About Kokanee
The kokanee, the landlocked form of the sockeye salmon, is native to Oregon, Idaho, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Kokanee were introduced into California reservoirs as a forage fish for trout. Kokanee have been transplanted into many lakes in the western US. Kokanee are the only Pacific salmon to mature in fresh water.
Kokanee salmon mature in 2 to 4 years depending on the strain, and growing conditions, with the average fish weighing between 2 to 3 pounds. Kokanee prefer well oxygenated water 50 to 59 degrees F. They will inhabit surface waters as long as the temperature remains within their preferred range or cooler. In summer months they can be found congregating at depths up to 150'. Their primary source of food is zooplankton but they do eat water fleas, coepods, emerging aquatic insects, and larval fish when abundant.
Kokanee will mass close to the outlets of streams in late summer and slowly move into the stream to their site of birth by smell. If suitable stream habitat is not available, kokanee can reproduce in lakes. The female builds the nest and defends it from other females, laying from 200 to 2000 eggs, while the male defends the nest from other males. The males assume the same reddish color and humped back as their anadromous brothers. The adults die soon after spawning. The eggs hatch in April and the fry move downstream immediately.
Fishing Methods: The most common method is to troll small lures at the depth the fish are congregating. When the fish are massed at stream mouths prior to the spawning run, they can be taken with common trout fishing techniques.
