Is it just a myth that this occurs in the small tributaries of the lake at high flows?
Printable View
Is it just a myth that this occurs in the small tributaries of the lake at high flows?
I know that landlocked Chinooks have been caught in the North Fork. Don't know if it's an actual consistent spawning run or just a few wayward fish though.
NK
If kokanee are in the lake they should run upriver at some point for spawning assuming the water is not too warm (ie summer). I have seen this in many rivers feeding lakes that contain kokanee and other salmonids, but I don't know specifically about Folsom.
The Kokanee I’ve seen spawning have always been in the fall (Boca, Stampede, Twin Lakes, Lake Tahoe). Don’t know about the kings.
Saw a couple redds on the South Fork near Coloma in December before the highwater. They are in there!
I caught a couple in the Middle Fork by Oregon Bar however that was 25 years ago
About 50 years ago we were trolling for Kokanee (landlock dwarfed Sockeye salmon) mainly at Bullard's Bar Reservoir.
Back then they ran about 13" and the limit was 10 per person.
We trolled leadcore line with a color change every 10 feet, 30 feet of 15# mono, a set of flashers, a rubber snubber, 3' mono and a lure.
Back then Folsom Lake had some larger size Kokanee, around 17" long.
In the Fall the schools of Kokanee start to color up and head for the tributaries to spawn.
Rainbow trout in lakes head up the tributaries to spawn in the Spring.
Brown trout in lakes head up the tributaries to spawn in the Fall.
Back then Lake Tahoe had Kokanee to 5 pounds.
There is a fishing club now for those who troll lakes/reservoirs for Kokanee.
Kokanee Power in California.
https://www.kokaneepower.org/
Here are a bunch of YouTube videos on Lake Tahoe's Kokanee fisheries.
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...+tahoe+kokanee
Thanks everyone. Sounds like there may be (or at least used to be) some landlocked in the forks of the American. That would be an awesome catch! Enough of a surprise that, if I ever catch one there, I'll post it.