Best Colors for Kokanee

A look at the best colors for kokanee salmon fishing, including the best color to use for fishing line, dodgers, lures, hoochies, or bait.

Kokanee fishing has been growing in popularity, but these sometimes elusive and finicky fish take some technique and know how in order to be successful. Picking the right color fishing tackle is critical in helping you hook into one of these landlocked salmon. We’ve compiled a look at the best colors for kokanee, and when and how to use these different colors to put out the best presentation and give you the best chance of success.

Best Colors for Kokanee

• Bubblegum Pink
• Hot Pink
• Orange
• Green
• Purple
• White
• Blue

Best Color Dodger for Kokanee

A kokanee dodger is designed to show color, light, and movement ahead of your presentation, as well as making a sound, either a thumping or whirring in the water which also catches the attention of kokanee. It also creates action or movement for your lure. A dodger is the staple attractor for kokanee fishing. Having a few types of kokanee dodgers in you tackle box can have you prepared for whatever the fish are biting on that day.

Best Selling Kokanee Dodgers

Sunny days go chrome or silver metal paired with these colors. Cloudy days I see success with Gold or brass based dodgers. I also like the gold and brass bases paired with orange, even on sunny days, when I’m running that color. I think it accentuates the orange.

Best Color of Fishing Line for Kokanee

Kokanee are not line sensitive. Our research and testing suggest that line color doesn’t matter. They hit monofilament, fluorocarbon, braid, or lead line. It doesn’t really matter. They key in on the lure or hoochie, and if you have it tipped with a piece of corn or a maggot, they key in on that little piece of bait on the hook. They’re striking out of aggression, not out of hunger, and the line color doesn’t scare them, or stop that aggression.

Best Color Hoochie, Microhoochie, or Lure for Kokanee Salmon

I was recently at a kokanee symposium where the owner of Rocky Mountain Tackle presented, and he said that if he had to just pick one, he would go with his pink super squid. Like with dodgers, pink seems to be the go to color. Otherwise, the same colors that are good for dodgers are also the best colors for kokanee lures, hoochies, or micro-hoochies as well.

Best Fish Tape Colors for Kokanee

I like to have extra pink fish tape for my kokanee spoons and dodgers. Green, silver, and orange are also nice to have on hand as well. These are the colors I use the most, and thus are the colors I need to repair and refresh most often. These are also the ones I have made when i’m putting together my own homemade dodgers.

These holographic stickers are specifically made for DIY lures and dodgers. I personally would go with the multi color pack, and the pink pack. If you like the more oblong or sling blade style of dodger, I would also pick up a pack of the 3D fish eye stickers as well.

Multi-colored Fishing Tape for Kokanee Dodgers and Lures

I have studied lakes and reservoirs all over the United States, and fished all over as well, along with talking with a lot of fishermen. There are, in my opinion, 3 main colors that most people use, in various combinations. Those colors are pink, orange, and green, in that order.

How Colors Look Trolling at Deeper Depths

Notice how the different colors react in the deeper water. There isn’t anything special about the different types of plastics. Pay special attention to the pink, orange, chartreuse, and purple. Those colors did the best at extreme depths. Red, which is commonly thought to be good for kokanee, wasn’t good at all at depth. Kokanee hang from 20-80 generally, so watch the colors at those depths.

From this video, its pretty easy to see why pinks, orange, and green are the most popular colors for kokanee dodgers.

UV and Kokanee

Ultra Violet light is a color spectrum that is beyond the human vision. UV is different than glow in the dark type material, but does have a certain shine to it, and luckily, kokanee salmon can see UV colors and light. UV light especially stands out at deeper depths where there is less natural light and can help draw the attention of kokanee salmon.

Color Preference At Different Times

In our experience, and in conversations with a lot of professional kokanee fishermen, pros, guides, and just devoted anglers, we’ve come up with the general guidelines in terms of what colors seem to be extra successful at different times of the year.

• Pink in Spring and Early Summer
• Green, Orange, and Pink Mid Summer
• Blue, Purple and Green the month leading up to spawning
• White in Winter

About Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon are landlocked sockeye salmon, which means they don’t return to the ocean and live their entire lives in lakes or reservoirs before spawning in rivers, streams, or gravel close to lakeshores. These salmon are delicious and are really strong fighters, making them a prime target for anglers, and the popularity of this fish is growing. Kokanee are a schooling fish that feed on zooplankton in the water. They tend to find where these plankton are at and then they congregate and feed all in that one area. These plankton, and the kokanee that feed on them, like to hang in water that is around 50-55 degrees, so these salmon are usually only able to survive in deep alpine lakes and reservoirs, and can be found from depths of 10 feet, all the way down to over 100 feet deep.

In summary, the Kokanee Salmon were attracted to the pink or pink combination Dodgers the best. People also report a lot of success with orange and green, but pink seems to be the go to color for Kokanee.