Basic Kokanee Trolling Setup

Kokanee salmon are a challenging fish to target, but they’re tons of fun, and trolling is one of the most effective ways to target them. Whether you’re new to kokanee fishing or just refining your setup, having the right gear and rigging technique can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll walk through the basic components of a kokanee trolling setup—from rods and reels to dodgers, lures, and downriggers—so you can hit the water with confidence and increase your chances of success.

Basic Kokanee Trolling Rig

The kokanee salmon is a fish that is becoming more popular in the world of angling. During the summer, kokanee salmon are a popular target fish for Kokanee fishermen. If you’re trying to catch Kokanee Salmon, you’ll need to know how to troll for them. In order to fish for kokanee salmon, the angler must be aware of what attracts these fish to a spot and what kind of bait will be the most effective to trigger a strike. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up the basic trolling rig that people are using for Kokanee today. This guide is designed to help you catch more kokanee.

About Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon are sockeye salmon that are landlocked in fresh water. They primarily feed on Zoo plankton and are generally found in larger lakes that can maintain a cool temperature, or have enough depth to maintain a cool temperature. Kokanee are native to many lakes in the western United States and Canada including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho in the United States and British Columbia and Yukon in Canada. Populations of kokanee salmon are also found in Japan and Russia. 

Additionally, kokanee have been introduced to many other lakes in the United States including in those states mentioned above as well as in Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico in the west, as well as in New England, New York and North Carolina in the east. Kokanee have also been introduced to lakes in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.

Basic Goal of the Kokanee Trolling Gear

Because kokanee primarily eat zooplankton, or tiny, microscopic organisms in the water, you’re not going to be able to stick one of those on your hook. Because of that, your goal with your fishing set up isn’t to try to imitate their food source. Instead, your goal is to basically get the kokanee mad, so they attack your setup out of aggression. This is accomplished by annoying the fish, often in an attempt to look like another creature or fish that eats the zooplankton as well. The colors of the fishing gear, and the action it makes in the water, the sound and vibrations that action creates, and the smell of your trolling setup, are all designed to rile up the salmon, and to get them to attack the lure. The various components your trolling setup should work together to get those kokanee to strike.

Components of a Kokanee Trolling Setup

1. Downrigger (Or Downrigger Alternative)
2. Kokanee Dodger or Flasher
3. Lure or Hoochie
4. Bait
5. Scent

Downrigger for Kokanee Trolling

A Downrigger is a device with a big weight attached to a cable. There is a clip on that downrigger cable that you attach your line to, and this allows you to get your rig down exactly where the kokanee are. A fish finder is also extremely helpful for knowing that exact location and depth, or you can follow other boats. Check local fishing forums for current fishing depths.

There are several different varieties of downriggers available, both mechanical and electric. Both are precise, you just have to hand crank one. Most serious kokanee fishers fun multiple downriggers, and often multiple lines on one downrigger. There are also ways to fish for kokanee without a downrigger as well, but a downrigger is the easiest way to put your setup in front of the fish.

Dodger or Flasher

You don’t want it to be too big though. The goal is to get the kokanee mad, not scare them. There are several different varieties. Here at Kokanee.fish we really only study kokanee, and we’ve read fishing reports, forums, and gear suggestions from people basically everywhere kokanee are caught. The most popular options are the watermelon dodger from Rocky Mountain Tackle, and the wonder bread dodger from kokopros. Kokopros has a great deal going on their 7 pack right now, if you’re looking to stock up.

Kokanee Lure or Hoochie

There are several different types of effective lures and hoochies available for kokanee fishing. The most popular is the wedding ring lure, and the squid hoochie. Other popular lures and hoochies include flutter bugs, small spoons, and shrimp hoochie’s are gaining a lot of popularity. The wedding ring and squid hoochies are tried and true, and there is more success reported with these than with the other options. Our personal favorite is a pink squid hoochie.

Bait

There are two main types of bait used- Gulp Maggots and Scented Shoe Peg Corn. This bait is used to hold scent for a long time in the water, and to give the fish something to come back for once they bite. You want your bait to be small so it doesn’t interfere with the action of your lure and dodger, but still accomplishes that task. We’ve tried several different scent baits, from home scented shoepeg corn, and other artificial and real baits, even night crawlers. The Gulp Maggots and the Pink Fire Corn are what we always come back to.

Scent for Kokanee

You want to get rid of the human scent. Additionally, you want them to smell something unique, and something that, again, works towards upsetting them. The entire setup is about getting them mad enough to trigger a strike, and scent matters for that. These are among the most popular, but these are the ones that we’ve seen reports of the most success with.

Other Things to Think About when Trolling For Kokanee

Having the right tackle is about half the battle. There’s a lot more that goes into catching these elusive kokanee. You’ll want to make sure your line and rod are forgiving for the soft kokanee mouths, you’ll want to troll at the right speeds and in the right patterns. Lets give you the basics for that.

Setting Up Your Trolling Rod

Your first consideration should be the rod itself. The best rods for kokanee trolling tend to be a little bit longer, and they are very light rods. Kokanee mouths are extremely soft. If you’ve got a stiff rod, you can tear the hook right through their mouths. It’s critical that it have that bend and flex in there to help mitigate that and account for the delicate build.

Line for Kokanee Trolling

You’ve got a few different options for the line when kokanee trolling. I personally like to run a monofilament line. It has a lot of stretch, which also helps with the delicate mouths of kokanee. I know a lot of guys like to run braid as well, especially in areas where they might hook into some much bigger fish. These guys often will run snubbers, a little rubber bungee section, to add some additional stretch into the line. I go into all that in more detail in my article about the best line options for kokanee trolling.

Trolling Technique for Kokanee Salmon

The most important thing to know when driving that boat is the speed. Kokanee bite generally at speeds between 1-2 MPH. I’ve heard of guys going as slow as .8, or as fast as 2.5, but most generally hang around the 1.2-1.6 range. Additionally, a little variance of speed within that range can also lead kokanee to strike. Doing “S” turns, little zig-zag patterns, in the water can help with that.

Conclusion- Basic Kokanee Trolling Setup

In summary, knowing the best trolling setup for kokanee salmon will greatly improve your chances of catching fish and having a great fishing experience on the water.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kokanee Trolling

About the Author

I inherited my first boat from my grandfather. It was a 12′ aluminum basic boat with a 7 hp engine. I threw on an electric trolling motor, and kokanee was one of the first things I tried chasing on it. I’ve been borderline obsessed with kokanee ever since. I work with anglers to get them into kokanee fishing, and work with state biologists across the nation to raise awareness of kokanee, and to make sure they’re a priority for management practices for generations to come.