Kokanee Hoochie Skirts

Use kokanee hoochie skirts to make your own kokanee lures, or replace the skirt on damaged lures or hoochies you may have. It’s smart to have spare skirts in your tackle box to keep you out fishing longer.

Best kokanee Hoochie Skirt Size

Kokanee tend to like smaller hoochies. The size for most commercially made kokanee hoochie skirts range from 1.5-2.5 inches long. The smallest commercially available pre-made hoochie lure is probably the Rocky Mountain Tackle Micro-hoochie. If you’ve got a pair of scissors, you can easily take a 2.5 inch skirt down to a 2 inch skirt. Most people don’t think of cutting their hoochie skirts, but you can experiment and see what size the fish in YOUR lake are biting on. It’s not the same lake to lake, or even day to day.

Best Color Kokanee Hoochie Skirts

The most popular hoochie colors are:

Kokanee salmon seem to have different favorites at different lakes. I’ve also found that kokanee respond to different colors at different times of the year as well. In the spring and early summer, pinks are usually the winner. As summer progresses, orange and pinks do well, followed by greens. In the later season, purple and blue work well. White is extremely popular during ice fishing season. Honestly though, any of these colors can be the favorite of the day. Unless I have insider or local knowledge, I tend to start with pinks, regardless of the time of year, and then tweak and adjust from there.

Shop Our Amazon Affiliate Store For Kokanee Hoochie Skirts

Below are a series of links from our Amazon affiliate store. Amazon has a bunch of good hoochie skirt options, and some not so good options. We’ve tried to put together some of the better options and color choices out there. We also like that these come in some bulk packs. I tend to do a lot of kokanee fishing, and go through more of these than most people, so I like the bulk options. Just a reminder, we do get a kickback if you buy something from out affiliate links, and honestly, that money will probably end up being spent on tackle.

30pcs 1.97” Luminous Octopus Skirts Soft Plastic Trolling Lure Squid Skirts Fishing Hoochie Bait Lures 3 Color: Yellow/Green/Pink (1.97inch, Luminous Pink)

Check Price on Amazon

Fishing Lures Squid Skirts Octopus Lures Soft Plastic Trolling Skirt Lure Kit Saltwater Fishing Bait for Bass Trout 4.5inch 20pcs

Check Price on Amazon

BLUEWING Trolling Squid Skirts Fishing Saltwater Octopus Lures, Size 5in, 5pcs

Check Price on Amazon

30PCS 7.5cm/ 3inch Fishing Soft Plastic Lure Octopus Skirt Trolling Squid Skirts Lures for Trolling Fishing (30pcs 7.5cm Red)

Check Price on Amazon

30pcs Luminous Octopus Skirts Soft Plastic Trolling Lure Squid Skirts Fishing Hoochie Bait Lures Size: 1.97"/2.76"/3.54" (1.97"-30pcs, Luminous Orange)

Check Price on Amazon

Soft Squid Skirts Octopus Fishing Lures Plastic Hoochie Trolling Bait Lure Saltwater Multicolor (Pink, 7cm)

Check Price on Amazon

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 and streams. 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.

It’s pretty much impossible to stick a single plankton to a hook. In kokanee fishing you’re not trying to imitate their food source. Instead, you’re imitating little critters that might be competition to their food source, and an annoyance. You’re trying to get a kokanee salmon to strike out of aggression, and a squid hoochie is perfect for that. Pair these with a kokanee dodger for maximum success. If you like making your own kokanee tackle, check out our guide for DIY Kokanee Dodgers.