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How to ICE FISHING FOR KOKANEE SALMON on Stump Lake British Columbia!!!
Thanks to @brianchanflyfishing and @chromecatchers for posting and sharing information on fishing for these landlocked, Ice Capped SALMON!
Across the west Kokanee have attracted a lot of attention whether it be trolling for them in open water or pulling them through a hole in the ice.
I have seen hundreds of anglers out crowding kokanee lakes in search of these silver bullets.
They are active all winter suspended over the lake basin. Having sonar seems to be a must so you can locate the target depth.
While my contacts were saying fish are usually 10 to 30 feet down, I actually found most coming through right under the ice to 5 feet down. As the day progressed and the sun was higher in the sky a few came in around the 10 foot mark.
The interesting thing is this lake currently has a phytoplankton bloom and the water looks stained brown. So maybe the fish were actually attracted to all the life growing near the surface to feed. Whatever it was the @marcumtechnologies helped me locate them.
The first day I arrived in the afternoon and wasn't having much luck marking any fish. The next morning I fished the same holes and it was quite productive with single and doubles coming through.
While I marked quite a few and most followed, maybe only 1/4 of the fish were taking a bite.
I was just using a pink fly I tied tipped with a small piece of shrimp. They seemed happy to test my offering.
My flasher was a silver @williamslures Whitefish spoon with the hook removed. I extended my leader to about 18 inches since a short one wasn't getting the job done.
The key seems to be changing the depth, watching your sounder and then when a fish is around pay close attention for their quick soft bites.
Who loves kokanee fishing? I sure enjoy seeing them coming in and chasing the hook!
#kokanee #icefishingkokanee #kokaneefishing #kokaneesalmmon #sockeyesalmon #kokaneefishingtips #icefishingtips #salmon #landlocked #merritt #kamloops @uglystik #Marcum #fishingbc #gofishbc #hellobc
They suspend over the deepest area of the lakes. In 100 feet of water I have caught them from 1 foot under the ice down to 90 feet down. Usually they occupy the top 30 feet of water.
So how do you attract them to a tiny morsel in THAT MUCH WATER?
FLASH! It's all about the flash. Like any salmon these kokanee love coming into a flasher. You can use a variety of actual dodgers or flashers from your summer tackle selection or silver plated spoons like the Williams Whitefish pictured.
It is important to use a swivel and snap because the spoon will really twist up your line without it.
Jigging and letting it flutter really kicks out a ton of flash.
Once the fish come close slow down the action a bit, don't stop it! I find continuing smaller jig strokes, slowly raising or slowly dropping the jig will trigger a bite.
They don't like to hit a stationary lure in my opinion. I also have trouble detecting bites on the drop due to the flasher on the line. So I favor a slow rise or small flicks to keep the lure rising and falling.
The slightest resistance and you should set the hook!
Leader length should be adjusted shorter or longer if fish are not responding well to your presentation.
Anyways this is what works for me.
