Joe, have you test fished the Kokanee for size this year? What month, water temp, moon faze or combination of, happens before you typically start targeting them? Are the Kokanee completely self sustaining on your home lake?

The WDFW do stock Koks in here..but very few show up in the creel...They adipose Fin Clip the fish they raise......Most of the Koks are self sustaining here...I like to target the koks when surface temp warms to 50 degrees...Plankton Bloom really takes off..I have seen kokanee this year in the 10 inch range which is better than last year when they averaged between 7 and 9 inches..But I am seeing a Lot of koks in the lower Basin so it should be a great Spring time Fishery this year!!!!!

Thanks Joe. What do you like to use for tackle? Realizing, they are for the most part plankton eaters, it appears (from reading various lake fishing reports) a variety of lures, mini squids, gang trolls and bait combination's seem to work. Are they aggressive feeders, catch them all day long?

Another question Joe, how do you know the lure is 3' off the bottom, can you see the ball on your sonar, or do you use some equasion to determine the ball depth, or is it a educated guess ? I keep seeing that the lure must be close to the bottom to be most productive, and would really like to know how this is done in 200'/300' water.

Joe, I neglected to congratulate you on the great catch, one look a those big grins, and the string of fish says it all. Barb and I are looking forward to booking a trip with you. Ken

Well Ken I fish by Braille..I drop the downrigger ball down until it hits the bottom and then bring it up 1 to 3 ft off the bottom..If the bottom is falling away I drop the ball again to find the bottom..If the bottom is on the rise I wait until I see the downrigger ball bounce on the bottom then make my adjustment up 3 ft..You have to pay close attention to your sonar/fishfinder to do this successfully..I have lost 33 downrigger balls since I have been guiding Lake Chelan,,Hope this helps answer your Question...

Joe, how long have you been guiding on Lake Chelan? That drigger ball loss number is interesting to read and that you've kept a running total. Have you kept track of other losses? Like broken rods or accidental rods dropped overboard....ect?

I have Kept Track of Broken and Lost Rods...I have been Guiding Lake Chelan 8 yrs now and and been fishing it for 16 yrs..
The Funniest Rod Loss came about 2 yrs ago while fighting a really Nice Chinook..The 12 yr old Girl had been doing a great Job battling the King for about 5 minutes..The fish came to the surface about 100 ft behind the boat and decided to make a run Right at us and when the fish saw the boat, (which was about 10 ft from the boat) decided to do a Dophin Jump right at us and she threw the Rod right at the fish...I watched as the Chinook pulled the G-loomis Rod and Shimano Tekota into the Abyss of the Lower Trench..What do you do when this happens? Well you Laugh it off and comfort the 12 yr old and let her know that it is ok Because I have a spare Rod on the Boat..LOL

That is a great story Joe!! How close was the fish to landing inside the boat? As I read your story. I was imagining the fish ended up inside the boat, with the line connected to the lure in the fishes mouth. Retrieving the line, recovered the rod and reel. Even though 'my" anticipated version of your story did not happen. I can really appreciate your calm under fire. I would think that the parents and little girl were impressed with your reaction. That was a $400 -$500 loss. Does Loomis and Shimano sponsor/furnish you with gear? I had a few question concerning Kokanee, do you have a chance to respond to my #3 comment above?
Thanks for sharing your stories/experience on the water with clients, vast knowledge, willingness to share with the "average Joe". No pun intended. :>)

I use a 0000 chrome Dodger with a small double whammy or Kokanee Killer from mack lures..I tip both hooks with Pautzke Fire Corn..Depending on weather and wind you can catch the Koks all day long, but mornings are the best...They will stage out from our Best Western in depths from 20 to 60ft..To fish the koks here Productively you have got to use Downriggers not to say that you you can't catch them other ways but you have got to keep your Presentations right at the depths of where the Kok schools are and sometimes these schools are holding in 50 ft of water where the depth is 55 ft..Lake Chelan is so Crystal Clear and the Koks do not like the shadows that the boats put off so they Move around a Ton...Thanks for all the Good Questions and sorry I didn't get back to you sooner on the Kokanee Question..

Thank you for checking back and sharing the awesome information. I had no idea the fish were so spooky. Last question. Is it important to have a long set back, no matter the depth fished, to counter the fishes spooky nature?

I do go back around 60 to 80 ft before attaching to the downrigger...