Anderson Ranch Reservoir Kokanee Salmon Fishing

Anderson Ranch Reservoir sits at an elevation of 4,196 feet and is 315 feet deep at its deepest point. The reservoir is in Elmer County, Idaho, about 20 miles north of mountain home, or about an hours drive south east of Boise, and is a prime spot for those in the Boise area looking to target kokanee salmon. Some people claim that kokanee fishing on Anderson Ranch Reservoir isn’t as good as some of the other kokanee lakes in Idaho. This could be from a growing population of chinook salmon at the reservoir that’s been doing fairly well. Chinook prey on kokanee salmon. The smaller population size does allow for less food competition, and the possibility for larger kokanee, which some anglers have been reporting.

This reservoir is a popular fishing destination, but its also attracts some water sporters and outdoor activities, so anglers should take note of that. The boat docks aren’t as big or as nice as some of the other facilities, so not as many of the big surf or wake boats go to the area. If you have a small or medium sized boat, there are a lot of options for putting in easily, but the bigger boats and surf boats are going to have challenges there. It is primarily a fishing lake for that reason.

Amenities

There are many camp grounds around Anderson ranch reservoir. The two most popular are elks flat and dog creek. There is a boat ramp towards the north east end of the reservoir called Curlew Creek boat ramp. The boat ramp at the dam is the best to use and is the nicest, but the parking is more limited there. Because its also only about an hour and 15 minutes from Boise, there are a lot of amenities in the vicinity.

Where is Anderson Ranch Reservoir

How to Fish for Kokanee in Anderson Ranch Reservoir

The most popular way to fish for kokanee at Anderson Ranch Reservoir is trolling with a downrigger. You’ll want to troll at 1-1.8 mph with a kokanee rig, and I list the most popular gear below for that. You can also jig for kokanee but trolling is definitely the more popular option. You need to find the kokanee, get on them, and then work that school of kokanee until they move on. Then you find them again.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir is fairly big, and there are a lot more places where you can find kokanee, and people have reported success from Curlew to the Narrows in forums, social media groups, and fishing reports. If you’ve got a fish finder, you should be able to find schools of kokanee throughout the lake in deeper water, as long as you know what kokanee look like on a fish finder.

Most Common Depth for Finding Kokanee on Anderson Ranch Reservoir

As it gets warmer, kokanee salmon go deeper. They can be hard to find, but depending on the water temperature, you can find Kokanee salmon from 20’ to 90’ with an average being around 35’, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to consistently find them at 35’. Electronics are very important, and especially at Anderson Ranch where the water can be deep and kokanee depths can vary so drastically. If you don’t have a fish finder, I’d start at 35′ and move up or down from there. Checking out Idaho kokanee forums can also be helpful.

Most Popular Kokanee Salmon Rig for Fishing Anderson Ranch Reservoir

I combed through several forums, fishing reports, and social media groups to figure out what most people were reporting having success with. Your most common kokanee trolling setups will probably work, but a little refinement and knowledge from locals never hurts. This is what people are reporting success with.

Most Popular Lure or Hoochie at Anderson Ranch Reservoir

Squid hoochies are the most popular type of lure used on Anderson Ranch Reservoir, though wedding ring lures are pretty popular as well as well. Pink was by far the most popular lure color on the water, with green and orange as secondary choices. Any of the lures below will work well. I personally prefer the double hook kokanee lures, as kokanee strike out of aggression, and the two hooks provides twice the opportunity to hook into a kokanee. My go to is pretty much always the pink super squid from Rocky Mountain Tackle (not a sponsor [yet]). Mack’s lure’s team goes on a retreat here quite often, so their gear is extra popular here as well.

Most Popular Dodger at Anderson Ranch Reservoir

There were several popular kokanee dodger colors according to the forums. According to the forums and groups, responses were split between a watermelon dodger or a pink dodger.. People also liked pink combos. There were also a couple that specifically mentioned liking the Double D Dodger from Mack’s Lures

Most Popular Bait for Kokanee At Anderson Ranch Reservoir

The most popular bait to tip the hooks with at the end of your lure or hoochie is overwhelmingly shoe peg corn. Shoe peg corn is a more firm and resilient type of corn that can stay on the hook better and longer than regular sweet corn. The corn can also absorb scent and flavor, and it provides a kokanee something soft to bite into. If they aren’t hit on the first strike, they’re more likely to strike again. I’m a fan of fire corn, which is a dyed and scented corn.

Most Popular Scent at Anderson Ranch Reservoir

Kokanee are extremely sensitive to scents, so many anglers use a scent spray or gel to help both cover the human scent, and attract the kokanee. Gulp maggots or scented shoepeg corn can help cover that scent, but others like adding a spray or a gel as well. According to our analysis of the forums, the most popular scent is Anise, with Bloody Tuna coming in second, and a variety of garlic options coming in third.

Video of Kokanee Fishing on Anderson Ranch Reservoir

This video showcases a good snapshot of the sizes of kokanee on Anderson Ranch Reservoir, as well as how hot the fishing can be on the reservoir.

Other Fish You Can Catch Trolling for Kokanee at Anderson Ranch Reservoir

Landlocked Chinook Salmon

The Chinook salmon at Anderson Ranch like to hang out close to the bottom usually. Even though these salmon are landlocked, these chinook still can get pretty big and are definitely good eating. They’re much harder to catch than kokanee, but its possible to hook into one when targeting kokanee.

Rainbow Trout

There aren’t as many rainbows in Anderson Ranch as there are kokanee or cutthroat trout, but they’re there, and there’s a chance you’ll hook into one when fishing for kokanee. If you’re looking for table fare, I personally like the taste of kokanee vs rainbow trout, but they’re both a lot of fun to catch.

Other Fish At Anderson Ranch Reservoir:

• Yellow Perch
• Bull Trout
• Smallmouth Bass
• Mountain Whitefish

Anderson Ranch Reservoir Kokanee Fishing Specific Regulations

The main thing to note on regulations is that the limit on kokanee fishing is 15 per day, down from 25 previously. Make sure you check the Idaho State Fishing Regulations to stay up to date on any changes before hitting the water.