06-29-2020, 03:04 PM
(06-28-2020, 08:21 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Thanks for the report a pic, sounds like a fun trip. How full is the lake? Last I heard it was going over the spillway. In rare years we have caught kokes there as big a 13" while ice fishing during the Winter but for quite a number of years the kokes have been smaller, like you said. There are bigger kokes in there but you generally need to get much deeper for them, like 30 to 40 feet down. One thing that will help you get deeper, if you don't have lead core line, is to use banana weights. I'd start off with 1 oz, then go to 2 oz or even 3 oz, depending on how deep you are marking the fish. Bet that was fun seeing that big brown following that koke in. Several members have caught browns up to 7 and 8 lbs there while fishing for kokes. My personal best was a nice 5 lber and my friend wiperslayer has caught one there while ice fishing that went 6 or 7 lbs.
It's as full as I have personally ever seen it. I don't think that water is going over the spillway, but the big cottonwood trees along the bank around the lake all have wet feet right now.
I have thought about getting lead core line, but I'll need to get another rod and reel setup to handle the lead core if I do. I could probably use a line counting trolling reel anyways. Any budget recommendations on rods/reels that have treated you well?
I tried to get as much weight on it as I could, but the shelves at Sportsmans were clean of any sinkers whatsoever, I ended up stringing on a buzz bomb without the hook up above the dodger and thankfully that got it down enough for this early in the season. I'll pick some more sinkers up once this panic settles down a bit. Has anybody here tried and had success with dipsy divers or other brands of diver for kokanee? I was going to try that out, but those were all sold out as well.