Kokanee

Kokanee have become a very popular game fish on the Arrow Lakes and the Columbia River tailwater in Robson where the Hugh Keenleyside Dam navigation lock connects the lake and river.  Kokanee (Onchorhynchus nerka) are actually freshwater landlocked Sockeye Salmon.  The adults do not migrate to the ocean, but instead spend their entire lives in large lakes such as the 232 km long Arrow Lakes.

Kokanee are smaller than their ocean going sockeye counterparts, but they fight with the same fierce tenacity and are excellent table fare.  Most kokanee average 20 – 30 cm (8-12 inches) in size; however, the unofficial world-record kokanee was caught on the Arrow Lakes in 2015 and was more than 80 cm (30 inches).  The daily limit on the Arrow Lakes is 5 fish, and the Columbia River has a generous quota of 15 fish per day.

Kokanee are silver in colour with dark backs, but when they spawn in the fall an amazing transformation takes place. Their bodies turn a vibrant red and their head turns a dark olive-green. The males also develop a mid-body hump, long jaws, a hooked snout and large, intimidating teeth.

The best time to fish for kokanee is in the spring and summer.  Kokanee mainly feed on zooplankton, so rather than imitating their food you try to irritate them into hitting your lure.  Trolling is the most popular method to fish for kokanee, and vibration and colour are the two main attractants (or irritants).

It is best to use light-weight combos such as flashers and dodgers that create long distance vibrations to attract kokanee. Combine a 3- to 5-inch dodger with about 90 cm (36 inches) of leader topped off with a wedding ring or a kokanee hoochie and worm or maggot and you have a combination for success. When you hook a kokanee don’t expect a line-peeling run, but these fresh-water salmon will breach over and over until landed.  Kokanee school, so once located they tend to hit one after another.

Spawning-year kokanee feed very heavily throughout the summer and will almost double in size as they feed aggressively until the fall. These kokanee will target insects for the extra calories to help bulk them up, and many fly fishers have taken large kokanee on the fly when targeting rainbow on the Columbia River.