Primer for Kokanee

By David Y. Wei and Suzanne L. Clouthier

Kokanee is a Kootenay First Nation word meaning “red fish.” The name is apt for this landlocked sockeye salmon, which is noted for its crimson spawning colours and deep red flesh. Kokanee are native to almost all large lakes in British Columbia, notably Kootenay, Okanagan, Quesnel, and Shuswap. These game fish are prized for their willingness to take a variety of lures, for their scrappy fights, and superb flavour.

Kokanee, being salmon, share many of the traits of their sea-going cousins. Two important traits have allowed the Freshwater Fisheries Society to stock hundreds of British Columbia lakes with non-native kokanee, including many on Vancouver Island. First, kokanee feed mainly on a tiny crustacean called Daphnia, a food for which other freshwater game fish don’t compete. Secondly, they die after spawning. The Society can stock kokanee as a “put-and-take” fish in lakes that lack the streams needed for reproduction.

Kokanee have very soft mouths, so use a lighter-action rod that will gently absorb the shocks of their runs. Single-action, spinning, or baitcasting reels are all good for kokanee, as long as they have a capacity of about 100 metres of six-pound test line.

The most effective way to find kokanee in a lake is to troll. When you find a school, stay in its general vicinity by trolling in big circles to keep the fish nearby. Finding an actively feeding school of kokanee will often lead to a period of frenzied action.

Daphnia spend most of the day down deep, only rising near the surface before sunset, and returning to the depths just after sunrise. Around daybreak or evening twilight, when kokanee are feeding on Daphnia near the surface, no weight – or just a few split shot – will be enough to keep lures in the strike zone. During the day, use a lead-core line or a downrigger to get lures to deep-feeding kokanee.

Run your lure about 30 metres behind your boat, using no more than six-pound test line. When first exploring a lake, trolling an attractor in front of your lures is a good way to bring a school to you. Willow leaf gang trolls or small #3 dodgers will attract kokanee. Tie your lure 20 to 80 cm behind the attractor.

What lure should you use to target kokanee? The simple answer: “anything with red!” Suzanne and I always start trolling with a red “wedding band” spinner behind an attractor on one line, and a high-action wiggling lure (like an Apex Kokanee Special in red colours #308K or #302K) by itself on another.

After you land a mess of kokanee, try barbecuing them with Dave Wei’s Fish Barbecue Sauce.