Stateline Reservoir Kokanee Salmon Fishing

I recently had a conversation with the Utah DWR about the kokanee fishing in Stateline Reservoir. The report from his is that they are numerous but small. In order to try to manage for that, they said, “We have started stocking some lake trout into Stateline (started in 2020 so they are not fully established) and are looking at some regulation changes to help thin their numbers so we can get a little better growth.” When going to spawn, they’re 7-9 inches long is all. State officials are hoping that the lake trout, and potentially the greater fishing pressure will reduce numbers and allow for fish to grow bigger.

About Stateline Reservoir

Stateline reservoir is located on the border between Utah and Wyoming, hence the name Stateline. The reservoir is in the Uinta mountain range. Stateline came to be with the construction of the Stateline Dam in 1977. The lake is at 9,200 feet in elevation and has a depth of about 120 feet. The reservoir is popular for shore fishermen, though it does have a boat ramp.

Kokanee were introduced to Stateline Reservoir in 1992, at the same time as Causey Reservoir.

Where is Stateline Reservoir

How to Fish for Kokanee in Stateline Reservoir

The most popular way to fish for kokanee at Stateline Reservoir 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.

Stateline Reservoir 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 Stateline Reservoir

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 Stateline Reservoir where the water is REALLY deep and kokanee depths can vary so drastically

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 Stateline 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. This is what people are reporting success with.

Most Popular Lure or Hoochie at Stateline Reservoir

Squid hoochies are the most popular type of lure used on Stateline Reservoir, 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 Stateline Reservoir

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 Fishing At Stateline 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.

Most Popular Scent at Stateline Reservoir

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. There wasn’t enough data online to say one specific scent is the most popular at Stateline Reservoir. According to our analysis of the forums though, the most popular scent for kokanee overall is Garlic with Bloody Tuna coming in second.

Video of Kokanee Fishing on Stateline Reservoir

This video showcases a good snapshot of Stateline Reservoir, the reservoir, and the area around it.

Other Fish You Can Catch Trolling for Kokanee at Stateline Reservoir

Brook Trout

Brook trout are a high mountain trout with bright colors, and are one of the coolest looking fish to catch. They tend to bite on a lot of the same lures that people use for trout or kokanee.

Rainbow Trout

Fishing for the rainbows in Stateline Reservoir 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.

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.

Anglers have also reported small numbers of tiger trout, grayling, and cutthroat trout, but those are few and far between.

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.