Monte Lake BC Kokanee Fishing

British Colombia provides a lot of good opportunities for fishing. Monte Lake provides excellent opportunities for kokanee salmon fishing. Check it out.

About Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon are sockeye salmon that are landlocked in fresh water. They live their whole lives in lakes and reservoirs without ever going to the ocean, like sockeye, chinook, or silver salmon. They primarily feed on Zooplankton and are generally found in larger lakes that can maintain a cool temperature, or have enough depth to maintain a cool temperature and support a kokanee population. Kokanee salmon are delicious and rally strong fighters, making them a target of many anglers. Their popularity has also been growing in recent times.

Kokanee are native to many lakes in the western United States and Canada including British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho. They have also been stocked in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as several of the US states, including Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

About Monte Lake

Monte Lake is a lake located in British Columbia’s Central Interior region about 150 km east of Kamloops, just off the British Colombia Highway 97. The lake is approximately 435 acres and a maximum depth of 37 m (120 ft).

Most Popular Kokanee Salmon Trolling Rig for Fishing Monte Lake

I combed through several forums, blogs, and social media groups to figure out what most people were reporting having success with on Monte Lake for kokanee fishing. We also reached out and talked to people who have fished Monte Lake as well, so we’ve done our homework.

Most Popular Kokanee Lure or Hoochie at Monte lake

Pink spinners were the most popular lure reported on Monte Lake that people were fishing with AND having success. (We didn’t count the people who did a fishing report and didn’t catch anything). Second would be a pink squid hoochie, followed by all your other lures and hoochies in orange, greens, whites, etc. The pink wedding ring spinner is definitely a winner on the lake, and really anywhere you’d want to chase kokanee.

Mack’s Lure Pink Wedding Ring Spinner

Where to Find Kokanee at Monte Lake

Reading through the fishing reports, the best places to catch kokanee seem to be at north end, or the north east end of the lake. If you can find the schools of kokanee, try to stay on top of them there because they tend to concentrate all in one area. As far as depth goes, people reported depths ranging from 20 feet down to 100 feet. I saw some advice in the forums that if you’re not marking any kokanee in the regular spots they’re probably closer to the surface and getting spooked by the boat. He recommended fishing high in the water with a longer setback. 100-150 feet back ought to do it, and we thought this was pretty good advice.

Ice Fishing for Kokanee on Monte Lake

This particular lake is known for its consistent population of kokanee salmon. This makes it an ideal location for ice fishing. Ice fishing involves using specialized gear and techniques to catch fish when they’re below the ice. Most people jig for kokanee through the ice. Monte Lake is a beautiful place to ice fish. Whether you’re an experienced angler or just getting into the sport, there are plenty of places to try your luck.

The most popular gear to use on Monte Lake ice fishing is a jigging rod with a spinning reel. You’ll want a line capacity of 20lb or less (and preferably less). Also, you’ll need a small split shot sinker rig with enough weight to keep your bait down where kokanee like it. That is about 20 feet deep at least. Having a fish finder is extremely useful to pinpoint the correct depth and to get into the schools of kokanee. Ice fishing for kokanee on Monte Lake is a lot of fun though.

Title image of Monte Lake from Adam Jones. License