Lower mainland Kokanee 2020

[ekul246]

Looking to start my second season of targeting Kokanee. Hopefully I'll get out more than 2 or 3 times this year. Is it still too early to give Alouette a try?
Do you think they will drop the lake down like they did last year?
I would like to try and get as much spring Kokanee fishing in as I can cuz once the big boats got out on the lake in early to mid-june last year, they made the water very rough. That added to the wind in the afternoon made it tough to navigate the lake. Not impossible. But tough

I also picked up a small Scotty downrigger and a 3lb ball last fall. Can't wait to give it it's first try!
Ekul246

[elknut]

Go try Kakawa Lake in Hope ...Nice Kokanee ...Dennis

[ekul246]

Go try Kakawa Lake in Hope ...Nice Kokanee ...Dennis

It is March 1st for Kokanee on Kawkawa. That won't be too early?

[elknut]

Years ago I used to fish it in Mar and Apr...Used chironomid patterns ..Late April it gets too busy ..Pick your nice days and go for it when it opens ...You can use whatever you catch kokanee on ...What have you got to loose ?...Dennis

[Rieber]

It is March 1st for Kokanee on Kawkawa. That won't be too early?

If this year has a 29 February then you can begin fishing Kawkawa on 29 February.

As long as there is enough ice off to get the boat in the water then the first week is the best on chiro's and little red micro leeches with a gold bead - slow strip on a slime line or slow trolled.

Otherwise, drop pink bait to 12-18" off the bottom.

[ekul246]

Will the Kokanee tend to be near the surface or in the top half of the water column this time of year? Was thinking of trying to bobber fish with krill, jig for them or maybe shallow trolling. Try to cover all my bases.

Did the lake freeze at all this year?

[Rieber]

Kokey will be feeding high and low at the beginning of the season but by the end of March you're likely only to find them deeper down. That first week is the best on the fly but you have to be careful because people mistake the small Coho that love the fly, to be Sockeye. Remember, there is no opening for Coho so know how to identify your little salmon.

In past years I've heard of CO's inspecting catches and ticketing the Coho killers.

You will also find some super fun dry fly action at times for the little salmon within the first two weeks. At times the water is percolating with surfacing fish. A 3wt is great for this action.

I drove by the lake in mid Dec and there was open water and given that we didn't get that long term cold spell this year, I expect the water to be open or mostly open now but I haven't been by the lake recently.

[ekul246]

Kokey will be feeding high and low at the beginning of the season but by the end of March you're likely only to find them deeper down. That first week is the best on the fly but you have to be careful because people mistake the small Coho that love the fly, to be Sockeye. Remember, there is no opening for Coho so know how to identify your little salmon.

In past years I've heard of CO's inspecting catches and ticketing the Coho killers.

You will also find some super fun dry fly action at times for the little salmon within the first two weeks. At times the water is percolating with surfacing fish. A 3wt is great for this action.

I drove by the lake in mid Dec and there was open water and given that we didn't get that long term cold spell this year, I expect the water to be open or mostly open now but I haven't been by the lake recently.

Last year the lake was frozen into March so I wasn't able to get out there.
I was out there last April and was catching the coho. The lake was like you said, just "percolating" with rises. I was having an absolute blast just watching my bobber get pulled right down as the coho were destroying the krill I had on. I let them all go as I was unable to find any info on retention.

If they are landlocked why wouldn't they allow any retention?
T

[wideopenthrottle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY7XxDwWZcU

this is a short vid on the difference between the kokanees and cohos

[ekul246]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY7XxDwWZcU

this is a short vid on the difference between the kokanees and cohos


Thanks for the vid. Had a ton of fun hooking the cohos last April. I was alone, but I was laughing and giggling like a school girl with those fish jumping and pulling the bobber down and fighting on the ultralight. I could see as the school would move away from the boat and then from one side to another and I'd cast to the other side and they would pull the bobber down again after a few seconds. It was nuts! Most fun I've had fishing, possibly ever!

[Arctic Lake]

I’m not really a fly fisherman I have the gear just never got into yet except for trolling something on a fly rod . Could I do this for Kokanee ? Would like to see my better half catch a few fish the fella in the video was using a spinning set up what would work for bait ?
Thanks Arctic Lake

[ekul246]

https://www.bcfishn.com/kokanee-on-the-fly/
Here's some info I found in fly fishing for Kokanee.

[ekul246]

Does anyone have an idea of the water level at Alouette right now?

[Ben Fougere]

Looking to start my second season of targeting Kokanee. Hopefully I'll get out more than 2 or 3 times this year. Is it still too early to give Alouette a try?
Do you think they will drop the lake down like they did last year?
I would like to try and get as much spring Kokanee fishing in as I can cuz once the big boats got out on the lake in early to mid-june last year, they made the water very rough. That added to the wind in the afternoon made it tough to navigate the lake. Not impossible. But tough

I also picked up a small Scotty downrigger and a 3lb ball last fall. Can't wait to give it it's first try!
Ekul246

Glad to hear you picked up a Scotty downrigger. You're going to love it. Good luck when you get out there.

[ekul246]

Thanks Ben!
Didn't end up making it out:cry: change of plans. Maybe in a few weeks

[ekul246]

Went out to Kawkawa last Saturday. Had one bite on the double wedding band behind the silver and gold flasher. Other than that, nothing. Also forgot my downrigger so didn't get to try it out. One other boat came out and he tried every depth with his downriggers and didn't get any bites either. I anchored in the Northwest corner and float fished krill for the coho. Had a number of bites and a couple brief hook ups. Landed 2. My daughter was excited about the two coho even though she didn't hook any. Trolled a little longer after that. But still no Kokanee.
Tried out my crayfish traps. Soaked them for 5 hours but nothing. Oh well, still early in the season.

[ekul246]

Anyone have any idea whether Golden Ears park is completely shut down or not? Really want to get out to Alouette Lake if possible....

[Iron Glove]

Went out to Kawkawa last Saturday. Had one bite on the double wedding band behind the silver and gold flasher. Other than that, nothing. Also forgot my downrigger so didn't get to try it out. One other boat came out and he tried every depth with his downriggers and didn't get any bites either. I anchored in the Northwest corner and float fished krill for the coho. Had a number of bites and a couple brief hook ups. Landed 2. My daughter was excited about the two coho even though she didn't hook any. Trolled a little longer after that. But still no Kokanee.
Tried out my crayfish traps. Soaked them for 5 hours but nothing. Oh well, still early in the season.

Son In Law was on Kawkawa the Sat before that with our Daughter and Grand Girls, said the Lake was packed.
They got nothing and only saw one fish caught.

[ekul246]

Picked up a little sounder yesterday. Pretty excited to try it out along with the downrigger

[Ride Red]

Anyone have any idea whether Golden Ears park is completely shut down or not? Really want to get out to Alouette Lake if possible....

All Provincial parks are closed, unfortunately.

[ekul246]

All Provincial parks are closed, unfortunately.

Golden Ears was open until Friday morning.

[weed782]

Closed now. Just ran the trails from rock ridge towards Golden Ears and signs posted on the trail system stating park closed

[ekul246]

Yes. That's a bummer

[Gone_Fishin_]

https://scontent.fcxh2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-1/p112x112/15203407_1174638305917662_1449587095400357399_n.jp g?_nc_cat=1&_nc_sid=dbb9e7&_nc_ohc=qDnqOkEH7DsAX-XFQp3&_nc_ht=scontent.fcxh2-1.fna&_nc_tp=6&oh=69d042906acf3104987ca242f576f2a8&oe=5EB48204


BC Parks (https://www.facebook.com/YourBCParks/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARCRAgkkPxRb0K-9bftVaOBkymd_3WMVU1rSQBmwZfwp9C9Eep-CL-ihUIlbYz1jsxk22yshqx82QHH7&hc_ref=ARSHZHseG4SdO0FJqav5h67FQlGjBAR_GmF-4h8ckCdgO3dpt0Kc89FwHfoiO-Y4oBw&fref=nf&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARD7jcSNqdOik1Jg8diZAWmib4QWv6Ht OdeG2i3Y7SsH5l0wGIc5OHGFuZ36KPs5enBdtjb6QeX8zKVlRZ btVG_6mUTz0InhrkbEb1-ehUUb48m1d2sOwC_Fj2db6K5ELWxXXUpgo33lVrqguBohJl6Ja w8-d8Uq4q-7DXFrrAotT7UA7BSPWdsvs5ihACB0i4GKyZwsrKw-lsTdRBxIpXzxY-CGQgnUVUdpv0jCLFI3Z2aSooshL3MiVWk_2qDg-6Xw4dvEQzyqweMPO1SAnaYrOtEpvxJQlNHTp49rEZwocw38txs PFUFqCynKzwfX3A6uAJTWGiKHST8zWLIBRFHzmw)3 hrs ·





BC Parks Response to COVID 19: Full BC Parks System Closure
BC Parks is immediately closing the entire BC Parks system, including all parks, protected areas, conservancies, recreation areas, and ecological reserves. All camping (front and backcountry) is now banned until May 31st, 2020. This action is being taken in response to the call for increased action to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the desire of the public to get outdoors, many parks have already experienced peak season levels of use that have resulted in overwhelmed parking lots, trails and trailheads, making physical distancing difficult, if not impossible in some locations. It has also resulted in damage to our facilities and the environment.
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[ekul246]

Took one of my sisters to Kawkawa on Saturday for her birthday to try and catch her first fish at her request. Couldn't find any schools of Kokanee except one that I marked twice and it was small. Couldn't find it again after that. Couldn't get them to bite anywhere. Third time at Kawkawa and third time with a kokanee skunk.
She did have a lot of fun and did get to fight a few fish. She thoroughly enjoyed herself which made the trip a success. But I couldn't help but to feel frustrated.
I used a red kokanee hoochie which caught the coho and the red blade with flash sticker caught the trout. Changed to a double bladed wedding band and tried a chartreuse hoochie with a blade as well. But no kokanee.
Also dropped the crayfish traps with some cured roe as bait. Not a single crayfish.

Not sure if it's just my timing for that lake or if there is a trick I'm missing.
I've had good success on Alouette. Have caught kokanee or limited out on kokanee everytime except once?.........any suggestions to help me out?

Ekul246

[Ben Fougere]

Took one of my sisters to Kawkawa on Saturday for her birthday to try and catch her first fish at her request. Couldn't find any schools of Kokanee except one that I marked twice and it was small. Couldn't find it again after that. Couldn't get them to bite anywhere. Third time at Kawkawa and third time with a kokanee skunk.
She did have a lot of fun and did get to fight a few fish. She thoroughly enjoyed herself which made the trip a success. But I couldn't help but to feel frustrated.
I used a red kokanee hoochie which caught the coho and the red blade with flash sticker caught the trout. Changed to a double bladed wedding band and tried a chartreuse hoochie with a blade as well. But no kokanee.
Also dropped the crayfish traps with some cured roe as bait. Not a single crayfish.

Not sure if it's just my timing for that lake or if there is a trick I'm missing.
I've had good success on Alouette. Have caught kokanee or limited out on kokanee everytime except once?.........any suggestions to help me out?

Ekul246

Have you tried the top 10ft of water? You might not be marking any on your fish finder because they might be shallow.

[ekul246]

Hmmm..... Maybe. Might try again this fall. don't have much find this season.

[kolofardos]

I typically troll Kawkawa at 30' to 35' regardless of where sounder is showing fish. I use a Dogtail flasher and a small dick nite spoon with one kernel of corn, with a 19" to 22" leader and rarely have a problem getting my limit in 2 or 3 hours of fishing. Speed is important, .9 to 1.2 mph.
Hmmm..... Maybe. Might try again this fall. don't have much find this season.

[ekul246]

I typically troll Kawkawa at 30' to 35' regardless of where sounder is showing fish. I use a Dogtail flasher and a small dick nite spoon with one kernel of corn, with a 19" to 22" leader and rarely have a problem getting my limit in 2 or 3 hours of fishing. Speed is important, .9 to 1.2 mph.

Thanks for the info. Does that also go for spring?