Green Peter kokanee...how big?

[C_Run]

I had not bothered going up to Green Peter since 2014 after hearing about how small the kokanee were, supposedly due to overstocking. Yesterday three of us in kayaks went up to see for ourselves and fished about 4+ hours mostly trolling but also armed with jigging rods. It was slow but we scratched out a few trolling. It was not until the last hour after we decided to head back to the ramp that we encountered a few bigger schools that seemed to be on the bite and went after our jigs readily. It was a challenge staying on the schools as they were moving and the wind was starting to blow our kayaks but we kept searching around and ended up with 12 total in a short period of time.

So, how big? I measured them all and they ranged from 9' to 11 3/4" and the average was 10.15".

 

[billfisher]

Good job! They look like they are a little plumper than the last couple years. What color jigs? I've been trolling up a few but 101/2 is the biggest so far. Thanks for the report!

 

[troutfisher]

Agree that those are better than any pics I saw last year. Glad the stocking has stopped.

 

[C_Run]

Good job! They look like they are a little plumper than the last couple years. What color jigs? I've been trolling up a few but 101/2 is the biggest so far. Thanks for the report!

I had a small pink and white Gibbs jig with red Fire Corn and our friend had some kind of bigger red jig like maybe a Nordic or similar plus corn. Yep, the one that was almost 12" was nice and chunky the way they used to be. Hopefully, they will add an inch or so during the season.

 

[billfisher]

Thanks C_Run. They should just keep getting bigger.

 

[bucketman009]

VERY VERY SMALL this year....but holy hell is there a lot of em!!!

 

[C_Run]

I can't believe this thread is 4 years old because I was toying with the idea of going back up even though I've heard they are quite a bit bigger at Detroit. I do like the scenery up there, though.

 

[bucketman009]

I can't believe this thread is 4 years old because I was toying with the idea of going back up even though I've heard they are quite a bit bigger at Detroit. I do like the scenery up there, though.

This place is LOADED with them in 2.5 hours we caught over 100 of them....none over 10"....but still plenty tasty.

 

[C_Run]

Are you long lining or do you have a downrigger? I'm kind of confined to long lining with my kayak although I have limited up there before. Are they deep yet?

 

[bucketman009]

Long lining...in 60' of water

 

[sixteenvolt]

Long lining...in 60' of water

Just picked up a kayak and figuring out deep trolling. In this situation, with no downrigger, would I drop my line to the bottom at 60', then paddle away at a typical trolling speed?

 

[C_Run]

Just picked up a kayak and figuring out deep trolling. In this situation, with no downrigger, would I drop my line to the bottom at 60', then paddle away at a typical trolling speed?

A one ounce sinker gets you down to about 25' which I have found to be fine for April.

 

[bucketman009]

Yeah....depending on speed anywhere from 1 to 3 ounces...I was trolling a tad over 1MPH so I had on over 3.

 

[sixteenvolt]

Looks like I have my gear all set then, thank you!

 

[bucketman009]

You are welcome....
Also fish the Quartzville Creek Arm

 

[JasonInBend]

I troll for kokanee all the time out of my kayak. I typically will get up to speed first and then start paying out line, this has helped me quite a bit avoiding tangles. There are tons of guides out there for trolling depth by speed/weight/line-out, just follow one of those (I included one below). I use braided line to help get down a bit deeper with less weight.

 

[LingFace]

I had not bothered going up to Green Peter since 2014 after hearing about how small the kokanee were, supposedly due to overstocking. Yesterday three of us in kayaks went up to see for ourselves and fished about 4+ hours mostly trolling but also armed with jigging rods. It was slow but we scratched out a few trolling. It was not until the last hour after we decided to head back to the ramp that we encountered a few bigger schools that seemed to be on the bite and went after our jigs readily. It was a challenge staying on the schools as they were moving and the wind was starting to blow our kayaks but we kept searching around and ended up with 12 total in a short period of time.

So, how big? I measured them all and they ranged from 9' to 11 3/4" and the average was 10.15". View attachment 603558

I called ODFW regarding Kokanee size and number in green peter a couple years ago. If I understand correctly, I was told that the population is self sustaining at a number higher than what is being caught. Accordingly they tend to increase in number until they eat themselves out of food after which fewer successfully spawn and the population dips, resulting in better fed fish the following year. Kokanee are not being stocked. I asked if there was any way to stabilize the population for better quality fish and he basically said catch your limit as often as you can. Trout are stocked 30,000 per year though.