2019 Dworshak Reservoir Kokanee Report

[ricks]

Thx for the good info. I hear that Kokes like to live in water temps around 54F, then warmer temps to feed on plankton, then back to the lower 50's. If that's the case they ought to be around 50-60' at Dworshak now. Seems to square with your results, right?

I've always heard that as the water warms the kokes head deeper. I did not know the water temp they like.... I might have to get a thermometer to read temps down deeper, maybe like this.https://fishingandhuntingheaven.com/fishing/products/accessories/scales-aerators/compac-thermometer-and-depth-gauge. I'm glad you mentioned the temp you heard they like. Have to do some reading.......


Rick

 

[icelander]

I've always heard that as the water warms the kokes head deeper. I did not know the water temp they like.... I might have to get a thermometer to read temps down deeper, maybe like this.https://fishingandhuntingheaven.com/fishing/products/accessories/scales-aerators/compac-thermometer-and-depth-gauge. I'm glad you mentioned the temp you heard they like. Have to do some reading.......


Rick

This might save a few shekels http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/water_quality/tempstrings/DWR_S1_2019_07.html but I don't know how accurate it would hold farther up

 

[ricks]

This might save a few shekels http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/water_quality/tempstrings/DWR_S1_2019_07.html but I don't know how accurate it would hold farther up

Probably good enough along with the sonar to get a good idea where to drop a line. I'm going to head up sunday and see what I can do in Magnus. I figure most of the activity will be down around your afore mentioned 54ƒ zone. I had a couple fish in last weeks catch that were starting to blush their skin. Not long now before we lose the 4 year old fishery to the spawn.

 

[onemorecast]

Still hoping for a limit

Fishing in general and Kokanee in particular are about being in the right place at the right time. Dworshak has been the right place this year I just can't seem to be there on a hot fishing day. We were up 2 weeks ago and spent the entire day in Elk Creek, and only managed to get 10 in the boat. I talked to a fellow fisherman at the cleaning station at Big Eddy and the day before he had caught a limit, that day he only got 8, and several were small. This is the first year I have ever had downriggers, they have been outfishing the long lines and lead. Brad's pink magic kokanee cut plug tipped with scented corn has been my most productive lure. We're planning on being up on Sunday. I'm going to try stacking lines for the 1st time. I hope it doesn't turn into a big birds nest. This may be the last Koke run for us if they don't cooperate. I really don't want to make the journey to Granddad, even though I know that's where they are headed. I've learned a lot this year and am looking forward to next year.

 

[onemorecast]

Fish and Game news

https://idfg.idaho.gov/blog/2019/08/still-time-catch-kokanee-dworshak-reservoir

 

[ricks]

Fishing in general and Kokanee in particular are about being in the right place at the right time. Dworshak has been the right place this year I just can't seem to be there on a hot fishing day. We were up 2 weeks ago and spent the entire day in Elk Creek, and only managed to get 10 in the boat. I talked to a fellow fisherman at the cleaning station at Big Eddy and the day before he had caught a limit, that day he only got 8, and several were small. This is the first year I have ever had downriggers, they have been outfishing the long lines and lead. Brad's pink magic kokanee cut plug tipped with scented corn has been my most productive lure. We're planning on being up on Sunday. I'm going to try stacking lines for the 1st time. I hope it doesn't turn into a big birds nest. This may be the last Koke run for us if they don't cooperate. I really don't want to make the journey to Granddad, even though I know that's where they are headed. I've learned a lot this year and am looking forward to next year.

Tomorrow (sunday) I get one more trip up before harvest starts. I've been blessed this year with getting to go up about once a week or every other week since May. Been a great year, and like you said, a lot of that is the luck of guessing right most days and getting at least a few fish (other than one time). Plus I am not afraid to spend an entire morning mixing speeds, colors, presentations, scents, how noisy or subtle the gear is and depths. A lot of the success for me this year has been persistence and better electronics.

I wish you best on trying the stacking... I never had much luck going there, seemed I spent more time getting gear in and out of the water than I did fishing. Of course, that may be just because I'm fumbling around and don't know what I'm doing. Look forward to hearing how it works out for you.

I wasn't planning on going up past Magnus tomorrow (sunday), but after reading Sean's article, I think it best to shoot on up. So I am filling another gas can and prepping to cruise up further. Thanks for the post. Sean is who I called and expressed appreciation for the great fishery last week. Good guy.

Hope to see you on the water.



Rick

 

[ricks]

Dropped in at Bruces today at 6 AM. Cruised on up to Grandad. Wasn't planning to go that far, but the fishery biologist report kind of forced that hand. I enjoyed the trip. Always seems a lot longer getting there than getting back.

Dropped lines at Benton creek, a quarter mile past the Grandad ramp. Soon as I slowed the 83KHz marked fish everywhere. We fished up from there through the morning and circled around spots where we hit fish. Then fished back down to Grandad ramp until 2 PM. It really matched the report, 10 minutes of hits, then 20 minutes or more of nothing. Even circling and hitting the same pod of fish would never reproduce the initial 2 or 3 line hit. Very fickle today but expected since the fish are not feeding and spending their energy changing.

There were probably only 4 or 5 other boats up there. Pretty sparse for a sunday. Very quiet all day. A gazzillion fish though, all stacked up. Mouths of creeks were always best locations.

Ended up with 30 fish, all same 12-13 inch size. This was a typical 83KHz screen when going through the mouth of one of the creeks. Note, with sonar settings in chirp or 200 KHz, I would see almost no fish at all. Kind of learning the ropes with this Lowrance - 83 KHz is definitely the boss.

 

[Lou Mc]

Ricks report

Thanks Ricks for the report on grandad, I've been out several times, usually just behind where the fish were. I'm going up for the last time 13th & 14th, planned to go short to magnus bay or just above, but thanks to your report, I'll go all the way to the grandad bridge area. How deep were you successful at? I'll be using my downrigger. Your report was really helpful to convince me.

 

[ricks]

Thanks Ricks for the report on grandad, I've been out several times, usually just behind where the fish were. I'm going up for the last time 13th & 14th, planned to go short to magnus bay or just above, but thanks to your report, I'll go all the way to the grandad bridge area. How deep were you successful at? I'll be using my downrigger. Your report was really helpful to convince me.

We stuck the downriggers just above wherever we saw fish on the sonar, between 40 and 75 feet for the most part. Ran Randys or Slingblades with different hoochies. Constantly looking for the right colors combos swapping all the time. Seemed everything was hit or miss.

Long lines did just as good with 1 ounce at 100-120 feet back. Used everything from cowbells to Fords and brass through brightest flashiest UV chromes. Never knew what was going to hit, but the best spots were almost always mouths of creeks.

Best of luck. Let us know how it goes. Bring back a bunch!

 

[Lou Mc]

grandad

Well Ricks, I made it to grandad on Tue. Like you, I saw thousands of fish on the finder, mostly 100 to 150 feet. some 50 ft. and some just scattered. I was too lazy to go down deep, so I set the downrigger at 50 ft. and trolled in the mouth of Little Northfork starting at 7:15. ( I started from Freeman Creek) In two hours, I caught 2 fish, I trolled right through them and they didn't care. Then I trolled downstream past grandad bridge for a mile or 2, and caught 5 more. slow, slow, slow. At 1:00 I went down to Magnus Bay. Not nearly as many fish, but caught 3 in the first hour. tired, went back to camp.

Wed. went back to Magnus bay, swamp creek nothing. trolled upstream from there and caught a few. Lots of blank spots between fish, and never caught any when my finder said I was in the middle of them. The Kokes are starting to change color, don't seem interested in biting.

But I had a wonderful time on my last fishing trip on Dworshak for this year. I drove 100 miles up and down the lake, and my wife said my fish to miles was pretty low.

Thanks for the forum, I enjoyed everyones stories.

 

[ricks]

Lou Mc, It can be a tough time. Can be a lot of fun too. There are so many that it will have no effect on the fishery hatch next year to do our best to catch some.

Thanks for the report. I'm going to do one more trip next month and see if I can catch some of those year 1 10 inchers.

 

[ricks]

Fished Monday Sept 30

Hey guys, busy week, my son got married in our barn, which meant we spent a couple months cleaning that puppy and putting plenty of lipstick on the pig. After the wedding, took a couple friends who came out from California out on Dworshak to catch a few fish. Nice perfect day on the water, mostly no wind and temps from 36 to 42ƒ.

We weren't in a hurry, nor needing to work butts off, so dropped in at around 7 at Bruces and cruised up to Dent Bridge. Sonar trolled Canyon Crk on the way, marked plenty of fish, so that would have been a fine place to stop but I was acting as a fishing and tour guide so we headed up to the bridge.

Started with long lines and didn't get the second line out before we had a fish on the first one. I spent the day rigging terminal gear and teaching how to operate multiple downriggers and long lines without getting tangled up - successfully all but once.We fished a few hours, had a constant easy stream of bites until noon, when it all stopped happening and I realized I'd have to go through my box again finding some other combination that would initiate bites under the higher sun and brighter less cloudy skies. Pulled out and cruised back sightseeing along the way.

We caught 21 between 8 and 11 inches. Lost a bunch as well, so there's still a few in the lake for everyone else :^) Stopped for lunch at China Cafe in Kooskia and gave Ben and Grace enough for their dinner. Here's what I had for cooking our dinner that evening.

Rick

 

[MMDON]

Congratulations on the wedding and thanks for the report! I like the idea of a Barn Wedding. Romantic!

 

[Lou Mc]

new guy

Hey guys, busy week, my son got married in our barn, which meant we spent a couple months cleaning that puppy and putting plenty of lipstick on the pig. After the wedding, took a couple friends who came out from California out on Dworshak to catch a few fish. Nice perfect day on the water, mostly no wind and temps from 36 to 42ƒ.

We weren't in a hurry, nor needing to work butts off, so dropped in at around 7 at Bruces and cruised up to Dent Bridge. Sonar trolled Canyon Crk on the way, marked plenty of fish, so that would have been a fine place to stop but I was acting as a fishing and tour guide so we headed up to the bridge.

Started with long lines and didn't get the second line out before we had a fish on the first one. I spent the day rigging terminal gear and teaching how to operate multiple downriggers and long lines without getting tangled up - successfully all but once.We fished a few hours, had a constant easy stream of bites until noon, when it all stopped happening and I realized I'd have to go through my box again finding some other combination that would initiate bites under the higher sun and brighter less cloudy skies. Pulled out and cruised back sightseeing along the way.

We caught 21 between 8 and 11 inches. Lost a bunch as well, so there's still a few in the lake for everyone else :^) Stopped for lunch at China Cafe in Kooskia and gave Ben and Grace enough for their dinner. Here's what I had for cooking our dinner that evening.

Rick

View attachment 9843

Thanks Rick, made my day hearing about your newest trip to Dworshak. The fish were a good eating size. Maybe I do have one more trip in me this year..

Lou

 

[ricks]

Congratulations on the wedding and thanks for the report! I like the idea of a Barn Wedding. Romantic!

Thanks! It was a lot of fun. Makes this old man feel really old when his 19 year old son gets married. They were a beautiful couple.



This is a kid that just seems yesterday was fishing Dworshak with me on a soap bubble

View attachment 9845

 

[MMDON]

Beautiful pic of the wedding. Somethings are worth getting old for and you just posted the best! Saweeeeeet!