# Strawberry 6/16



## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

I couldn't keep the kokanee off of anything at Strawberry yesterday. They hit on rainbow lucky crafts, rainbow rapalas, shad colored krocs, and traditional hoochies. 

One thing I did find disappointing is how many of these fish had their faces ripped off. One was missing both gill plates. One had been hooked that morning and torn off the whole left side of what would be his chin. He was ornery enough that he still used the right side of his face to hit my shad colored kroc. About half of them were disfigured in some way.

Anyone who is fishing for kokanee at Strawberry or the Gorge for that matter, do me a favor, turn your drags way way down or get a rod designed to catch kokanee. If you want to make your own, PM me, I'll give you the recipe I use for the best kokanee rod you'll ever own. But please, stop ripping the faces off of fish.

You'll catch more fish, their faces won't get ripped off, and we can all enjoy catching non-disfigured kokanee.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

That's the main problem with catch and release. Guys are in such a big hurry to get back in the water and catch another fish they don't take the time to properly remove the hook. I have noticed the same thing there, and I get tired of hearing " I had a 40+ fish day at Strawberry" >>O


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## Idratherbehunting (Jul 17, 2013)

So for those of us who have never fished for kokanee, can you explain why to turn down your drag?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Idratherbehunting said:


> So for those of us who have never fished for kokanee, can you explain why to turn down your drag?


Kokanee have extremely soft mouths and jaws, its really easy to tear them up. You want long springy poles and soft drags to reduce stress on their mouths, otherwise you tear'em up.

@Dodger, Glad to hear you got into'em! Fun fish land. How big were your biggest?

-DallanC


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## Idratherbehunting (Jul 17, 2013)

DallanC said:


> Kokanee have extremely soft mouths and jaws, its really easy to tear them up. You want long springy poles and soft drags to reduce stress on their mouths, otherwise you tear'em up.
> 
> @Dodger, Glad to hear you got into'em! Fun fish land. How big were your biggest?
> 
> -DallanC


Thanks Dallan. So do you have to be more careful when setting the hook as well? Or is more just when they are fighting?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Idratherbehunting said:


> Thanks Dallan. So do you have to be more careful when setting the hook as well? Or is more just when they are fighting?


Hook's are set when the Kokanee pull the line out of the release, hence Dodger's comment on light releases as well. Some people even put those rubber band things inline between the swivel and the leader to help add some "give".

My #1 best koke producer rig doesn't even use a flasher / dodger, so I'm able to play the fish with nothing interfering from rod tip to hook.

IMO, kokanee fishing is a art form. Some people luck into them from time to time but to consistently produce, it takes alot of know-how.

-DallanC


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

I hear you Fowlmouth. I think kokanee specifically are hardier than most people think they are. Yes they get stressed out more easily than trout but I think many more survive bad netting practices better than most think. I think it is a bigger deal later in the year when the water is warmer. But, good netting/release practices are a must. Kokanee need a rubber net, not to be handled, and released quickly. And, it won't kill anyone to keep a smaller fish that won't survive the release. Suck it up. That's part of kokanee fishing.

I'dratherbehunting - Exactly what Dallan said. If you keep your drag down, you release a lot of pressure on the fish's mouth. If you don't have a limber rod, you have to have to have to keep that drag down if you want any shot at getting the fish in the boat. If it were me, I'd use my thumb as the drag to be honest. Take what the fish gives you when it gives it to you and reel it in slowly slowly slowly. OR make yourself a nice limber rod.

Kokanee are strong enough to use the leverage they can create against a heavy rod to rip their own jaws out. You have to prevent them from being able to make that kind of leverage on your gear. A limber rod absorbs all the shock from the fish fighting and prevents them from getting the leverage they need. The drag is there as a stop gap for a big fish in case it is strong enough to generate leverage with the limber rod.

Twice yesterday I had to back the drag way off to let the fish run, even with a limber rod. It is the ONLY way to get a big fish to the boat. Often times a kokanee will just swim with you until it sees the boat. If that happens it is usually a big big fish and it has all of its energy left when it sees the boat and it will go absolutely nuts. You have to let it run if you want to get it in. You just have to be patient with them. Always keep your line tight to the fish, but let him run when he wants to run. 

Dallan - we got several over 4 pounds. The kokes are bigger at Strawberry than they are at Anvil as of about 2 weeks ago when I was last at Anvil. But I suspect in the next two weeks, kokes will slow way down at Strawberry as the water warms up. You'll still be able to catch them, you'll just have to catch them early and late.

I'm personally against the rubber snubbers because they don't let you control how tight to the fish you are. I feel like they are kind of training wheels on a bike. They work to get you to the point where you get the "feel" for riding a bike but the bike is easier to ride when you take the training wheels off. Probably not the best analogy but you see what I'm saying. It's important to stay tight to the fish and if the fish swims straight at you, you'll never catch it with a snubber in-line. Or, if it jumps, which is more common, heaven help you. If it jumps, drop your rod tip so you take the pressure off, point your tip towards the water and sweep it back towards the bow of the boat to get some bend back in the rod. That will keep the fish in the water and keep you tight to the fish. Keep kokanee in the water, not jumping.

And, yes, never set a hook on a kokanee when you catch it on a downrigger. Just snapping out of the release is plenty. And the lightest release you can get away with, you should use. Dallan has been fishing kokes a long time. He knows his stuff.

It takes a lot of practice to catch kokes consistently and it's much harder at Strawberry than the Gorge, IMO. But, I brought home 20+ pounds of fillets yesterday between 3 people and 4 fish a piece.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Just so's we're clear. 8)


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Dodger said:


> Just so's we're clear. 8)
> 
> View attachment 34586


That looks so good. My wife has a salmon recipe to die for. I'll see if I cant get it and post it. Its a simple marinade then onto the grill for a short time.

-DallanC


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## Idratherbehunting (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks for the info! I've always wanted to fish for kokes, but never have. I would have been one of those people ripping the jaws off out of ignorance.

*Edit: If I was fortunate enough to get a bite.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Idratherbehunting said:


> Thanks for the info! I've always wanted to fish for kokes, but never have. I would have been one of those people ripping the jaws off out of ignorance.
> 
> *Edit: If I was fortunate enough to get a bite.


Do you have a boat? Do you have downriggers or leadcore? I could definitely get you on some kokanee at Strawberry or Flaming Gorge.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

DallanC said:


> That looks so good. My wife has a salmon recipe to die for. I'll see if I cant get it and post it. Its a simple marinade then onto the grill for a short time.
> 
> -DallanC


Yeah, I'd love that. I use the Alton Brown Good Eats salmon cure for smoking kokanee. I'm a popular guy this time of year in the neighborhood.


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

Dodger, that was a very comprehensive write up. Thank you. I do get nervous however when someone mentions "they are hardier than people think" with any fish, as we really have no idea how hardy they are. 
Not that it matters if you are keeping them but any fish the is to be set free need to be handles as though they are very fragile. I know you know this, I just wanted to put this out there.
Again thanks for the info.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

> Barbequed Salmon
> 
> 1 Salmon fillet (3-4 lbs. with no skin or bone)
> 1 cup light soy sauce
> ...


I'm hungry now... 

-DallanC


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I'm heading back to Strawberry this weekend. It will be the 3rd week in a row, but I just can't get enough of that place right now with the way it is fishing. The Rainbows we are catching have mostly all been in the 18" range and 2-3 lbs. The downside is that it has been windy and cold the last 2 trips. >>O What depth you catching the Kokanees?


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## troller (Jun 27, 2013)

DallanC said:


> That looks so good. My wife has a salmon recipe to die for. I'll see if I cant get it and post it. Its a simple marinade then onto the grill for a short time.
> 
> -DallanC


 I can not wait for this recipe

I think you guys are talking about my grandson in law it took me about a hour to calm him down and get him working the fish. (he had never got a Koke before) and I have the best Koke rods,. the tip will almost touch the handle


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

troller said:


> I can not wait for this recipe


Its 2 posts above yours  Its good eating! Family favorite for sure.

-DallanC


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

madonafly said:


> Dodger, that was a very comprehensive write up. Thank you. I do get nervous however when someone mentions "they are hardier than people think" with any fish, as we really have no idea how hardy they are.
> Not that it matters if you are keeping them but any fish the is to be set free need to be handles as though they are very fragile. I know you know this, I just wanted to put this out there.
> Again thanks for the info.


Well, I think the conventional wisdom is that if you look at a kokanee cross-eyed, they are going to die. In fact, a couple years ago, the Flaming Gorge Biologist asked if anyone had ever seen kokanee with defects - ripped jaws, missing gill plates, scars, etc. Everyone there acted like no kokanee could ever survive such a thing. I posted pictures of fish I had caught with all of the above plus fish that had bite marks from big macs and talon scars from osprey/eagles.

Your point is well taken. Obviously best practices need to be in place for fish you are going to release. My only point was that kokanee are slightly more durable than dying if you give them a dirty look. I think they are still more fragile than trout but they are not so fragile that they die every time you release them.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

DallanC said:


> [FONT=&quot]I'm hungry now...
> 
> -DallanC


Looks like a good recipe to me. I'm in!


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> I'm heading back to Strawberry this weekend. It will be the 3rd week in a row, but I just can't get enough of that place right now with the way it is fishing. The Rainbows we are catching have mostly all been in the 18" range and 2-3 lbs. The downside is that it has been windy and cold the last 2 trips. >>O What depth you catching the Kokanees?


The weather looks nice this weekend. And, like I said before, I think Strawberry has another couple of weeks to fish well before it gets too hot and the fish start to get lethargic. Then, for kokanee, it's time for the Gorge until the end of August.

The best depths for me were 42 and 50 feet on the downriggers. The smaller fish seemed to be higher in the water column. Bigger fish were hanging at the bottom of the schools.


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## Naters (Jun 19, 2014)

Dodger thanks for all the info, you definitely taught a few things! I've really gotten into Kayak fishing this year, and past couple weeks I've just been going for trout...hoping to get lucky and being in one of those special tagged trouts at strawberry. If nothing else it's helped with learning the art kayak angling. 

Anyways lately I have been thinking about aiming for the Kokanee and this has helped a lot, so thanks again. I was also wondering if there is anyone that has had success with kokanee in a kayak or canoe, if so any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!


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