Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3808 Mar 29- Apr 12 2019 | Page 8

6 Mar 29 - Apr 12, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 8 Sockeye Notes < Mack’s Lure Wedding Ring Spinners in all of their standard and Smile Blade configurations are cornerstone lures for many kokanee anglers. Wedding Rings come in a long list of colors and color combinations and put out a ton of vibration at slow trolling speeds. ^ You’d be hard pressed to find a California kokanee angler that would hit the water without some shoe peg corn for tipping lures and a selection of Pro-Cure Super Gel scents. Some anglers prefer sweet scents, while others like shrimp and baitfish scents. Author Cal Kellogg’s favorite kokanee scent is Anise/Krill. > Kokanee trollers love dodgers. Here we see a selection of blades from Vance’s Tackle, Mack’s Lure, Dick Nite and Silver Horde. Four inch herring dodgers in both bright and metallic colors are the most popular dodgers among kokanee enthusiasts, but smaller and larger dodgers ranging from 2.5 to 6 inches are widely used too. presents Getting Started With Kokanee W hen you travel up to Alaska, the salmon capital of the United States, and talk to the locals, you learn some interesting things about salmon. Alaska residents have access to all the major species of salmon including kings, silvers, sockeyes, chums and pinks. When it comes to the species that generates the most excitement from a trophy hunting perspective, it’s the kings. And why not? Alaska’s kings are plentiful and they grow to massive proportions, with 50, 60 and 70 pounders being common fare in the fabled Kenai and other rivers. When you ask which species of salmon are the most fun to catch, most Alaskan’s will tell you that silvers narrowly beat out sockeyes primarily due to the larger size silvers attain and their tendency to embark on a series of wild jumps when hooked. But when the subject turns to table fare it’s the crimson colored sweet tasting meat of sockeye salmon that spark the most enthusiasm among Alaska’s salmon aficionados. Unfortunately, here in the Golden State, we don’t have an opportunity to target sockeyes in ocean waters or in our coastal rivers, but that’s not to say that we don’t have access to some outstanding sockeye action, because we do. Many or our inland reservoirs, such as Whiskey- town Reservoir, Bullards Bar Reservoir, Lake Pardee, New Melones Reservoir and Stampede Reservoir to name only a handful, play host to solid landlocked sockeye populations, but we don’t call them sockeyes, we call them kokanee. Over the past 30 plus years no fresh- water gamefish has gained as much popularity with California anglers as kokanee salmon. This spike in popularity can be traced to a number of significant developments over the past three decades, including the efforts of conservation organizations and the DFW to increase the range and numbers of kokanee statewide, the widespread popularity of sonar units and downriggers, and the devel- opment of light tackle trolling hardware that allows the dimin- utive salmon to showcase their fighting ability. Indeed, on light tackle kokanee salmon are determined battlers that will get the adrenaline flowing in even the most stoic angler. Add to all this the excellent meals kokanee provide and it is little wonder why targeting them has become so popular. I meet a lot of anglers that are intrigued by the idea of kokanee fishing, but don’t target them because they believe kokanee fishing is complicated. I’ve been fishing for kokanee for many years and I’m here to tell you that it is not particularly complicated, provided you have a few basic tools. The first step to catching kokanee is learning about their lifestyle. Kokanee are unique among freshwater gamefish in terms of diet. Kokanee feed almost exclusively on plankton and mysis shrimp according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Kokanee prefer water temperatures in the middle 50’s. In the spring, when water temperatures are cool, kokanee will be holding near the surface. Later in the summer, as water temperatures rise the ‘kokes will drop down in the water column in search of comfortable temperatures. By mid-summer it is not uncommon to find kokanee salmon holding in the 100-foot range. In addition to water temperature, the light level and boat traffic can also cause kokanee to move into deeper water. Since kokanee are creatures of the depths, the two most important tools for FISH SNIFFER HOW – TO ^ by Cal Kellogg A lot of kokanee guys overlook spoons and that’s a mistake. Small and medium size spoons like these Dick Nites are great offerings for kokanee. You can troll them alone or pair them with dodgers. CONTINUED ON PG 22