Lake Roosevelt Kokanee

[hewesfisher]

I've tried, but just can't seem to get the hang of this fishery. I've sat through seminars on fishing kokanee at Roosevelt, but just can't seem to connect.

Yesterday is a prime example, and after a couple hours of trolling gear supposedly kokanee specific, we ended up with goose eggs at which time I bailed on that attempt and switched over to rainbow tactics. 3 1/2 hours later we headed home with limits.

For those of you local to Spokane, there's a guide who's quite successful going after these landlocked sockeye, and I've sat through his seminars at least a half dozen times over the past couple years, but following his advice, and using the exact same gear/bait, I have failed in my kokanee fishing attempts.

If you are successful chasing silvers at Roosevelt, and care to share your tips, techniques, and maybe a general area of where I might be successful I'd really appreciate your input.

I just can't figure out what I'm not doing right to make my kokanee fishing something I enjoy as much as chasing rainbows.

[Matt]

I have done it a few times with my grandfather, but I was much younger. We fished down near Keller and the San Poil. I remember White Rock being a pretty good area, we usually ran our gear down 20-30 ft on the rigger over deep water and looked for Plankton Columns on the sonar (at that time we used a paper graph). Why don't you take a trip out with the guide you mentioned? Often times having someone explain something to you and actually watching them do it are two different things, plus you will know the specific locations he chooses to fish. I think generally spring and early summer tend to be the best times as well.

[hewesfisher]

I have done it a few times with my grandfather, but I was much younger. We fished down near Keller and the San Poil. I remember White Rock being a pretty good area, we usually ran our gear down 20-30 ft on the rigger over deep water and looked for Plankton Columns on the sonar (at that time we used a paper graph). Why don't you take a trip out with the guide you mentioned? Often times having someone explain something to you and actually watching them do it are two different things, plus you will know the specific locations he chooses to fish. I think generally spring and early summer tend to be the best times as well.

Matt - Taking a trip with this guy is something I have decided I need to do. Now is a good time based on this guide's seminar at the Spokane boat show a couple weeks ago. He limited 3 days in a row near the San Poil on 3lb+ silvers so that's why I tried to replicate his process yesterday, only a little further downstream due to the big drop in reservoir level this past week. Plankton is the key, and maybe that's my problem, I don't know how to identify it/them in the water. Kind of like fishing in water that holds no fish, no plankton, no kokanee.

Thanks for your reply!

[mav186]

Hi Hewes...I assume you're talking about Lenny. I was fortunate enough to cut my Silver and Wally teeth in the Roosevelt area when one of my best friends took me under his wing and showed me his style, that proved quite successful. He was considered a local and over the years I had the privilege of meeting other folks who circled around the Big Wally (Gordon Steinmetz) family and friends while living there.
Believe me, this is by no means a 'name dropping' pissing contest...I think you know me better than that. Having said that, I have not had, what I would consider, a successful year for silvers in about 3 years at the Lake (Roosevelt). I'm seeing favorable conditions in the Reservoir that may bring more silver to the live well this year. Find the food...and you'll find the fish. I'll be back in March and April to give it another go...as usual!
Have Fun!
Mav

[hewesfisher]

Hi Hewes...I assume you're talking about Lenny.

Close, but not. I'm referring to Ray Bailey. I have been to several of Lenny's seminars as well, and he is responsible for my success with rainbows. Two of my favorite trolling rods were sold by White's Outdoor when they still had Lenny on as Pro Staff. Following one of his seminars at White's Outdoor, my wife and I joined others at the counter and carried out the rods, reels, line and gear recommended by Lenny. We stayed at his "cabin" and got personal advice on where to go and what to do. I have refined those techniques to the point of confidence on any trout outing from Sept - May. I would really like to develop that same level of confidence fishing for silvers. I'm just not there yet, I'm still at the point of frustration.

I believe my problem is primarily finding the food, and keeping the offerings at the right speed and depth. I'll get it figured out one of these days.

Stay in touch for your March and April trips, we'll try and meet up if schedules permit.

[mav186]

Geez...I think I saw one of Ray's videos from the early 90's, quite awhile ago! Let's stay in touch and see if we can meet up...I've seen you fish, and I don't think you're too far off course here with the silvers. Believe me...there's been plenty of times I've been frustrated for the last couple of years with them too!

[Kfedka]

Totally missed out on the boat show. Is it same time every year? Is there any way to get a hold of videos from the seminars?

[JWS]

Anybody have a favorite "speed" they like for Kokanee? I'm having issues of my own right now, purchased new boat and have yet to install a kicker motor. I can idle my outboard just fine but it seems to carry inconsistent speeds, dont know if this is the electronics not reading correctly or if the main outboard just travels inconsistently while at idle?? My Lowrance, all be it older, is reading anywhere from 1mph to 1.9 at ldle. In the past I have ran at 1.6-1.8mph and had good success, any thoughts?

[G-Man]

Anybody have a favorite "speed" they like for Kokanee? I'm having issues of my own right now, purchased new boat and have yet to install a kicker motor. I can idle my outboard just fine but it seems to carry inconsistent speeds, dont know if this is the electronics not reading correctly or if the main outboard just travels inconsistently while at idle?? My Lowrance, all be it older, is reading anywhere from 1mph to 1.9 at ldle. In the past I have ran at 1.6-1.8mph and had good success, any thoughts?

Is your speed being calculated by GPS or is it through a water wheel? I find that the water wheel speeds are very inconsistent and also not that accurate. Before I had a sonar unit with built in GPS, I used my hand held GPS unit to give me my speed. I suppose you could even use a portable that is designed for a car. In smaller lakes I'll do the slow troll/crawl speeds in the 1.0 to 1.2mph. In larger lakes I find that the kokes seem to like a faster pace and I pick them up going between 1.5 and 1.8mph. Something else to try is taking your motor out of gear for around 10 seconds every so often. It is amazing the number of strikes that this will produce. The other key to this is that you are going at a speed that fits the gear you are putting in the water. By this I mean check you gear in the water next to your boat at trolling speed. Is your spinner blade turning? If not speed up. Is your dodger rotating? If it is, slow down until it gently swings from side to side. If you try and fish a lure at 1.1mph that is designed to be fished at a faster pace, it most likely will not perform the way you want it to.

[Matt]

I use a hand held GPS to calculate my speed. I have been doing this for years, and once I figured this technique out I think my trolling success has gotten a hundred times better. I usually troll from 1.4-2mph for kokes and find I get a lot of bites when I make turns. If I'm not getting any hits I will sometimes make sharp erratic turns and sometimes that is just the ticket. It seems like usually the outside rod (faster rod) gets hit in the turn.

[hewesfisher]

I don't use the speed indicated off the transducer, I use a combination of GPS ground speed and Luhr Jensen "Luhr Speed" trolling indicator. I find the Luhr Speed to be pretty darned accurate, but between it and GPS, I am confident I really know what speed I am running at.

The ideal speed for Lake Roosevelt silvers is supposedly 1.5mph - 1.6mph or so the guides claim. I troll for rainbows at 2.5 or more, so my speed is too high for silvers when targeting 'bows. Even so, we have caught a few incidental silvers while trolling for rainbows, undoubtedly during turns where the gear slowed up enough for them to hit.

Kfedka - The Spokane boat show is the same general time every year. There were no videos taken during the seminars, so you'd have to wait and see if any of the local guides will be offering seminars in the future. I have a schedule for some that will be held at Mark's Marine in Hayden, ID but it is upstairs on the calendar. If you are interested I'll PM you the details.

[Anglinarcher]

I believe my problem is primarily finding the food, and keeping the offerings at the right speed and depth. I'll get it figured out one of these days.

What sonar are you using, how sensitive have you got it set, and what concentrating structure are you looking at to see the Plankton piles?

I know, you are now thinking that I must be crazy talking about structure, but I'm not, just thinking of structure in a different way. A lot of times you need to look at the lake as the river it really is. Boat across the lake and look for seams of debris on the water, color changes after a wind, something that indicates that the downstream of water that is moving right now is piling up food. I agree that going down stream right now is a good idea, but I am not sure how far is too far.

If you go on Google Earth, you will see some of what I am talking about when you zoom into a lake. You can often see the plums of 'whatever' that color the water. Learn these areas, know what to look for when you are on the water, then it gets easier.

I just wish I had a kicker on my boat. I can't idle slow enough, so I need to use my bow mount. That is tough to say the least, but can be done if I am not using the rigger. Otherwise I am using drift socks to slow me down, and they are not that fun when the water is this cold.

[Matt]

Why not invest in a nice kicker? It is, after all, tax return time. :compress:

I am hoping to get over and fish the San Poil arm for Silvers at some point this spring. I will just have to wait and see what the snow decides to do.

[hewesfisher]

What sonar are you using, how sensitive have you got it set, and what concentrating structure are you looking at to see the Plankton piles?

Raymarine DS 600X HD. Sensitivity depends on what I'm chasing or want to see, it's dual frequency, sometimes I run it on 200khz, other times 50khz, and when I don't want to bother, I'll run it on auto frequency and let the unit decide. This thing has more features than I know how to use, but searching for something I don't know what looks like is sort of fruitless. I wouldn't know plankton pile if I saw one, that's what I need to resolve.

Your comment about looking for seams of debris is exactly what Bailey says to do, only he calls them "rips". I've tried to find them, really, but haven't seen anything that fits the description. I know if I did, I would at least be somewhere I might find the bait, and possibly, some silvers.

I've resigned myself to chartering on with Bailey for a trip and put some of my frustration to an end.

[mav186]

Your comment about looking for seams of debris is exactly what Bailey says to do, only he calls them "rips". I've tried to find them, really, but haven't seen anything that fits the description. I know if I did, I would at least be somewhere I might find the bait, and possibly, some silvers.

I've resigned myself to chartering on with Bailey for a trip and put some of my frustration to an end.





Hewes,
I call them 'Puke Lines'...they are critical in locating the food source.

[Anglinarcher]

Why not invest in a nice kicker? It is, after all, tax return time. .........

If momma ain't happy, then no one is happy. This year the taxes go to momma.

[Anglinarcher]

Your comment about looking for seams of debris is exactly what Bailey says to do, only he calls them "rips". I've tried to find them, really, but haven't seen anything that fits the description. I know if I did, I would at least be somewhere I might find the bait, and possibly, some silvers.

I've resigned myself to chartering on with Bailey for a trip and put some of my frustration to an end.





Hewes,
I call them 'Puke Lines'...they are critical in locating the food source.

A trip with Ray will probably be all you need. In the mean time, when you see what we are talking about, you will say I have seen this before.

As for seeing the "piles" on the graph, that all depends on the quality of your graph and the setting you have it at. My Humminbird 787 will pick them off easy, but I need to play with the sensitivity each time to adjust to water temperatures and densities. Only practice will help with this one.

[Anglinarcher]

Your comment about looking for seams of debris is exactly what Bailey says to do, only he calls them "rips". I've tried to find them, really, but haven't seen anything that fits the description. I know if I did, I would at least be somewhere I might find the bait, and possibly, some silvers.

I've resigned myself to chartering on with Bailey for a trip and put some of my frustration to an end.





Hewes,
I call them 'Puke Lines'...they are critical in locating the food source.

let me show you a tool, well if I can make it work. Because rivers, or river like lakes like Roosevelt, all behave in accordance to the laws of Physics, we can look for patterns.

The PDFs I am attempting to attach are from Google earth. You can see where the debris collected in June of that year. The water flow and wind changes, so the exact locations change, but because the shore line never changes, the fields will be in similar areas. You can locate potential areas on Google Earth, then search that location looking for seams, or "rips". The location will usually be within a half mile, IF it is forming on that given day.

[hewesfisher]

Those are great pics, thanks! Now I just need to find them at water level.