(07-21-2021, 04:09 PM)smokepoles Wrote: Thanks, Ryno. Those areas to the south are among where we typically fish, and nice to hear they hold some potential again this year. Sure is pretty down there, and always a few osprey to watch.
So, I'm curious as to how far the kokanee move to find more rich feed? While they may run smaller to south end, always seems to be plenty around.
I don't know how much they move in a given day, week, etc. but they're good at finding forage and they'll go and stay wherever it is. I've looked at a lot of kokanee stomachs and abdomens and have 1) never seen an empty stomach and 2) never seen them without an abundance of fat. So they're very efficient at finding food. When we do our annual abundance estimates for Kokanee, they're always highest in the vicinity of Buckboard. That's also the area with the highest densities of zooplankton. So it makes sense why they're all up there. Densities will vary as you work down reservoir though, and can be different from year to year. I suspect forage or zooplankton drives a lot of that, but I'm sure water quality and predator avoidance are factors as well.