Snagging for kokanee salmon is permitted from October 1 through December 31. From the Colo. 9 bridge over the Blue River at Blue River State Wildlife Area downstream to the Green Mountain Reservoir inlet: Snagging for kokanee salmon is permitted from September 1 through December 31.
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What time of year is best for kokanee fishing?
Spring
Late Spring. In May and June, after rising shallow-water temperatures have forced kokanee to return to the deeper portions of a lake, you can catch them using gang trolls and dodgers trailing almost any kind of small lure (like spoons, flies, and hoochies). This is the time most anglers experience the greatest success.
Are the kokanee running in Colorado?
Autumn in Gunnison, Colorado is a special time for anglers. This season welcomes the return of the kokanee salmon run to local rivers. From September to the end of October, anglers enjoy targeting these hard-fighting fish throughout the Gunnison Valley.
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.
Can you catch kokanee in winter?
Whiskeytown also offers a solid winter kokanee fishery. Catches tend to be less abundant in winter, but this is the time when you may get some of the biggest fish of the year. They’re also closer to the surface during the colder months, making it easier to catch them by slow trolling without a downrigger.
Can you catch Kokanee from shore?
Kokanee salmon can be caught without a boat by trolling from the shore or by jigging from a dock or hole in the ice. Kokanee salmon are difficult to catch without a boat in the summer due to warm water. Cooler waters allow kokanee to come closer to the surface improving the odds of a boatless catch.
Where can I snag kokanee in Colorado?
Snagging kokanee salmon in Colorado
- Beaver Creek- Oct. 1 through Dec.
- Blue Mesa Reservoir- Nov.
- Blue River (from Green Mountain Reservoir to first Hwy 9 bridge)- Sept.
- Cheesman Reservoir- Sept.
- Clear Creek (Chaffee County)- Oct.
- Crystal Reservoir- Sept.
- Elevenmile Reservoir (E.
- Green Mountain Reservoir- Sept.
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. Do not 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.
How big do Kokanees get?
about 12 to 15 inches
The kokanee are much smaller than their saltwater counterparts and only grow to about 12 to 15 inches. Because of its more diminutive size, you should clean and cook this fish as you would a trout that also lives in the streams and rivers. Kokanee is best eaten just before the spawning stage.
Where can you catch kokanee?
Areas in the lakes in which you want to target are areas with currents, wind blown points, tight narrow contour lines and large points that come out into the main lake. These are all zones that you will locate Kokanee due to their food source being pushed into these areas.
Are sockeye and kokanee the same?
Kokanee are the land-locked form of sockeye salmon. Because they never migrate out to the ocean to feed, kokanee are often much smaller than sockeye. However, other than their size, kokanee have very similar identifying characteristics as sockeye.
Is a kokanee a salmon or a trout?
The kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly’s salmon, Kennerly’s trout, or Walla, is the non-anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not migrate to the sea, instead living out their entire lives in freshwater).
How deep are Kokanee in the spring?
In the early spring and on colder days, the Kokanee salmon can generally be found with sonar at around 10 feet to 20 feet, and according to fisherman with experience in catching Kokanee, will typically stay in the same area for most of the day, albeit between 5 feet to 10 feet deeper as the day goes on.
Can you jig for kokanee?
Well, it depends on the time of year and how the kokanee are behaving. Jigging really shines when you can locate big schools of fish. Get on top of a school, and non-stop action can heat up fast with a jig.When your fish finder is showing large schools of fish, break out the jigging setup and hammer the school hard.
Are Kokanee salmon native to Colorado?
Since kokanee are not a native species in Colorado, their management is somewhat complicated.(Since almost all kokanee reproduction occurs in the hatchery, fishing for spawning salmon in the river is considered fair game.)
Does Kokanee salmon go to Ocean?
Kokanee are land-locked sockeye salmon. This means that they do not travel to the ocean and return inland to spawn, instead they complete their entire life cycle in Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Is snagging illegal in Colorado?
Snagging for kokanee is permitted from October 1 through December 1. 1. From the confluence of the East and Taylor Rivers downstream to the standing water line of Blue Mesa Reservoir, including all tributary canals and diversions: a. The taking of kokanee salmon is prohibited from August 1 through October 31.
Is snagging carp legal in Colorado?
Colorado state prohibits snagging of any other fish besides Kokanee.
How do you catch Kokanee salmon at Blue Mesa?
From early May until August, we catch kokanee salmon on Blue Mesa by trolling with downriggers at varying depths, looking for large schools and offering lures with an array of colors and sizes, until we find the combination that triggers a strike.
What is the biggest kokanee ever caught?
9.67 pounds
The largest recorded kokanee was caught in Pendleton, Ore., in Wallowa Lake by Ron Campbell in 2010. The behemoth kokanee weighed 9.67 pounds and was more than 27 inches long.
Why do kokanee turn red?
Kokanee salmon is a landlocked species of the sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka).The sockeye are silver in color while living in the ocean. When they return to spawning grounds, their bodies become red and their heads turn green.
