Wayne Kruse’s Pick of the Week: Big kokanee

By Wayne Kruse

For The Herald

Now that it’s no longer cold enough to freeze your fern — but before it’s hot enough to boil your brisket — make a quick run to Lake Roosevelt for a few of the largest kokanee in the state. These bad boys can weigh 5 or 6 pounds on occasion, and 4-pounders aren’t rare. That’s bigger than a lot of the adult sockeye in the Baker Lake or Lake Wenatchee runs, and Roosevelt produced the state record kokanee, 6.25 pounds, in 2003.

Lou Nevsimal at Coulee Playland Resort in Electric City (509-633-2671), said because of the long, cold winter, the prime fishery is still going strong.

Until water temps start rising, the kokes are relatively shallow, at 8 to 30 feet. That’s within planer range, although Nevsimal said most anglers still use downriggers. Popular rigs include squid behind a flasher or Apex plugs in purple, pink or green.

The kokanee are scattered throughout the lake, Nevsimal said, so it’s important to stay mobile and cover a lot of water. A good launch spot is the Spring Canyon facility, located four or five miles uplake from Grand Coulee Dam.

Another tip, one that a lot of anglers regrettably ignore, is that the fish are spooky, requiring a long line — up to 200 feet — behind the boat.

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