Lost Creek Reservoir Kokanee Fishing

In 2020 the Utah DWR stocked kokanee into Lost Creek Reservoir. Not as many as were stocked in Rockport Reservoir at that same time, but biologists are hopeful that they’ll be able to succeed in the reservoir. People can expect to have success in Lost Creek Reservoir kokanee fishing now, but it should continue to get better and better as the population really settles in and grows. Reports are coming in of people having a blast with the kokanee there. The fish might not as big as Rockport is producing, but Lost Creek is producing kokanee salmon in the15-16″ range. State biologists tell me that the populations is looking good. In a recent spring sampling of fish, the state observed 5-8 inch yearlings that are taking well to their new habitat.

I grew up fishing the lakes, reservoirs, streams, and rivers of Utah. For the last few years, I’ve been making my living off of fishing. Not by guiding, but rather by researching and writing about fishing, specifically kokanee salmon fishing. It’s gone above just an obsession, and is now my whole life. I work with biologists, guides, conservation groups, and angling enthusiasts to raise awareness and to bring more information about kokanee fishing to, well, to you.

About the Lake/Reservoir

Lost Creek is a smaller, 365 acre, reservoir that also has kokanee. The reservoir is in Morgan County, up Weber Canyon, 10 miles northeast of Croydon. It has a boat ramp, and those permanent porta-poties that look a lot nicer than they actually are. All boats have to be wake-less, so you won’t have to compete with water sporters, but the smaller reservoir isn’t as likely to produce the monster kokanee. Lost Creek is also a popular winter ice fishing reservoir, and there is usually good road access all the way to the water through the winter, if you want to try jigging for kokanee through the ice.

Where is Lost Creek Reservoir

How to Fish for Kokanee in Lost Creek Reservoir

The most popular way to fish for kokanee at Lost Creek Reservoir is trolling with a downrigger. You’ll want to troll at 1-1.8 mph with a kokanee rig, and I list the most popular gear below for that. 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.

Lost Creek Reservoir isn’t the biggest kokanee fishery in the state, but its not small, 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.

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 Lost Creek Reservoir

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. Unfortunately, there isn’t any information as to what people are catching kokanee with yet online. I’ll be updating it as time goes on, but I’ve put together really the best and most common kokanee setups on the market below, which you should have success with.

Most Popular Lure or Hoochie at Lost Creek Reservoir

Squid hoochies are the most popular type of lure, though wedding ring lures are pretty popular as well as well. Pink is by far the most popular lure color on the water, with green and orange as secondary choices. I’ve had the best luck here with the Super Squid lure from Rocky Mountain Tackle. I personally prefer the double hook kokanee lures, as kokanee strike out of aggression, and the two hooks provides twice the opportunity to hook into a kokanee.

Best Dodger for Lost Creek Reservoir

There are 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 like pink combos. Pink and silver, pink and orange, etc. Watermelon, pink and green, also falls into that category. Because the fish are smaller, I would avoid the larger sling blade type dodgers. I had the best luck with the 4.5″ skateboard style Watermelon Dodger from Runs True.

Most Popular Bait for Kokanee At Lost Creek Reservoir

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.

Video of Kokanee Fishing on Lost Creek Reservoir 

Here’s a video of some kayak fishermen out trout fishing on the lake. I couldn’t find one of kokanee fishing on the reservoir. Who knows, maybe I’ll make one.

Other Fish You Can Catch Trolling for Kokanee at Lost Creek Reservoir

Cutthroat Trout

There is a healthy cutthroat trout population at Lost Creek Reservoir. Cutthroat trout are a lot of fun to catch and will often bite on the same gear as what you’d use for kokanee. At Lost Creek the cutthroat are often in more shallow water than the kokanee.

Rainbow Trout

There are a lot more rainbow trout than there are kokanee in Lost Creek Reservoir. 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.

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.