The trick is going to Idaho. I hit the hard deck at Mackay Resevoir at first light and left around 12:30pm with my 15 fish daily limit of Kokanee the largest was 15”, the smallest was 12” with rest in the middle, I also caught and released 4 rainbow the largest was 18”. I was fishing in about 20’ of water the hot jig was a white with red spots maniac twin tailed with legs bug looking thing tipped with a meal worm and mikes trout flavor smelly jelly on a 1/16 oz jig head. I found them by starting at the bottom and working one turn of my real up at a time. The Kokanee came through in waves the first was at about 10am that time I caught them 4 turns off the bottom getting 10 in about a half hour then it went dead until about 12:15pm when I caught my last 5, 6 turns off the bottom as soon as I got my jig down. I called It quits, but I’m sure I could have caught more. I caught the rainbows through out the day before and between the waves of Kokanee. Now my dilemma is should I go back there Friday or go try Chesterfield for trophy Rainbows.
Nice haul, and good pics also…do you fish there for kokes in the summer also?
Those kokanee in the when caught and ate in the colder water month’s are some of the best eating fish I’ve ever tasted!! Nice haul.
That was my first time there, I am planning to return this summer with my boat. Ririe is another reservoir in south east Idaho that I have caught lots of Kokanee out of in the summer and winter.
Congrats on a great day!
Based on your description of reeling so many reels up I gather you fished without a fish finder. If that is true, I am impressed that you were able to catch the kokanee without a fish finder.
I’ve ice fished Utah for >35 years and only ever seen one hard sided shanty, it was on Hyrum and half sunk/froze in.
Do you tow yours out daily to keep the same from happening?
That was not my shanty there where several of them on the lake I assume they leave them on the Ice all winter I talked to a couple of guys fishing in one and was jealous because it was really cold and those two guys where literally sweating inside theirs.
I would love to have a flasher or fish finder for ice fishing. I think I’ll put it on my wish list for next Christmas. Fortunately I was only fishing 20’ of water so finding them in that small of a water colum was not to tough, when I fish for them at Ririe I’m in 50-80 ft of water and it’s a lot tougher but when I did last year guys who had fishfinders would call out the depth of the schools as they came through. I would count down my drop so I could get get in the range of the passing schools.