Current North Carolina State Record for Kokanee Salmon

Current NC State Record for Kokanee Salmon

The current state record in North Carolina for kokanee salmon is held by Jeffery Todd Smith. Jeff landed this record book fish on June 11th, 2014 on Nantahala Lake, and it weighed in at 4 lbs, 1 oz. I was able to talk with Jeff about his record, and he had a great fishing story for me. 

The State Record Story

Jeff had been having a good day of fishing (obviously) on Nantahala Lake, the only lake in North Carolina with kokanee salmon, when another angler on the lake, Fred, brought his boat by to have a chat. Jeff and Fred turned off their motors, reeled in, and got to chatting. Fred told Jeff that two days earlier, he had just set the state record for kokanee at 3 lbs, 15 oz. Jeff then broke the news to Fred that he had 2 kokanee currently in the boat that were bigger than that. Fred was understandably disappointed about this. Nobody likes to have their record beaten, and he was certainly hoping to hold the record for more than 2 days!

Jeff told me that after he had caught those two big ones, he had turned them upside down so they wouldn’t pee at all, so they would maintain their weight. He took the two kokanee into town and had the bigger one certified at 4lbs, 1 oz. He didn’t get the second one officially weighed, but according to his hand held scale, the second kokanee weighed 3lbs, 15 oz, which would have tied the previous record. One thing is for certain, 2014 was probably the best year for kokanee salmon that North Carolina has ever had.

What the State Record Kokanee Was Caught On

Jeff told me that his go to has always been dodgers, lures, and other gear from Rocky Mountain Tackle. Specifically, he has the most luck with Pinks, especially bubblegum pink. Cloudy days, green does good, but doesn’t have much luck with green or chartreuse if its not cloudy. 

Rocky Mountain Tackle Pink Dodger

Rocky Mountain Radar Signature Squid

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.

How State Record Holder Jeff Got Into Kokanee Salmon Fishing

Jeff didn’t find them until about 2012. He started fishing for them using Rocky Mountain Tackle to get into them. Jared there was very helpful in getting him started. Jeff would usually troll for trout and walleye, but decided to take a trial run. He went 100 yards trolling, and they had their first hit. He got it to the boat and then was trying to figure out what he’d just caught. It didn’t have very big defined teeth, and finally he surmised that he’d just caught a salmon. He ended up catching 20 that day. He was hooked.

Jeff would fish for nothing else from May to August because of how hot the fishing was, and how much fun these fish were to fight on the hook. On average, the fish he was pulling in were 16-18” long, and about 3 pounds. They eat the zoo plankton and tiny little shrimp which are abundant on Lake Nantahala. It’s a really healthy lake because of how good the food sources are, and all the fish grow really well there, not just the kokanee. 

Jeff hasn’t fished for kokanee salmon anywhere except for Nantahala Lake in North Carolina, but has fished for other types of salmon in Michigan, but these kokanee salmon were faster action and a lot of fun.. 

Kokanee Conservation

Jeff cares about conservation, biology, and really wants to do all he can to ensure that kokanee are around for generations to come, and is an advocate for planting kokanee in other lakes as well. Population crashed 5-6 years ago. He caught the state record, then nothing since then. 

Currently the lake is having problem with herring, and the population really took a hit. In fact, Jeff even told me that he had personally seen some herring harassing some kokanee. He has taken a few years off from fishing the lake in order to let the population rebound, but after a few good years of planting, he’s starting back up again, come the first week of May, 2022. 

Even before that though, he would be doing catch and release primarily, and would only keep two. Catch and release can be hard for kokanee, especially with their delicate mouths. They would catch and release until they hurt one, and that one would be a keeper, with the goal of only keeping 2 a piece. 

Previous North Carolina State Record Holders and Their Kokanee

Fred Mix June 9, 2014 3 lbs 15 oz

Ashley Swann June 2009 3 lbs, 9 oz

“My daughter-in-law Ashley held the state record for five years with a 21.5″ 3 lb 9oz kokes. My 3 lb 1 oz record stood for two years until Ashley broke it.” – Mark Swann

Mark Swann August 28, 2007 3.07 lbs

Levi Towery August 9, 2007, 2.68 lbs

Mark Swann August 8, 2007 2.48 lbs

Mark Swann may have held the state record for the shortest time in recent history, even shorter than Fred’s 2 days. Swann only held the North Carolina State Record kokanee for 1 day before losing it, but then regained it later that year, and then held that record for 2 years.