Best Kokanee Spinners

Kokanee salmon strike at spinners because of their action, vibration, and flash. Spinners are proven lures for kokanee.

The principle behind spinners is that the fish see the flash of the blade, which they associate with food, or in the case of kokanee salmon which eat plankton, the flash of the blade is associated with competition for their food source. This leads them to strike out of aggression.

The flash comes from the blades on the spinnerbait that spin as you reel in your line. This spinning motion creates flashes of light that look like food to a hungry fish. The blade’s movement also creates vibrations in the water that can be detected by other fish nearby. The blade itself is usually made of metal, and it can be hollow or solid.

Spinners come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They are designed to catch fish by mimicking insect larvae and baitfish.

Spinners have evolved over time from simple spinner lures over time into more complex designs that resemble squids, shrimp, or other small animals swimming in their natural environment, and entice kokanee to strike.

Best Selling Kokanee Spinner

My all time favorite kokanee spinner is the super squid by Rocky Mountain Tackle. It combines beads, a squid, and a spinner blade for an awesome lure. It’s got great action, and it just plain works. I usually run it in pink or orange, but I have most of their colors in my tackle box, just in case. The wedding ring lures are also tried and true and are also extremely popular around the world. I’ve had a lot of success with them as well, but the Super Squid spinner has been more popular recently.

Rocky Mountain Tackle Super Squid

Rocky Mountain Tackle Company

Different Types of Kokanee Spinners

There are two main types of spinners that people use for kokanee salmon fishing. You’ve got your bead spinners, such as the wedding ring, and hoochie spinners, which are made up of a squid or other rubber creature and a spinner blade.

Kokanee Bead Spinners

A spinner blade paired with beads create vibration and rattling in the water. The sound helps to attract kokanee in, and entices them to strike. Sound and vibrations are proven to help get fish to bite. The biggest player in this space is the wedding ring spinners produced by Mack’s Lures. These bead spinners are proven producers, and have also been used for trout and panfish. The pattern incorporates a “wedding ring” bead that is looks like a ring of diamonds. These create a 360 degree ring of flash. The rest of the lure looks like a larva, string of eggs, or a bug, depending on the fish or on what expert you ask. Either way, fish strike.

Video of Wedding Ring UV Kokanee Spinners in Action

Kokanee Spinner-Hoochies

A spinner blade paired with a hoochie provides a little bit of action along with some additional flash and movement in the water to help agitate the kokanee salmon into striking at the lure. While some fishermen have started using shrimp hoochies for kokanee, most all spinner-hoochies are made exclusively with squids. The tentacles on squids create some good fluttering movement in the water, and can also drive fish wild. Combine that with the spinner blade to get their attention, and you’ve got yourself a solid combination.

Types of Spinner Blades:

• Single blade
• propeller blade
• smile blade

Kokanee Smile Blade Hoochie Spinners

Propeller Hoochie Spinners

Propeller blades are much smaller profile than smile blades, colorado blades, or single blades that other spinners employ, but still catch plenty of light. The curve in the blade helps to shine light in all different directions. If you’re fishing in lakes with smaller kokanee, or lakes where kokanee tend to favor micro-hoochies or other small tackle, then a propeller style spinner might be worth trying.

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.