Identification characteristics:
- In males, back and sides are bright red to dirty red-gray, head is bright to olive green, tail is green to black.
- In females, colors not as bright, but red above lateral line.
- Possible spots on back or tail fin.
- Males have a large dorsal hump.
- Range in length from 10-18 inches.
How can you tell the difference between Rainbow and kokanee?
Anal fin: Rainbow trout have a triangle shape, where the tip of the leading fin ray extends back to the rear insertion of the fin when folded down. Kokanee have rectangular shape, more rays (13 or more), and the leading fin ray tip is not close to the rear end of the fin.
What does kokanee look like?
Kokanee have blue backs and silver sides and unlike other salmon and trout, except chum salmon, sockeye and kokanee lack distinct dark spots on their backs and tail fins. In addition, when compared to other trout, they have finer scales, larger eyes, and deeply forked tail.
What is the best bait for kokanee salmon?
Popular Kokanee baits are Pink Maggots (real or synthetic), dyed-cured shrimp and dyed-cured White Shoepeg Corn. Be sure not to put too much bait on the hook as it will take away from the lure’s action. Once piece of corn or 2 small maggots on each hook is adequate.
Where are the biggest kokanee?
Wallowa Lake is now renowned, after producing the world’s largest kokanee in 2010.
What time of year does kokanee?
Spawning begins in August and usually runs into early February but kokanee have been found spawning as late as April. Again genetic factors and environmental factors like temperature both play a role in this timing.
Are kokanee good to eat?
These game fish have become one of the most popular types to fish because it’s so much fun to catch them, and they are also excellent eating.
What is the best way to catch kokanee?
9 tips for catching kokanee
- It’s better with a boat.
- There’s jigging and there’s trolling.
- Color matters, some.
- Troll slowly.
- Remember the bait.
- Select light gear.
- Think salmon lures but smaller.
- Go with a stout leader.
Can you catch kokanee from shore?
Kokanee fishermen generally spend quite a bit to get outfitted, and most fishing is done from a boat. But we’re here to tell you that its possible to catch a kokanee from the shore.
How deep do you fish for Kokanee?
In mid to late summer, kokanee are often found at 30 to 60 feet or more in their search for cold water and the best supply of zooplankton. Getting your lure to the depth of the fish is best done with the aid of a downrigger.
What scent do Kokanee like?
The four most common scents used for kokanee are Herring Oil, Shrimp/Prawn oil, Fresh Water Shrimp Oil and Squid Oil. ProCure makes all of these scents and is well proven with kokanee. Some fishermen mix these scents with anise oil to get a combination scent.
What size hooks for Kokanee?
Small hooks of around a Size 10 or ideal for the smallest baits, while a bigger hook even as large as a No. 1 might fit the bill for a larger bait. While kokanee might practically yank the rod out of the holder while trolling, these fish are subtle biters with bait.
How deep are kokanee in the summer?
30 to 100 feet
By summer, they will have grown to catchable size. The key to finding kokanee tends to be depth. During the warmer months, they may be anywhere from 30 to 100 feet below the surface. Kokanee will strike a wide range of spoons and spinners, as well as squid-like lures known as hoochies.
What’s the world record kokanee?
andbull; the heaviest kokanee ever caught in the all-tackle category. Campbell’s 9-pound 10-ounce kokanee broke the old world mark of 9 pounds 6 ounces.
What is the limit on kokanee in California?
You may keep 5 kokanee and 5 trout species per day.
Why do kokanee turn red?
When they return to spawning grounds, their bodies become red and their heads turn green. For the Kokanee salmon, even though they do not migrate to sea, they are still silver before spawning. During spawning period, the salmon begin to absorb their scales. The carotenoid pigments in their flesh are thus visible.
What do kokanee fish eat?
zooplankton
Kokanee feed almost exclusively on zooplankton, tiny aquatic animals from the size of a pinprick to the size of a small fish hook. They will also eat tiny plants, insects, and freshwater shrimp when available. They strain zooplankton from the water by means of many fine combs on the gills called gill rakers.
Can you eat Kokanee salmon raw?
After all, kokanee are salmon, and, as you may well know, sockeye flesh is the reddest of them all. And that flesh is richer than most trout, a bit soft like salmon is, and hates being overcooked — although you cannot safely eat kokanee raw unless it has been frozen first for at least a week.
Do all kokanee turn red?
Kokanee and sockeye salmon are silver for most of their lives. In some places they’re actually referred to as silver trout or silver salmon. But once they’re ready to spawn, adult kokanee undergo a radical change of color to a vibrant red body and black or green head. Males also develop a distinctive hump.
How fast do you troll for kokanee?
Trolling Speeds & Tactics
Much slower speeds are used when trolling for Kokanee, unlike when fishing for Rainbow Trout where the average speed is over 2mph. Speeds for Kokanee range from . 8 to 1.8 mph. Kokanee tend to follow your gear for miles around the lake until something changes.
Are sockeye and kokanee the same?
Kokanee are the landlocked form of the Sockeye Salmon. While the Sockeye Salmon mature in the ocean and migrate into streams, Kokanee mature in lakes or reservoirs and migrate into tributaries in the fall to spawn.