Sinking Line Kokanee
If you've got a shooting head set-up for shad you can take kokanee fairly easy with a fly. The area on the south east part of the lake called ? the China Wall? was always a good spot for them.
The trick is to simply let it sink, and when you think you're deep enough, let it sink some more. A quick short strip or two to get their attention and then keep it coming with an occassional pause.
I used to use an orange marabou leech pattern with only a little sparkle for everything up there. Rainbows and kokanee both ate it well. Up at Stampede my wife hooked up to what must have been a large brown or a Mackinaw once while using this same fly. She had it on for almost 15 minutes in deep water before it wore thru and broke off. We never saw the fish.
If you tie, use a long shank #6 hook with a marabou tail, then start your body with orange or rootbeer crystal chennile. Make about two wraps then put in another small clump of marabou on the back only. Continue with alternateing the crystal chennile and then more marabou until you reach the head, and then tie off. This has been a killer fly on every lake up that way.
Lots of lakes up there have small leeches in a rust or olive color and these marabou streamers really look like them.
Also, if you're on Donner with a boat, get out there early before the water skiers get going, and stay close to shore. It gets deep really quick and some of the best fishing was within a few yards of shore. When we lived up at our cabin I'd often fish early and be off the water by 8:00-8:30 and home for breakfast before 9:00.
Hope this helps a little, TONY
TONY BUZOLICH
Feather River Fly
Yuba City, CA.
(530) 790-7180
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