ICE FISHING FOR KOKANEE 101 Fishing for kokanee through the ice has exploded in recent years. BCFishn’s Danny Coyne breaks it all down.
deep water. During ice over an angler will locate Kokanee any wheres from 15 feet down as much as 80 feet. The use of sonar will help improve your odds immensely in locating the fish.
BY DANNY COYNE
BCFISHN.COM
One fish species that continues to grow in popularity to target during the hardwater fishing season in British Columbia is kokanee salmon. Kokanee are schooling fish and when you locate the active school, it can turn into a fastaction fun-filled day!
If you do not have access to a fish finder (sonar) then start fishing at 10 feet and work your way down. When fishing with other anglers in your group work as a team; have one person start at 10 feet and the other at 15, progress deeper until you find the fish. If you have a line counter on your reel this will help recognize the depths in which you are fishing. If your reel doesn’t have a line counter, simply count out the amount of line in 1 foot pulls that you are using. When you discover the fish you will want to repeat the same depth. If you don’t have a sonar and there are other anglers on the ice catching fish don’t be shy! Ask them what depths they are getting hits at. Don’t forget to return the favour when some asks you.
are schooling fish “ Kokanee and when you locate the active school, it can turn into a fast-action, fun-filled day!” Danny Coyne - BCFishn.com, Mack’s Lure Pro Staff
Ice fishing for Kokanee is much different than fishing for trout. Rather than fishing in shallow water, you will typically be fishing over deep water between 70 to 120 feet. The reason for this is because Kokanee primarily feed on Zooplankton that is located higher within the water column suspended over
TECHNIQUE & TERMINAL TACKLE If you do not have access to a fish finder (sonar) then start fishing at 10 feet and work your way down. When fishing with other anglers in your group work as a team; have one person start
at 10 feet and the other at 15, progress deeper until you find the fish. If you have a line counter on your reel this will help recognize the depths in which you are fishing. If your reel doesn’t have a line counter, simply count out the amount of line in 1 foot pulls that you are using. When you discover the fish you will want to repeat the same depth. If you don’t have a sonar and there are other anglers on the ice catching fish don’t be shy! Ask them what depths they are getting hits at. Don’t forget to return the favour when some asks you. Mack’s Lure Glo Hooks in red and chartreuse tend to work very well. If you are using a regular hook choosing colours such as chartreuse or red will sometimes help entice the bite. If the hook is tangling with the Sling Blade add a small split shot weight to the middle of the leader. It is best to try multiple presentations until you find a pattern that is working. I recommend a Mack’s Lure Ice Rig. You can’t go wrong. Though, what is working one day doesn’t necessarily mean its going to work the next. No matter what presentation you are using it is best to tip the hook with some sort of bait. Popular baits that work great for Kokanee include Pink Maggots (live or synthetic), Krill, shrimp or dyed corn such as Fire Corn.
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