Kokanee Fishing Without a Downrigger

Many people want to get into kokanee fishing, but are a bit intimidated by the cost of entry. Kokanee fishing can come with a lot of gear. People spend tens of thousands on boats. Then they get the fancy fish finder, and then they use a downrigger to get down to the kokanee. People can spend thousands on downriggers as well. They look at it and are intimidated by that cost. The fish are fun and tasty, and luckily, you can have success fishing for kokanee salmon, even without a downrigger and the other expensive gear. If you want the quick answer, its clip weights. Scroll down, and you’ll see why they work the best and where I got mine. Or keep reading for the other methods and techniques I have tried, and why clip weights are my are my favorite.

I Caught My First Kokanee Without a Downrigger

I first got into kokanee fishing before I had a downrigger, and I had to learn how to do without. At the time, I was a college student, and I was fishing with a 12 foot aluminum fishing boat. I went out chasing kokanee without downriggers, without kokanee trolling poles, and really without even kokanee lures. I had some pop gear that I’m not sure how it got in my tackle box, and one dodger that I splurged and bought, because that’s what the people on the internet were using. All in, I spent $9 on that dodger, and went for it.

How did I get my line down? Weights. A lot of them. I used weights that hook into a swivel. I added some slip shot weights. It looked ridiculous. Then I sent the line back over 100 feet (I think. I didn’t have a line counter reel at the time). I was fishing at Strawberry Reservoir. That day I caught 3 or 4 trout, but hadn’t caught any kokanee. Then it happened. I caught an 18 inch, fat, amazing kokanee. It was just shy of 3 lbs and I started investing in gear that would make it easier to catch kokanee.

But I still didn’t buy downriggers for quite a while. I experimented with a lot of different methods, some I like more than others. A minimal investment, at a small fraction of the cost of a downrigger, can get you incredible results.

About Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon are landlocked sockeye salmon, which means they don’t return to the ocean and live their entire lives in lakes or reservoirs before spawning in rivers, streams, or gravel close to lakeshores. These salmon are delicious and are really strong fighters, making them a prime target for anglers, and the popularity of this fish is growing. Kokanee are a schooling fish that feed on zooplankton in the water. They tend to find where these plankton are at and then they congregate and feed all in that one area. These plankton, and the kokanee that feed on them, like to hang in water that is around 50-55 degrees, so these salmon are usually only able to survive in deep alpine lakes and reservoirs, and can be found from depths of 10 feet, all the way down to over 100 feet deep. These depths are the reason people want downriggers.

Trolling for Kokanee Without Downriggers

The key to trolling for kokanee without downriggers is getting down to the depth of the schools of kokanee. How do you do that? There are several methods. These can be split loosely between weight methods and divers. If you’re willing to look beyond trolling, there are other methods of fishing for kokanee without downriggers, but frankly, I think trolling is just more fun. It’s how I like targeting kokanee the best.

Kokanee Fishing with Clip Weights

Clip weights were the first thing I tried. Before I say more about my experience with them, I’m just going to say that these are my favorites, by a lot, and its not even close. You can get pretty precise with these, especially if you can pair them with even a basic fish finder. I will sometimes run these in addition to my downrigger poles. THIS IS WHAT I RECOMMEND IF YOU’RE FISHING WITHOUT A DOWNRIGGER!!!

Ok, now here’s my experience. I tried to buy clip weights at my local sporting goods store. I didn’t find any. Then I turned to Amazon and picked up a pack. I took them out and began to experiment with getting down to specific depths with them. I actually wrote an entire article on kokanee fishing with clip weights where you can learn more about that. Then I got me a simple Garmin fish finder. I was able to see the weights on that fish finder. That meant I could put my rig precisely on the fish, just like you can with a downrigger. It was a game changer. Dollar for dollar, just looking at precision and results, this is a better bang for your buck than downriggers. This was the clip set I bought, and this is the setup I use to this day when I don’t want to use a downrigger.

Off Shore Tackle Snap Weight Kit

Kokanee Fishing With a Jet Diver

The Jet Diver is my second favorite option. Divers work kind of like a kite, but in the water. They go down into the water at a specific angle, pulling your lure and kokanee set up down into depths. I’ve tried a few different divers, and the Jet Diver is my favorite. They don’t sponsor me (they should), but they just work well. I also find that the jet design picks up less weeds and snags than other divers. I think the dipsy diver is another great option, but as far as divers go, the Jet Diver is the one I go to.

Kokanee Fishing with Lead Core Line

Lead line is just what it sounds like- its really heavy fishing line. It’s popular with a lot of other types of trolling, so a lot of guys might have some reels already set up with lead core line. Lead core line has some sense of precision by changing color every 10 feet (usually). This allows you to get some degree of precision. It’s not the precision of a downrigger, but it still gives you some. Then, the more line you let out, the deeper you go down.

Jigging for Kokanee

Jigging for kokanee goes away from trolling all together. When trolling, you need to get down to the depth of kokanee, and have movement. The downrigger keeps your rig down at that depth. But if you’re not moving, the need for a downrigger, weight, or diver goes away completely. It’s no longer an issue. With jigging, you’re sitting still in a boat, and just bouncing your jig or lure in front of a school of kokanee. If you’re wanting to be trolling for kokanee without a downrigger, the advice to try jigging probably isn’t helpful, but don’t ignore it.

Ice Fishing For Kokanee

Ice fishing for kokanee is essentially jigging for kokanee through the ice. You don’t need a boat, let alone a downrigger. There are great opportunities for ice fishing in Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Washington for kokanee.

Trying to Catch Kokanee From Shore

Catching kokanee from shore is hard. it’s possible, but its hard. If you can find a place where you can get deep from shore. A steep drop off is your friend, and a lake that is on the smaller side and still has kokanee. Or you can, if its legal in your state, target kokanee from shore as they’re going to spawn, or starting their salmon run. They move close to shore, and its a lot easier to make the impossible happen. Fly fishing for kokanee during that time is another way people can target kokanee without a downrigger.

Snagging Kokanee

Snagging kokanee is probably the most efficient method for catching kokanee salmon from shore without a downrigger. When snagging, you’re targeting the kokanee during the spawn, when the schools of fish come close in to shore. A lot of states don’t allow it, but those that do allow this type of fishing really opens up kokanee fishing to a lot of people who wouldn’t get to try it otherwise.

About Downriggers

I heard a kokanee pro once say- there are two types of kokanee fishermen. There are those with downriggers, and those that wish they had downriggers. All the methods above work, but downriggers work better. Downriggers allow you to put your line exactly where you want it, and then to land a fish without dealing with a diver or a weight when trying to net a kokanee. Downrigger are essentially a big heavy weight and a cable. You then hook your fishing line to that weight or cable, held loose enough that when you get a fish, it can pull free. It’s the best solution, but its certainly the most expensive. If you’re serious about kokanee fishing, you’ll want to get there eventually, but having downriggers shouldn’t be and isn’t a barrier to entry.

Conclusion: Fishing for Kokanee Salmon Without a Downrigger

You don’t need to be afraid of the price point to get into kokanee fishing. If all you can afford is to put 20 slip shot weights on your line and just send it, do it. Kokanee fishing is too much fun to miss out on. Do what you’ve got to do. You can get into kokanee salmon fishing without a downrigger.