Heron Lake, NM Kokanee Salmon Fishing

Heron Lake does not have a native kokanee population, but state officials keep the lake stocked due to the popularity of the fish. Kokanee salmon fishing at Heron Lake is a lot of fun, and is one of the furthest south locations where you can find kokanee in the United States.

My Experience Kokanee Fishing on Heron Lake

It was early morning as I pulled up to the boat launch at Heron Lake. The sun was just starting to rise over the mountains, casting a warm orange glow across the water. I was eager to get out on the lake and start fishing for kokanee. I had heard that Heron Lake was a great place to catch kokanee, so I had brought my favorite dodgers and lures along with plenty of snacks and drinks for the day ahead. As I launched my boat and started to motor out into the lake, I could feel the excitement building inside of me.

After a short ride, I reached the spot where I had heard the kokanee were biting. I sent out my line, hooked into my downrigger, and sent it down to where I was marking fish on my Garmin. Almost immediately, I felt a tug on my line and knew I had hooked a fish. As I reeled in my first kokanee of the day, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. The fish put up a good fight, jumping out of the water several times before I finally managed to bring it into the boat. It was a beautiful fish, and I was just getting started.

Over the course of the day, I caught several more kokanee, each one more fun than the last. Some were small and feisty, while others were larger and required more finesse to reel in. But each one was a thrill to catch, and I savored the experience of being out on the water, surrounded by nature, and catching dinner.

About Heron Lake

Heron Lake is a high desert kokanee fishery, located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The lake is actually a man made reservoir that came to be with the creation of the Heron Dam. The lake sits at an elevation of 7,186 feet, and can reach down to depths of more than 200 feet deep. The reservoir is popular for all sorts of outdoor activity and water sports. About 80 miles to the southeast you’ll find Santa Fe, though I’ve known of people traveling from much further to fish for kokanee salmon at Heron Lake. I was one of those, traveling a few hundred miles to fish Heron and some of the other lakes in New Mexico.

Where is Heron Lake

How to Fish for Kokanee in Heron Lake

The most popular way to fish for kokanee at Heron Lake is trolling with a downrigger. You’ll want to troll at 1.2-1.8 mph with a kokanee rig, and I list the most popular gear below for that. I had the best luck trolling at about 1.4 on the day I tried out Heron. You can also jig for kokanee but trolling is definitely the more popular option. You need to find the kokanee, get on them, and then work that school of kokanee until they move on. Then you find them again.

Heron Lake is really big, and there are a lot more places where you can find kokanee, but these are the most commonly reported areas of success in the forums, social media groups, and fishing reports. If you’ve got a fish finder, you should be able to find schools of kokanee throughout the lake in deeper water, as long as you know what kokanee look like on a fish finder.

Most Common Depth for Finding Kokanee on Heron Lake

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 30’ to 120’ with an average being around 35’, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to consistently find them at 35’. Electronics are very important, and especially at Heron Lake where the water is REALLY deep and kokanee depths can vary so drastically

Best Time to Fish for Kokanee at Heron Lake

The best time to be trolling for kokanee salmon would be right at first light. I like to hit the water 30 minutes to an hour before sunrise when I’m trolling. The best time to fish for kokanee during the snagging season can often depend on where you’re fishing at the lake. I personally find it the hottest from about 10:30 in the morning until about noon.

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.

Most Popular Kokanee Salmon Rig for Fishing Heron Lake

I combed through several forums, fishing reports, and social media groups to figure out what most people were reporting having success with. Your most common kokanee trolling setups will probably work, but a little refinement and knowledge from locals never hurts. This is what people are reporting success with.

Most Popular Lure or Hoochie at Heron Lake

Squid hoochies are the most popular type of lure used on Heron Lake, though wedding ring lures are pretty popular as well as well. Pink was by far the most popular lure color on the water, with green and orange as secondary choices. I was running mostly pinks when I went out. I personally prefer the double hook kokanee lures, as kokanee strike out of aggression, not trying to eat anything, and the two hooks provides twice the opportunity to hook into a kokanee.

Most Popular Dodger at Heron Lake

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 also liked pink combos. Pink and silver, pink and orange, etc. Watermelon, pink and green, also falls into that category.

Most Popular Bait for Kokanee At Heron Lake

The most popular bait to tip the hooks with at the end of your lure or hoochie is overwhelmingly shoe peg corn. Shoe peg corn is a more firm and resilient type of corn that can stay on the hook better and longer than regular sweet corn. The corn can also absorb scent and flavor, and it provides a kokanee something soft to bite into. If they aren’t hit on the first strike, they’re more likely to strike again. I’m a fan of fire corn, which is a dyed and scented corn.

Most Popular Scent at Heron Lake

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 or scented shoepeg corn can help cover that scent, but others like adding a gel as well. According to our analysis of the forums, the most popular scent is Bloody Tuna. I’ve tried some garlic options there as well, with decent success.

Kokanee Snagging at Heron Lake

Kokanee snagging is also extremely popular at Heron Lake. Snagging Kokanee is only allowed in a few states, and New Mexico allows the practice. Between October 1st and November 10th you’re not permitted to have or catch kokanee at Heron Lake, even though kokanee snagging season opens to most other waters in the state during this time. The limit during snagging season is 12 kokanee. During the rest of the year the bag limit for fish including Kokanee Salmon is 5 per day and 10 in possession. Fishing for the day must stop once you have caught your bag limit.

The Gear You’ll Need for Kokanee Snagging

The gear for snagging is simple. You need a sturdy pole, stiffer than your usually kokanee pole, strong monofilament line, and the hook. That’s it. 

This was my first time out snagging, and my friend told me to bring a good, sturdy pole. I brought my catfishing pole and it worked great. Too much flex in a snagging pole can make your jerks less effective. As for the snagging line, I ran 20lb monofilament, and that seemed to be perfect.

The hooks were about as big around as a golf ball. They are big treble hooks that have a weight cast around the shaft of the hook itself. Because the hook and the weight are all one unit, it’s the only thing you’ll need. You’ll need several though. Because the kokanee are spawning along the rocks, you will certainly loose a few hooks. I’d recommend getting the hooks online. Shops around Heron Lake sell out quick, or get pretty expensive. We ended up buying ours at a small fishing shop close to the lake, and the prices were a bit ridiculous. You’ll save money picking up your hooks before hand. 

Weighted Snagging Treble Hook

Video of Kokanee Fishing on Heron Lake

This video showcases a good snapshot of the sizes of kokanee on Heron Lake, as well as how hot the fishing can be on the water.

Video of Kokanee Snagging at Heron Lake

Honestly, this is the real fun. This is some of the most exciting and fun fishing I’ve ever experienced. This showcases the fun, as well as the technique. It took me a little practice when I first started, but it’s not terribly difficult.

Heron Lake Kokanee Fishing Specific Regulations

Make sure you check the New Mexico Fishing Regulations to stay up to date on any changes before hitting the water.