Priest Lake Kokanee Salmon Fishing

Priest Lake, in Bonner County, Idaho, is a kokanee fishery in the upper panhandle of Idaho. The lake is at 2,439 feet in elevation, and at 319 feet deep, making it one of the deepest kokanee fisheries in the state. Priest Lake has historically ben extremely popular for kokanee salmon fishing, but is becoming more popular for lake trout in recent years.

About Priest Lake

I have family in the area that fish Priest Lake regularly, and I also reached out to a state biologist that helps to manage Priest Lake to get an update on the kokanee population there. Priest Lake has a long history of kokanee and kokanee fishing. Priest Lake saw an increase in nonnative lake trout in abundance a while back, which largely collapsed the kokanee fishery there. State biologists at the time weren’t in a position to do a lot there, and the kokanee population really took a hit and has taken a while to make any sort of recovery. There are some kokanee that have hung on though, but they are low density. It has led to larger kokanee though. The average sized fish is about 16”. It’s fairly difficult to catch kokanee in the lake at the present time.

State biologists currently have no plans right now to try to manage or reduce the lake trout in favor of the kokanee. The asked the public a few years ago if there was support for that. The response was divided, but it wasn’t popular enough to support that. Now there’s a strong following of the lake trout there. For now, there are no plans to do anything to support the kokanee.

Where is Priest Lake

How to Fish for Kokanee in Priest Lake

I was able to reach out to some of the locals that fish at Priest. The most popular way to fish for kokanee at Priest Lake, as it is at most lakes, is trolling with a downrigger. You’ll want to troll at 1.2-1.8 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.

Priest Lake is really big, 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.

Most Common Depth for Finding Kokanee on Priest Lake

As it gets warmer, kokanee salmon go deeper. They can be hard to find, but depending on the water temperature, you can find Kokanee salmon from 30’ to 200’ with an average being around 80’, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to consistently find them at 80’. Electronics are very important, and especially at Priest where the water is REALLY deep and kokanee depths can vary so drastically. I started off trying to fish for kokanee years ago without a fish finder. It’s just not worth it. If you want to catch fish, get 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 Priest Lake

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. This is what people are reporting success with.

Most Popular Lure or Hoochie at Priest Lake

Squid hoochies are the most popular type of lure used on Priest Lake, though wedding ring lures are pretty popular as well as well. Pink was by far the most popular lure color on the water, with green and orange as secondary choices. Any of the lures below will work well. 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.

Most Popular Dodger at Priest Lake

There were 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 liked pink combos. Pink and silver, pink and orange, etc. Watermelon, pink and green, also falls into that category.

Most Popular Bait for Kokanee At Priest Lake

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. I like to tip my hook with the pink corn

Most Popular Scent at Priest Lake

Kokanee are extremely sensitive to scents, so many anglers use a scent spray or gel to help both cover the human scent, and attract the kokanee. Gulp maggots or scented shoepeg corn can help cover that scent, but others like adding a gel as well. According to our analysis of the forums, the most popular scent is Anise, with Bloody Tuna coming in second, and a variety of garlic options coming in third. Scents for kokanee

Video of Kokanee Fishing on Priest Lake

This video isn’t one of mine, but it presents a good view of conditions, a good snapshot of the sizes of kokanee on Priest Lake, as well as how hot the fishing can be on the water.

Other Fish You Can Catch Trolling for Kokanee at Priest Lake

Lake Trout

Lake trout generally like larger baits than those used for kokanee salmon, but they can still strike at kokanee lures. Small lakers, less than 24″ long, especially have been known to strike at kokanee jigs and lures.

Cutthroat Trout

There is a small and protected cutthroat population at Priest Lake. 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 Priest Lake the cutthroat are often in more shallow water than the kokanee.

Rainbow Trout

Fishing for the rainbows in Priest Lake is about as popular as kokanee fishing, and there’s a chance you’ll hook into one when fishing for kokanee. 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.

Priest Lake Bag Limits:

• Kokanee 6
• Trout 6
• Cutthroat 0

Priest Lake Kokanee Fishing Specific Regulations

Be sure to check the current Idaho Fishing Regulations to stay up to date on any changes before hitting the water.