Bank Fishing for Kokanee: How To Catch Kokanee From the Shore

Most people think of kokanee fishing as expensive. They see the guys in the boat pulling in these delicious sport fish, and they want part of the action. This article looks at how people are able to catch kokanee from shore, their methods, and their tackle.

Everybody wants to catch a kokanee, not only because of the high-quality, delicious fish, but also because it is a very fun fish to catch. They put up a fight, and its often a change from the trout, bass, and panfish that many fishers are used to. Kokanee fishermen generally spend quite a bit to get outfitted, and most fishing is done from a boat. But we’re here to tell you that, while its not easy, its possible to catch a kokanee from the shore.

There are a lot of people kept out of the kokanee fishing because they don’t have a boat, and want to know if they can catch Kokanee without one. It’s hard, but possible. I have caught kokanee from shore before and I know other people who have as well, and we’re going to lay out how.

How Do People Catch Kokanee From Shore

The honest answer is that most people don’t catch kokanee from shore. It’s hard to do because you need to get your lure out to where the kokanee salmon hang out, or you need a kokanee who aren’t acting how they normally act. They hang out in water that is 50-54 degrees, and for most of the season, in most bodies of water that support kokanee, are in 30-50 feet of water. It gets more shallow the cooler it is, but late fall is spawning season and generally you’re restricted from fishing during the spawn. Spring and early summer are your best chances of having this rare occurrence happen.

You need to really get the lure out there and get it deep. If you’ve got a deep channel close to shore, and see boats trolling the area, AND you’re able to get your line out that far, your odds increase. You can’t use a fish finder from shore, like you can in a boat, so you either need to get extremely lucky, know where they are, or have other people find them for you.

Imitate Trolling From Shore

Essentially, you can set up a basic kokanee trolling setup and cast it out from shore like a lure, and real it in, creating a similar that a trolling fisherman would. Some people call this shore trolling, but that’s not very accurate, or fair. The very definition of trolling means you’re pulling a lure behind a boat. Boats then use a fish finder, and can put their rigs at the exact depth and exactly over the fish. You lose that advantage from shore.

Additionally, its really easy to lose your rig when fishing from shore, especially because kokanee action speeds are generally a bit slower than trout, or many other fish anglers target. You will lose more gear than a person trolling in a boat will. It’s a sad fact, and a single kokanee rig can cost up to $20. That’s a lot to lose to a log you can’t see while reeling in from shore. It’s not ideal, but it CAN work.

Best Rod for Targeting Kokanee from Shore

Kokanee rods need to be light action, but if you’re trying to get to the deepest water, you want one of the longer rods on the market. I personally am a fan of the Eagle Claw rod for this application. While most kokanee rods are hundreds of dollars, Eagle Claw put out a fishing rod for under $50. They have rod length options from about 7′ to 9′ for their kokanee rod line. Fishing from a boat, especially a smaller boat, the 9′ rod is a bit much, but from shore, it really lets you sling your lures a really long way.

Multi-purpose Lures

I did a ton of research on people who actually catch kokanee from shore, not just theory. I’ve read through hundreds of forum posts through reddit, facebook groups, and other forums, and to be completely frank, most people that caught kokanee from shore caught weren’t targeting Kokanee. What does that mean? A good multipurpose lure is what you really should be looking into for two reasons- 1. That’s what people have actually had success with, and 2. You’ll have opportunity to catch other fish, otherwise you could get really bored waiting for a kokanee to bite.

What Lure People Use to Catch Kokanee Salmon From Shore

Jakes Spin A Lure

The most common lure I’ve seen catch a kokanee from shore is the Jake’s Spin a lure, with several reported catches throughout the country. This is an extremely popular lure that works for almost all game fish. If I could only have one lure in my tackle box, not one per species, but one lure period, it’d be a Jake’s. It’s extremely versatile. The only thing more versatile I’ve found for catching multiple types of fish is a night crawler. People catch kokanee with this, both deliberately and accidentally. It’s sold in both gold and silver, but I’ve seen more with gold than silver.

Jakes Spin A Lure: Gold

Kastmaster

The Jakes Spin A Lure was the clear leader, but this Kastmaster is the clear second place. There was no clear third. In theory, most spoons that look similar to the Kastmaster could work, but there was really only consensus on a Kastmaster, and on Jakes. A Kastmaster is another great lure, and is similar in shape to some dodgers used for trolling for kokanee. Does that help? Maybe. It doesn’t seem to hurt at least.

Kastmaster: Silver

It’s less common, but I’ve also heard of people catching kokanee using Rapalas or smaller swim bait type lures. I have never heard of people catching kokanee on a baited hook just sitting in the water. Powerbait won’t help you here. Kokanee aren’t biting and getting hooked because you’re imitating its diet. You’re getting the hits because its striking the moving thing out of aggression. Movement is key.

Other Ways to Catch Kokanee Without a Boat

Jigging for Kokanee

Jigging for kokanee is the second most popular method of fishing for kokanee. Primarily, its done either with a boat, or through the ice though, not from shore. Essentially, you’re creating vertical action in one stationary place. This isn’t something you can do from the shore, but there are some places in the country where you might be able to do this from a dock. If you don’t have a trolling motor on your boat, like ice fishing, or have access to a long dock, this is a really effective option for catching kokanee.

Snagging Kokanee

Snagging kokanee is also a way people catch them. This is illegal in all but 4 states, so check your local regulations, or our article on it. This method is also called foul-hooked. This method targets the kokanee when they’re spawning, when they all group together and are in more shallow water, either close to a lake shore, or in a stream or tributary of a lake. I went to one of the 4 legal states recently to give it a try, and it’s a riot. I highly recommend it. It’s not as easy and simple as it may sound, but it is a good time.

Fly Fishing for Kokanee

There are some anglers out there that try to use classical fly gear to target kokanee. While kokanee don’t generally eat larger bugs, I have seen them jump out of the water in colder months chasing bugs. Another benefit to fly fishing for kokanee, a lot of fly fishermen have waders. Waders let you get deeper in the water. Kokanee prefer deeper water. Every little bit of depth helps.

Conclusion

In summary, shore fishing for kokanee is a lot of fun. It’s also very challenging. But if you follow the instructions in this article, you may have a chance of accomplishing this feat that many fishermen go their whole life without achieving. Tight lines.