North Carolina Kokanee Salmon Fishing

Kokanee salmon fishing has been growing in popularity in North Carolina. These are land-locked sockeye salmon that are stocked by states throughout the country in local lakes. They have a very specific lifespan and once they reach mating maturity they return to their birth waters, spawn and die. The good news is that when they return to their spawning grounds they leave the deep water and come into the shallows in search of gravel beds to lay their eggs. This means that you don’t have to go to Alaska any more to experience a salmon run. They are becoming more and more common throughout the United States.

Where to Find Kokanee in North Carolina

The only place in North Carolina you can find kokanee salmon is in Nantahala Lake. Nantahala Lake is located in the Nantahala National Forest near Bryson City, North Carolina. It’s located on the west side of the state, in Macon County. It has about fourteen miles of shoreline with many places to set up camp, as well as plenty of places to launch a boat or canoe. The lake is surrounded by mountains and it’s a beautiful place to spend some time in the outdoors.

There is a healthy population of kokanee that has been thriving in the lake from shortly after its creation. The Nantahala River flows into the lake from the north, while the Little Tennessee River flows away from the lake to the south. The lake was created by building Nantahala Dam on the Nantahala River in 1942 to provide hydro-electric power for aluminum plants during World War II.

About Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon are sockeye salmon that are landlocked in fresh water. They primarily feed on Zooplankton and are generally found in larger lakes that can maintain a cool temperature, or have enough depth for the salmon to get deep enough 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 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.

Kokanee are a hard fighting fish, and are some of the best table fare you can catch in freshwater. They have a deep red flesh, darker than any trout I’ve ever caught. They also fillet up easier and better than trout. Kokanee grow to be 2-3 and occasionally 4 pounds or more depending on their food source and spawning patterns.

A History of Kokanee in North Carolina

Kokanee Salmon were stocked in Lake Nantahala from 1959 to 1964 to provide forage for the resident Rainbow Trout population. Subsequent sampling failed to re-capture Kokanee Salmon; therefore, the stockings were considered unsuccessful and discontinued. But it was actually successful, and the population of salmon quietly grew into a major part of the lake.

Kokanee Salmon were not stocked in any other locations. Additionally, North Carolina has not stocked any other Salmon species in the state.

Kokanee fishing has grown in popularity through the years, but we don’t have a very good handle on how many people are targeting them on Lake Nantahala. It is most likely a small niche of anglers that like to target them. I would say most people are targeting either Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, or Spotted Bass on Lake Nantahala.

The State of Kokanee Fishing in North Carolina

I will say that the state is in the middle of a Kokanee stocking project on Lake Nantahala. Anglers began to voice concerns about a decline in the Kokanee Salmon population in Lake Nantahala in 2017. Then in spring 2017 the state collected Blueback Herring in Lake Nantahala for the first time. Blueback Herring are an anadromous shad species native to the Atlantic Coast that have shown up in several of our western North Carolina reservoirs over the last couple of decades.

The impact of this new species on Kokanee Salmon is unknown, but both species are planktivores and may ultimately compete for food. Blueback Herring are often associated with reduced sportfish populations. Blueback Herring are also a popular bait fish used by some fishermen (not kokanee fishermen, if they actually want to catch anything), and they’re likely being released into the lake when these fishermen are done for the day. It’s kind of ironic. The bait is ruining the fishing.

Unfortunately, the Wildlife Resources Commission has had a difficult time collecting Kokanee Salmon in their sampling gear, but their gillnet surveys had exceptionally low catch rates in 2017 and 2018. Consequently, the Commission decided to experimentally stock 30,000 Kokanee Salmon for 5 years (2020-2024). Their intent for the stockings is to restore the historic self-sustaining population in Lake Nantahala. The state will evaluate the stockings and make management recommendations at the end of the experiment.

What are People Catching Kokanee With 

Unlike a lot of other fishing, when you target kokanee, you aren’t trying to imitate its food. Kokanee primarily eat zooplankton, and it’s awfully hard to stick one or two of those on a hook. Instead, kokanee gear is designed to make the fish angry, and to get them to strike out of aggression rather than out of hunger. I was able to speak to a few avid NC kokanee anglers and they reported having most success trolling with pink dodgers, and either hoochies or wedding ring type lures.

North Carolina Kokanee State Record

The current state record in North Carolina for kokanee salmon is held by Jeff Smith. Jeff landed this record book fish on June 11th, 2014, and it weighed in at 4 lbs, 1 oz. I was able to talk with Jeff about his record, and he had a great fishing story for me. If you’re interested in reading more about his NC Kokanee State Record.

North Carolina Kokanee Fishing Regulations

For information on NC fishing regs, I reached out to the NC Wildlife Resources Commision and Christian Waters, Chief, Inland Fisheries. The regulation for Kokanee is 4 fish with no size limit. I also asked them about snagging kokanee salmon, which is allowed in some states.

Can You Snag Kokanee Salmon?

Snagging kokanee salmon is illegal per 15A NCAC 10C .0213 SNAGGING FISH which reads “It is unlawful to take fish from any inland fishing waters by snagging. As used in this Rule, “snagging” means pulling or jerking a device equipped with one or more hooks through the water for the purpose of impaling fish thereon.”  This information can also be found in our regulations digest on page 26 under Manner of Taking (game fish) and page 41 under Manner of Taking Nongame Fish. Kokanee snagging is allowed in other states, so make sure to check your local regulations before hitting the water.