Click the attachment (9532) on the right for enlargement.

Despite the recent grim fishing reports, my wife and I decided to head up to LP today (Tues). First trip there since early summer. Needed a fishing fix badly. :) Got a late start; didn't start fishing until 11:30, stopping at 3. I normally launch at Spring Shores, but decided to launch at Turner since it has a dock still in the water. And I rarely fish near the dam (just never had much luck there in the past) but decided to start fishing there since it was nearby. Within minutes (like 3!) of our first pass along the dam, I had my first fish on and lo and behold, landed a Koke! Couldn't believe it. In fact, I thought it was a trout and just lifted it into the boat (without really looking at it closely) instead of netting it. Boy was I surprised to see it was a Koke and that I didn't lose it bringing it into the boat. Happy Days! So we kept running back and forth in front of the dam (maybe 100 yards out). Got 5 more hits within an hour. Two of those were those quick hits you get. Pole takes a dive but then nothing. One was a nice trout that I landed and kept. The other two I had on for several cranks of the reel before I felt them throw the hooks. So, given what I think a lot of us know, I believe these 2 hits and 2 hookups were Kokes as well. Who knows really, but that's what I think. Finally on the 6th hookup I landed another Kokanee. Had 4 more hookups in the early afternoon, landing all 4. And all 4 were trout. Kept 1 and released the other 3. So all in all, kept 2 Kokes (each 12") and 2 trout (each 13"). The wind picked up and it was getting a little squirrely keeping the boat on track so we quit at 3pm. Details: 2 poles, both using ford fenders. Started with chartreuse spinners, and then changed to orange spinners and orange hoochies. Chartreuse got the most hits. No downrigger this time, just using 2 and 3 oz lead weights. 75 to 85 clicks out fishing in the 20-25 ft depth range. Marked plenty of fish between 20 and 50 feet down. So with a little more luck, I think I could have landed a few more Kokes. Always the optimist! :) Definitely not a bad outing, especially since my expectations were pretty low to start.


Two pictures attached. First showing my catch for the day. The second pic shows the fillets after cleaning. Top two is one of the trout. Bottom two is one of the Kokes. It's always a nice surprise to find out a trout is orange/pink inside. But I was pretty surprised to actually see the trout were more pink than the Kokes. Don't think I've seen that before. Probably an age thing? Both BBQ'd up very nicely and tasted fantastic!
View attachment 9531 View attachment 9532
 
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Below is the pics. of the Kokanee meat color that compare to the trout at LP posted by Kokaneekevin on Sept.18-2018. Sometime I caught those fish in LP and AR too. The meat color of the Kok. somehow very light. Click the attachment (9532) on the right for enlargement.

That's just so weird. Are the Kokes sick?
 
Kokanee meat

Thank you for your research and your update.

Both my wife and I thought the lighter color meat did taste a little milder, but that may vary depending on who is making the comparison.

Again, Thank you for the info.

Physion
 
Thanks for the info JTM.

The article leads one to conclude that the health of the Koke population in Lucky Peak and Arrowrock is contingent on the success of the Koke population in Deadwood. I know little about the fishing opportunities at Deadwood, but one must also assume that the Koke population in Deadwood is also in decline.... I don't know.

While the article didn't really state if the fry from CDL backfilled the entire need for Lucky Peak and Arrowrock, or if it was just a percentage of fry to fill the shortfall, one may have to conclude that the CDL transplants may not be suitable for the conditions here in SW Idaho. Sure, some may have survived but it seems that with such a dramatic downturn of Koke harvesting in our local reservoirs, the real answer is to somehow get the Deadwood population back to a healthy level. I will, however, be happy to fish for CDL Kokanee in Lucky Peak or Arrowrock in the mean time. Beats fishing for pike minnows.

Pauli
 
Fished LP today, and the action was fast. Several doubles, and strikes about every 5-10 minutes. All trout. The gear dropped on dr's for kokes did not produce. Longlining rapalas was the trick. The girl we took with us caught an honest 18"er. Most were 10-14. Mike
 
Any info on the location, and color :) I took a few of my employees on a riggins trip and we got skunked. I'd like to get them on some fish. They dont fish much and were bummed .
 
Sure. Smaller Rapalas, both colors we used worked. blue and perch, and no weights. Let out plenty of line. We did best in the narrows. They ignored everything on the downriggers. Fished 10-20 feet, with worms, or kokanee gear with corn....nothing. Mike
 
Thinking about getting the boat out of storage and getting it ready for Springer season on the Columbia. Be nice to hit Lucky Peak a few times before hitting the big river. Anyone been out on the reservoir lately? Would be nice to get a few Kokes for the freezer.

Pauli
 

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