CTFishTalk.com: WH - Connecticut Lake Reports ( CT Lake Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi,

Yes! Down riggers will help + fish finder needed.

Kokes can travel in a very narrow band of water 2 ft. wide as they are very very temp. sensitive.

This is finesse fishing at its best -> Kokes are a real challenge Exclamation

LMB fight -> SMB fight 10x harder -> Kokanee fight 100x harder Shocked

You have to use a very limber (soft) rod (7 ft.for trolling) + a reel (loaded with 2-6 lb. test line) set real light with a very smooth drag for Kokes as they have paper mouths like a Crappie or you'll tear the hook out each and every time!
Very specific small super light lures and spoons are used for Kokanees.
Google up "Kokanee Lures" and click on images to see the different types.

NOTE: Trolling speed for Koke lures "thru the water" (not over the water boat speed or off GPS) is 0.5 to 1.5 mph

Or you can still fish for them .... anchor your boat at night, fore and aft, with light over the side to attract the plankton they feed on.
Then jig for them (limber 5 ft rod) at the depth you see the schools at with #8 to #12 red Gamakutsu Octopus hook baited with specifically " 1-2 kernnels of Green Giant Shoepeg Corn and 1-2 Maggots.

NOTE: ..... You "NEVER EVER" set the hook on Kokes -> Just lift the rod to hook them -> Again paper mouths!
Also you need a long handle boat net to land them -> NEVER lift them out of the water -> Again paper mouths and they will spin in the net!

Once hooked -> Hang on ..for they go completely Crazy Exclamation

After the fun of catching some ... comes the eating -> Grilled - Poached - Smoked -> FANTASTIC Exclamation

SeaDog1

CTfirefighter · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 41

dont give away all the secrets seadog !!!....LOL !

another little trick we learned is to put a little strike indicator on the rod, like some people use for ice fishing...sometimes when a koke hits your bait, the indicator will be the only thing that moves...the rod will stay perfectly still.

i cant tell you how many nights we were boating fish while the boats around us were getting their bait stolen..

looks like i'll be getting the ol coleman lanterns out again this year

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Ctfirefighter,

Not to worry! ....This, as I said, is finesse fishing, at its very best, with ultralight or microlight gear.

You know as well as I that "Paitence is Mandatory Exclamation

" in Kokanee fishing.

Like the difference in playing a high school drum and a violine at the Met.

Some people will never get the hang of it because they have too heavy a hand and others will get it because they master the light touch needed to be successful Kokanee fishermen. There's no in-between as has been proven by the Koke fishermen out west!
That's just the way it is!

Took me over 2 years to get to learn everything I could about Koke fishing, put together the right gear, and get to where I am now catching Kokes on a consistant and successful basis.

Those with heavy hands and no paitence will become fustrated and give up quickly!
(Have seen it 1st hand many times over the past 6 years -> There's no setting the hook hard or rippin the lips off with Kokanees).

Those that have the mandatory paitence and master the light touch become "Kokanee Addicts" as I have Exclamation

To put it plainly -> Kokanee fishing is a real challenge and extremely popular out west where they get the big ones!
Our Kokes here in Ct. are small compared to the ones out west -> Yet still unbelivable fighters. Thumbs Up

Hope to get out west and try my hand at the big ones some day Very Happy

Best regards,
SeaDog1 Mr. Green

cianciolo1211 · Joined: 22 Apr 2012 Posts: 15

Nice I've never fished there in the daytime only at night and u should definateley try it. We leave my house at about 12pm and get there by 12:45 put the boat in and what we use for bait is power bait eggs and we kill em everytime. And the secret is we have a homade high powered light wit stirefoam cover and we let it float on the side of the boat which draws in krill which draws in the trout and salmon. Try it and lemme know how u do. Oh and we leave about 4 and we have 4 people on board and we hallways catch our limit

bowhunter095 · Joined: 20 Jan 2011 Posts: 392 Location: Berlin, CT

thanks for the input guys! Just gotta get out there and do it sometime!

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi,

Well had to do the shopping routine with the wife today!

Got to West Hill at 3:00 PM but saw a couple of old friends and had coffee with them at the store for an hour.

Started fishing off the boat ramp at 4:00 PM throwing out the Gold/Silver spoon.
Threw 4-5 casts then hooked into my 1st Brown.
After that a few more cast then another Brown.
That seemed to be the routine till I got my limit of 5 trout.
All where Browns about 14" each and fat!

Left WH at 6:10 -> That makes 10 trout I have now (5 from yesterday all Browns + the 5 today).
Going to fillet them, brine, and smoke them! Very Happy

The wind has been in my favor at WH -> Has been blowing from the south the last few days so all the feed has been getting blown into the boat basin.
All the boat fishermen kept going to the south end of the pond where it was calm and most only caught a few.

Fish are going to -> "go where the feed is" ! Rolling Eyes

SeaDog1

JustinSolak · Joined: 17 Jul 2011 Posts: 245 Location: East Hartford, CT