Catching Kokanee Salmon

[dtp916]

Hi guys,

So every fall before the season closes, I like to go up to the Little T and fish for the kokanee that run up from Boca. The browns move upstream too, giving resident stream trout plenty of chances to gobble up eggs.

Now, my problem is that most of the Kokanee I catch, and see getting caught, are snagged . I have talked with guides up in Truckee and I remember Andy Burk telling me a few things to use back when I was 15. I heard red flies get there attention.

Does anyone know what patterns are effective for catching these guys? I'd really appreciate it. Also I heard they come up from stampede as well? Can anyone verify that? Thanks!

[Darian]

Kokanee run up all of the rivers/streams entering a lake/reservoir where they exist. For example, the Yuba has runs above Englebright and Bullards Bar Reservoirs.... Several of my friends fish them regularly but not with flies....

Try: www.renoflyshop.com

Andy Burk is one of the tiers/staff members up there.

[dtp916]

Thanks for the reply!

Andy used to be a buddy of mine , but I havent seen him in 6 years (long story, and no I wasn't in jail) . One of the best fly fishers and tiers the community has seen.

Those guys never seem interested in my flies, usually I provoke strikes by harassing them with red and white bunny leeches or clousers.

[Tony Buzolich]

Hi 916,

I lived up there for several years and Boca in the evening was a great place to fish. My wife and I would take our pram up there several times a week after dinner and fish until dark, sometimes til 9:30 or almost 10:00pm.

We'd launch near the campground at the mouth of the Little Truckee and row over to the far side. Once there, we'd cast or slow troll small orange or cinnamon, or olive marabou leech patterns similar to Jay Fair's patterns. These worked incredibly well. I weighed all of my leech pattern though I don't think Jay does with his.

We'd also use a light shooting head like a type II or III which made casting easy and allowed the fly to sink a bit deeper if need be.

Sometimes if you allowed the fly to drop really deep(12'-15'), and stripped a little faster with definite pauses,(like striper fishing) you'd hook up much bigger fish. Quite often these would be Kokonee.

The Kokonee would fight twice as hard as any rainbow for the same size and you could almost bet what it was before it came to the surface. Sometimes we'd hook bigger fish that we couldn't bring up at all.

As for the Kokonee IN the Little Truckee, you have to remember THEY ARE A SALMON. They went up the river to spawn and die. That river is barely more than a big creek and those spawning fish get piled thick at times. Trying to get one to actually bite would simply result in harassment and snagging. Leave these guys alone and take some pictures. It is a beautiful sight.

It happens in every lake up there this time of year, Stampede, Boca, Donner, Tahoe at Taylor Creek, any lake that has Kokonee. The inlets become choked with bright red fish packed shoulder to shoulder. It is an amazing sight to see and enjoy.

Take your camera and enjoy nature at it's colorful best, but don't harass these guys once they enter the creeks.
TONY
www.feather-river-fly.com