Part of the Kokanee cluster: Start with the Big Nate's Kokanee System: Kokanee Trolling Setup, then use this spoke to dial in the specific setup.
Catch kokanee salmon by slow trolling a dodger and a scented, corn-tipped spinner. Run a Catch America 6-inch dodger with a short 10 to 12 inch leader to an Uncle Larry's spinner, tipped with one kernel of white shoepeg corn per hook. Troll slow, about 1 to 1.5 mph, and target fish from 35 to 70 feet deep. Put a slight bend in the dodger so it kicks side to side. Kokanee are aggressive biters, so once you find a school you can fill the box fast.
What is the best setup for kokanee salmon?
Slow troll a dodger and a scented spinner. Jeff Goodwin runs a Catch America 6-inch dodger to a short 10 to 12 inch leader and an Uncle Larry's spinner tipped with corn. Kokanee gear rides behind the dodger, never a spoon. A single hook often outfishes a double, and 6-inch blades can beat 4-inch blades.
How slow should I troll for kokanee?
Slow. Jeff Goodwin trolls about 1 to 1.5 mph, sometimes bumping to 2.5 mph while also looking for trout. Trolling too fast is one of the top three kokanee mistakes. Set your speed first, then check that your dodger kicks side to side rather than spinning in circles or just fluttering.
What leader length should I use behind a kokanee dodger?
Keep it short, 10 to 12 inches from the dodger to the lure. Jeff Goodwin says the number one mistake he sees is anglers running 24 to 36 inch leaders and wondering why they get no bites. A short leader lets the dodger action transfer to the spinner and trigger strikes.
How do I tip a kokanee lure with corn?
Use white shoepeg corn, one kernel per hook. Push the closed end of the kernel onto the hook tip and slide it to the base of the shank so it lays straight, with no spin. Let the lure do the spinning. Brett Brady warns that losing a single kernel can drop your catch rate hard.
What scent and corn work best for kokanee?
Cure your corn with tuna oil and garlic, the two most reliable additives. Big Nate runs Chrome Killer corn cure with tuna oil. Color usually matters more than the exact scent, so match the corn to whatever they are hitting that day, often pink, orange, or gold.
How deep are kokanee salmon?
Kokanee hold from about 35 to 70 feet deep, often piled up in tight schools. On Shasta Lake, Jeff Goodwin finds them from 35 to 50 feet in late spring, while Big Nate marks them 40 to 70 feet. Use your sonar to find the school, then set your gear right in the zone.
How do I set the bend in a kokanee dodger?
Put a slight arc in the dodger with your thumbs so it kicks side to side at slow speed. Do not bend it in half. Catch America 6-inch dodgers are not light, so a little bend gets them kicking the way kokanee like. Check the action boatside before you send it down.
What is the ringy dinghy method for kokanee?
It is an old-school way to set depth without sonar. The Brady Brothers measured line by pulls. Each pull from rod tip to reel is about 10 feet, and they called each one a ringy dinghy. They ran cowbells and a nightcrawler, counted out six or ten ringy dingies per side, then switched to the depth that hooked up.
Watch the technique
Kokanee salmon fishing faq
Yes, they are fun and scrappy, often called pan fish for trollers. They love to spin and shake when hooked, and they bite all the way to the boat. Keep your rod low and the reel moving to land them.
A 6-inch dodger works well and can outfish a 4-inch blade. Do not be afraid to run the bigger blade. Add a slight bend so it kicks side to side at slow trolling speed.
One kernel per hook is all you need. You do not need to load it up. White shoepeg corn is prized for its sweetness and long kernels, and keeping the kernel straight prevents unwanted spin.
The top three are leaders that are too long, trolling too fast, and mismatched gear. Keep leaders 10 to 12 inches, slow down to around 1 to 1.5 mph, and check that every dodger kicks correctly before it goes down.
Kokanee grow through the season. On Shasta Lake they run 14 to 16 inches in late May and can reach 18 to 20 inches by August. Good water years produce healthy, clean fish with bright red meat.
Yes. The old ringy dinghy method used cowbells and an 18-inch leader to a nightcrawler, set by counting pulls of line. Scented, corn-tipped spinners behind a dodger are the modern go-to, but nightcrawlers still take fish.
If a dodger spins in circles or just flutters instead of kicking side to side, kokanee will ignore it. Set your trolling speed, then watch the dodger boatside and add a slight bend until it swings correctly.
Often yes. Jeff Goodwin treats corn color as the key to getting bites, matching pink, orange, or gold to what the fish want that day. Tuna oil and garlic are dependable additives on any color.
Shop the Tackle
- Austin Moser's Washington State Kokanee Kit
- Brett Brady Kokanee Kit
- Glow Micro Hoochies
- Mini Squid - Kokanee & Trout Hoochie
- Chrome Killer UV Gel by Big Nate
- T-Pex 1" - Kokanee & Trout Trolling Lure
- X-Pex 1.75" - Kokanee & Trout Trolling Lure
- Wing Micro Hoochies 1.5" - Kokanee & Trout Squid
- Uncle Larry's UV Squid - Kokanee & Salmon Hoochie
- Trolling Dodger 4" - Kokanee & Trout
- Kokanee - Dodgers
