Paddler don’t get hung up on temps I had 2-3 years where I caught kokes at 15 feet or less all summer at Jordy and other lakes surface temps were near 70! Mornings and mid day! And temps didn’t get to Koke range until 45 to 50 feet but the fish were not there. The fish were shallow, trust your sonar! If you are not marking and you think they are there most likely they are shallow hard to mark shallow fish the cone is narrow and they spook from boat. One July day a few years back I got 16 kokes in just over an hour a buddy who wanted to catch kokes followed me with 1/2 sinker and dodger with mono he got his 4 plus as well. As we were leaving a guy pulled up next to me and asked why we were leaving he says you are netting fish constantly!! I said we have 20 between us and I dont like to catch and release kokes. I asked him how he was doing. THEY HAD 0. I told him I was putting ball at 10 feet and stacking at 5, I asked him were he was fishing he said 35-40, he thought I was lying. Buddy in boat told him that is what we are doing ! Before we put stuff away they had net out and hollered thank you! Not always but don’t rely on temps only! A lake I fish out of state I catch kokes in summer at 20 feet or less all the time, surface temps 65! And nit much colder 20 feet down .
With that said last year I got kokes at Jordy as deep as 50 feet. But that’s were live scope found them! Deeper than I have ever caught Kokes up there!?
More of a lime green. Not sure the fish care. Last year I really got into spinner blades on my hoochies. Another combo that slayed them last July for me was pinurple behind a big brass dodger. I think it’s a Mack’s and at least 6”. Really thumps hard.
Problem with fishing shallow is the rainbows are a nuisance. I don’t even like to fish until the kokes are 30ft for that reason.
I didn’t get started today until almost 10 and caught my 4th fish at 11:30. All but one on green, including the one that buried the rod tip in the water and peeled line for a couple secs before letting go. :@ All at 35ft.
All 15-16”. Of course the one that got away was always a monster.
To make you feel better that big one was very likely a big rainbow or splake. They hang out at that depth and will just smash your lure. Big kokes usually come flying to the surface. Not unusual at Jordanelle to look behind the boat and see a koke flying around and then try to figure out which rod it’s on. Another reason for short setbacks by the way. Easy to spot the right rod and fish have hard time surfacing. I prefer 20-to-25-foot setbacks on the down riggers for that very reason.
I issued myself a challenge today. Catch a Kokanee on something other than a green hoochie. Started with a pink/chartreuse spinner with a wonderbread dodger and a pink apex with a pink sling blade. Gave it a half hour but nothing. Switched to an orange hoochie/dodger and pinurple hoochie behind a brass dodger. No love. So mid morning I put on the tried and true pink hoochie behind moon jelly dodger on one rod and green hoochie and dodger on the other. Immediately doubled up. Landed only one of them. Over the next half hour caught two more and lost two more on green. Then it shut off for a couple hours. Finally a little before noon green got hit again but it didn’t make it into the boat. Within a couple minutes it got hit again and I landed that one for a limit. I might need to check some of my hooks. 35ft, 16 inchers.
Wow I’m surprised it was that warm at 35ft since the surface was only 63-64. I wonder how deep the wake boats stir it up.
Looks like they have size to them , I’ve only fished for Kokes there a couple of times but that was the year after they started stocking them . Need to try it again.