Northwest Fishing Reports

Anybody been catching any Kokes from American yet? Havent been hearing too much from anyone. Just a few bows.

ResQ wrote:Anybody been catching any Kokes from American yet? Havent been hearing too much from anyone. Just a few bows.

Exactly!

There's Kokes in American? lol....I think they have lock jaw...

Yea pretty strange considering how many other of the lakes have turned on so early!

Hard year again?? Would you consider last year a hard year? I really enjoyed it! Lol

ResQ wrote:Hard year again?? Would you consider last year a hard year? I really enjoyed it! Lol

No last year was not hard. I can't remember for sure if it was the year before or the year before that. It started out good, meaning fish a plenty, then it was hard to get a limit. A person might only get one or two per trip but they were big 16-21 inch. You had to put your time on the water to get them. Boy were they worth it!
I couldn't go as often because my back in my little boat couldn't take all the hours. So I went in friends boats

I think the water is still to cold cause everybody is seeing the fish on sonar, and there is no reason that I know of that the Kokanee should not be doing as well as the Rainbows which are really nice and plentiful this year

Was out this morning, I had two koke take downs and the spat it before I could release the downrigger. We ended up with 4 nice rainbows caught top water. Still too cold. 50.2 water temp. Should be soon though.

Kokanee catches are reported in Meridian, Merwin, Stevens, Chelan, Roosevelt and maybe others at this time of year. Salmonberry noted this, too. If water temperature is the key, then all these other waters are warmer than American. Are they, really?

Toni, what do you think causes a “hard year?”

The reason I believe water temps are key is that the other species seem to be very sluggish as well in other lakes.

I think it has more to do with the abundance of food in American. Kokanee are only hitting in the top very early and then being as cold as it is very finicky when they do hit as weather warms up so will competition for food then the bite will be on.....that's my story and I am sticking to it.

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gfakkema wrote:

ScottinMilton wrote:I think it has more to do with the abundance of food in American. Kokanee are only hitting in the top very early and then being as cold as it is very finicky when they do hit as weather warms up so will competition for food then the bite will be on.....that's my story and I am sticking to it.

You are partially right. Kokanee are filter feeders and the majority of their diet is plankton. Trout, on the other hand, aren't equipped with the same "gill filters" that kokanee have. Trout are primarily predatory and are eating bugs, etc. With the water not being that perfect 54 degree mark, the kokes are probably just surfacing enough to get a few bugs here and there. So, until the plankton bloom hits full effect, the trout and kokes may be competing for some of the bugs. Once the water warms up though, trout and kokes will be relying on completely DIFFERENT food sources, and thus little to no competition will exist.

--I have had similar experience. Early season larger kokanee caught on trout gear.. and trout speeds. The larger kokanee seem to be scattered and acting more like trout. I have only seen what I think are schools deep 80ft plus but haven't been able to get them to bite. This is on Skaha lk Bc. water surface temp is still low 40's Most boats are targeting near surface trout .

How important was water temperature in 2014?

The 2014 American Lake posts show that kokanee were reported caught starting February 1st:

- - tmib said 7 kokanee were landed in his boat Feb 1.
- - jd39 reported landing 8 kokanee on Feb. 1. He also reported that the fish checker (maybe Katrina?) said she was “surprised to see kokanee this early.”
- - On February 2nd, kokanee-slayer reported landing three.
- - Etc, etc.

Among other things, Toni reported some 2014 water temperature readings:
Feb. 22 - 40 degrees at 25 feet down
Mar. 17 - 46 degrees at 19 feet down
Mar. 22 - 46 degrees at 17 feet down, and 48 degrees on the surface.

Our recent winter seemed a little warmer than that of a year ago. Now in 2015, the temperatures I recorded on March 13 were:

Surface 52
5’ 52
10’ 51.6
15’ 51.4
20’ 50.9
25’ 49
30’ 48.6
35’ 48.4
40’ 48.3
45’ 48.3
50’ 48.1
55’ 48.1
60’ 47.9

Well WDFW just dumped in just over 10000 RB trout into American Lake in the last few weeks so maybe that will get these kokanee moving and let them know Spring is here it's time to feed.

We were out yesterday and caught a nice limit of trout still fishing. We were off the water by 9 but no way were any of the fish we were catching were recent plants. Smallest rainbow caught was 13 inches longest was a 21 inch 4 pounder again no way a recent plant. These fish are perfect shape not misshapen or humpbacked no scaring or fin wear and bright red meat when cleaned not white meat like hatchery fish. on a kokanee side off things I saw some caught by the trollers once the wind came up.

Went out Saturday. Apr 4. Started around 1:30. Just went to run the new kicker but thought "what the heck?"

Got one Koke using an orange bead wedding ring w/smiley blade tipped with worm behind a half and half dodger, 18ft. Got 5 trout, same gear.