Flaming Gorge Newbies

[bo120680]

Hi All!

Gorge newbies here… we have fished for kokanee at strawberry and jordanelle quite a bit but never been to Flaming Gorge. We are finally headed up June 4th and looking to camp at either Cedar Springs or Lucerne. Any advice anyone would be willing to share on which camp site is better, where to look for kokes this time of year?

We are in an 18’ bayliner with 2 down riggers if that influences replies.

Thanks in advance!!

[Downriggerer]

@bo120680

Hi All!

Gorge newbies here… we have fished for kokanee at strawberry and jordanelle quite a bit but never been to Flaming Gorge. We are finally headed up June 4th and looking to camp at either Cedar Springs or Lucerne. Any advice anyone would be willing to share on which camp site is better, where to look for kokes this time of year?

We are in an 18’ bayliner with 2 down riggers if that influences replies.

Thanks in advance!!

You’ll love the Gorge. It makes everywhere else seem small.

The fishing in Wyoming results in more bigger fish. The fishing from south of the pipeline down results in numerous but smaller on average fish. From your options, I’d camp at Lucerne for the fishing alone. And, just to be clear, there are no secret spots. Anywhere that has historically been good for kokanee will have a pile of boats on it, every morning. Just slide in and try and get in the groove trolling with everyone else.

I don’t love the pipeline area, especially early because everyone is running up and down the lake and you spend your time getting knocked around in your boat by everyone’s wake. The canyon can be similar in a lot of places. I’d run up to the Anvil/Wildhorse area or to the Ranch House and fish either of those two spots. If you need somewhere closer to home, Rawlins Draw always seems to have fish in it, but they aren’t always super excited about biting.

I have a preference for Wildhorse. But, that 's just me. If you want to fish the canyon, I like fishing on the north side of Kingfisher Island all the way down to the wall at hideout. Hideout can be really good in the morning.

Fish will be anywhere from the surface to about 40 feet in the morning. They will go down as the sun gets higher and so you have to chase them as they go down. Get some stacker kits for your downrigger and set them 20 feet apart up and down and 10 feet off on either side. So you on downrigger 1 you have a rod at 10’ and 30’ and on downrigger 2 you have a rod at 20’ and 40’. If one rod gets hit more often than the others, bring your lines closer by 5 feet and see if you can get hits from the other rod.

I start out in the morning with a hot pink hoochie/dodger combo, a hot orange hoochie/dodger combo, a pink/white hoochie/dodger combo, and an orange/white dodger combo. I put one of the X/white combos deep and one of the hot colors deep and then switch on the other side. So, downrigger 1 would have hot pink hoochie/dodger combo at 40’ and hot orange hoochie dodger combo at 20’. Downrigger 2 would have
orange/white at 30’ and pink/white at 10’. That way your variables are down to color and depth together. But, you see a pattern, switch your colors out for the color du jour and catch fish until the law says you have to stop.

Put pink gulp maggots on your hook and keep your drag as light as possible or use the absolute softest rods you have. Kokanee have soft mouths and I catch more than a few every year that have had half of their gill plates ripped off by people yanking too hard on them.

Since you have a long way to run home to camp every night, watch the other boats. You’ll feel a gust of wind come up. Some days it comes at 11:00 some days it comes at 1:45. But, when that wind blows by, go home in your boat. You’ll notice a lot of other people pick their gear up and run off. You should be right behind them because that wind is an indicator you have 20-45 minutes to get off the lake. Don’t get caught out there with the wind blowing. You’ll have a very long ride back to camp.

Have a lot of fun. The Gorge is a great place.

[liketrolling]

I don’t like fishing the Utah side, but last year I did find some big Kokanee on the utah side
the bad thing about fishing the WY. is the cost .
$30 for the boat
Aquatic Invasive Species Decal

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Fishing-and-Boating/Aquatic-Invasive-Species-Prevention/AIS-Decal

and $30, for each person to buy a reciprocity stamp for flaming gorge only.

Downriggerer told you some good stuff, go to where the boats are at. most of what he said is on the WY. side

map of flaming gorge some of the spots have kokanee

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[Bduck]

As mentioned previously are all good areas. Buckboard is another upon Wyoming side has a USFS campground also. There is a store there but its under new ownership along with the private campground behind it. There is suppose to be upgrades but not sure if if pandemic orders effect progress. Breeze Hill & Big Bend is right there which yield good size kokes as well. If you like primitive there is lake shore and boat in camping along the way.

If camping Lucerne across Linwood Bay going into the canyons is a spectacular scenic view at water level and from above. Have Fun!!!

[Kent]

So are you saying probably not a good idea to plan an ice-fishing trip on the Utah side?

[wiperhunter2]

@liketrolling

biggest Lake trout was 26 lbs.  to many boats fishing for the same big Lake trout.
some Ice by the pipe line but we got through it.  went up past the ranch house no Ice.

had a hard time finding the kokanee but when we did it was fast catching them they were 14" to 16"
was catching 3 at a time so did not take long to catch 12 kokanee maybe 1 hour. started catching them at 23 feet down I think we were making them go deeper so the last one we got was down 45 feet.   need good fish finders to see what the kokanee were doing.

Great report Robert, glad you were able to get out and catch some good fish during the Winter.

[liketrolling]

biggest Lake trout was 26 lbs.  to many boats fishing for the same big Lake trout.
some Ice by the pipe line but we got through it.  went up past the ranch house no Ice.

had a hard time finding the kokanee but when we did it was fast catching them they were 14" to 16"
was catching 3 at a time so did not take long to catch 12 kokanee maybe 1 hour. started catching them at 23 feet down I think we were making them go deeper so the last one we got was down 45 feet.   need good fish finders to see what the kokanee were doing.