Fishing For Kokanee Salmon On Jordanelle Reservoir, Utah

Jordanelle is probably the closest opportunity for kokanee salmon fishing for residents of Utah and Salt Lake Counties.

Kokanee Fishing on Jordanelle Reservoir

Jordanelle reservoir is at 6184 feet above sea level, and it gets cold at night and in the mornings. The reservoir is located in the Utah mountains between Park City and Heber City, and its an absolutely beautiful place to fish for kokanee salmon. It’s about an hour drive from Salt Lake City or Provo, Utah.

Because its so beautiful, you can have some competition on the water. Jordanelle is best early season before school gets out for summer, so you’ve got April, May, and all of ice fishing season. After that the big boats pretty much ruin the trolling, even midweek. The fish might not stop biting when the wake surfers come out, and even if they don’t, it’s just not as fun to fish in that. It can be dangerous to be on the water with the ongoing inconsistent water, and poor law enforcement of boat traffic on the water there.

In this article on kokanee salmon fishing on Jordanelle Reservoir, we look at the best locations on the lake, boat speed, depth, and what most people are having the most success with. We’ve pulled this data from multiple forums, tabulating averages and what most people are reporting success with, and then we put it to the test, and tried it out for ourselves. If you want to catch Kokanee at Jordanelle, here’s what you need to know.

Most Popular Kokanee Salmon Rig for Fishing Jordanelle Reservoir

I combed through several forums and social media groups to figure out what most people were reporting having success with. We’ve also fished Jordanelle and put Kokanee in the boat with these suggestions as well. Your most common kokanee trolling setups will probably work, but this is what people are reporting success with.

Most Popular Lure or Hoochie at Jordanelle Reservoir

Shrimp and squid hoochies are the most popular type of lure used on Jordanelle Reservoir, though some also use wedding ring lures as well. Pink and orange are the most popular lure colors on the water, at least as far as people are reporting.

50pcs Pink Scented 4.8cm Micro Shrimp Lures

Most Popular Dodger at Jordanelle Reservoir

There were several popular kokanee dodger colors according to the forums. According to the forums and groups, a pink dodger is the way to go. People like pink combos. Pink and silver, pink and orange, etc. Watermelon, pink and green, also falls into that category.

Mack’s Lure Mack’s Lure Double D Dodger 1

Most Popular Bait for Kokanee At Jordanelle

The most popular bait to tip the hooks with at the end of your lure or hoochie is the gulp maggot. Gulp maggots are small enough that they don’t hinder the action of the lure, hoochie, or dodger. Shoe peg corn in a variety of scents and colors are also popular, but the majority of kokanee anglers use gulp maggots at Jordanelle.

Berkley Gulp! Maggot Fishing Soft Bait

Most Popular Scent at Jordanelle

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 help cover that scent, but others like adding 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.

Pro-Cure Anise Krill Bait Oil, 8 Ounce

Most Common Depth for Finding Kokanee on Jordanelle Reservoir

You can start trolling for Kokanee salmon once the ice comes off the lake. Jordanelle is usually one of the last in the state to thaw- usually some time in March or April. 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 10 feet to 45 feet deep. If you don’t have a fish finder, I would start around 30 feet, and then go up or down from there based on what success you have.

Areas of Jordanelle Reservoir You Can Find Kokanee Salmon

There are many areas around the reservoir that you can find kokanee, but the best place, and safest place for fishermen is in the Provo River arm of the reservoir. The North Arm and the area by the dam can be good as well, but watch out for the wake boats.

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.

Video of KSL Outdoors Kokanee Fishing at Jordanelle Reservoir

Other fish you can catch trolling for kokanee at Jordanelle Reservoir

Rainbow Trout

There are a ton of rainbows on Jordanelle, and you’ll hook into them fairly often while you’re trolling 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.

Brown Trout

There are some big brown trout in Jordanelle, and they can be a lot of fun to catch. They bite on about the same thing as a kokanee and a rainbow trout. They don’t taste as good as kokanee or even rainbow, but they’re a lot of fun to catch.

Utah Kokanee Fishing Regulations

• The state of Utah considers kokanee to be a part of the trout bag limit
• You Cannot have any kokanee salmon in your possession at any body of water from September 10 through November 30
• Bag Limit is a total of 4 kokanee salmon or trout, with additional kokanee bag limits at some specific bodies of water.

Fishing regulations can change at any time, so we recommend that you check on the latest Utah fishing regulations before you hit the lake.

Jordanelle can offer some great fishing and if you hit it early in the year, or if you want to battle boaters, you can net some nice fish.