Hopefully my post will catch the attention of a F&G biologist, since I would like to hear what may be going on with the Jordanelle Kokanee and if they think that the system is ever going to be self sustaining and the salmon will ever start the process of self recruitment.
This year I only fished at Jordanelle two times for Kokanee. Around the End of May and again this past weekend, primarily due to Covid. I wanted to fish earlier, but it was closed to all but the Wasatch County residents. When I did go in May, I got skunked. Not even a trout. That day there were other fishermen who I saw had the same poor luck. Sine then I have only seen a few good reports about Jordanelle.
After that day, I didn’t head back and went to Strawberry for Kokanee and concentrated on learning to fish for Walleye this year on Deer Creek. Then this past weekend I headed back for Kokanee on Jordanelle. Last year at this time, I had a couple really good fishing trips there, so I wanted to see if it was going to be productive again the middle of August.
Anyhow, we started out around 8:30 and headed to the narrows and trolled along the south cliff and fairly far up the narrows. Soon we found some schools of planter trout in the 12-13 inch range that would not leave the gear alone. I have just one downrigger which I used at depth ranging from 25-60 feet as I spotted targets on the fish finder. Other rigs I set up with Walker TripZ divers from 30-40 feet down.
Later we cast from the boat as we trolled along and caught trout on the surface with a Berkley Flicker Shad in a ghost perch pattern. My brother had a hoot and land about a dozen rainbows that way. The most productive spot was the bluffs on the south as we came back to the dam.
We ended up with a limit of rainbows with one 13 inch koke mixed in.
I just wonder if other fisherman have experienced the same thing. Slow fishing for Kokanee.
Looking at stocking reports, the F&G has stocked the lake every year for the past 3 years with over 100,000 fingerlings every year. Some years over 200,000. I think these are probably just 3 year fish with some maybe going 4 years and then spawning.
Just wondering what happened in 2020 with the Kokes. Any theories or ideas?
Matthew