KSL Outdoors: Strawberry Kokanee

Thanks for tuning into KSL Outdoors, I’m Adam Eakle. And I’m Tonya Kieffer. You know Tonya our tagged fishing contest has been going on here with Strawberry Bay Marina now for a couple of months. Lots of fish have been caught. Today we are going to go catch some more. We are going to catch some kokanee today. There’s only been one of the pink tags caught out of the five and I think we are going to hang out with some of the guys that have sponsored the event. And I think I’m going to have to kick your butt kokanee fishing. I don’t think so, let’s go get out on the water.

Cameron Phillips, Strawberry Bay Marina) We are going to try and find some kokanee. We have had a really good year this year, exceptional for Strawberry.

Cameron is our guide today, as we take out John and Lora Olson. They own Utah Custom linings and are a major sponsor of the Strawberry Bay Tagged fishing contest.

(John Olson, Utah Custom Linings) We come out here quite often for fish for rainbows but we’ve never gone after kokanee so we are pretty excited.

It’s the battle of the boats. With Cameron leading the charge on our boat.

And Ken Strong, the Fishing Coordinator with SFW, another sponsor of the contest on another. The first, the biggest and the most kokes today will have braggin’ rights.

(Cameron) We’ve really done well with pinks. As the year starts transitions on, we move to more chartreuse colors but we are still finding that for the most part the pinks are doing good. So we are looking at a Rocky Mountain Tackle Dodger here, that’s got silver and then the pink flash in the front of it. Then I’ve got a RMT, it’s called a plankton, it looks like a squid, not quite. And then I’ve got another RMT lure on this rod over here with the blade on the front that gives it a little more action.

Your tipping with a maggot right. I am, It’s not necessary. We found it doesn’t hurt, I don’t know if it helps either. So we are short setting behind the ball meaning we only go out about 10 feet before we hook onto the ball right here.

Kokanee fishing at Strawberry you are looking primarily between 27 and 34 feet. Those are your, that’s going to be your target depths.

and how fast? How fast, that is a big deal. Target speeds between 1.5 and 2.5 mph. I like 1.7 to 1.9.

the drags are set tight. So the very first thing you are going to do when you lift up. (adam) left rod! Show us how to do it.

Oh gosh, going deep.

This is a big fish! (takes line)

Nice koke. Ok, got the net? Can I see it and I’ll just. (net fish) Koke in the boat.

Close to a three pound fish right here. Looks like he’s a male, he’s just starting to get that hooked jaw.

so this is a great fish to harvest and take back home with us.

The koke fishing this year at the berry is really good, early from sunise to about ten am. Biologists expect it to stay productive for another two to three weeks.

(Justin Robinson, UDWR Fisheries Biologist) These are two and a half year old fish. This is average size of our kokanee in the reservoir. Most of these in this age class will spawn this fall up the tributaries and produce more next year.

(Justin) There is a 3 and a half age class out there that easily runs four pounds. Some of those will get bigger. It’s a rarity to get a four and a half year old fish, but that is what the state record is. A six pound kokanee that came out of here in the 90’s.

Oh that’s a good one too Cam. Will you hit neutral on that.

The rods were going off on our boat.

It’s there, you don’t have to jerk or nothing. Just reel it in.

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