Let's talk merwin and yale kokanee

[carpsniperg2]

SO who here is the kokanee masters? Going to try to head north a few times this year and target them.

So which one is better to focus efforts on? Any master want to teach a newbie or have any info to share?

[Boss .300 winmag]

Lots of chum, some people prefer hand lining them when chuming not trolling.

[carpsniperg2]

Your going to have to elaborate. I think chuming fish is illegal in fresh water?

[Boss .300 winmag]

Your going to have to elaborate. I think chuming fish is illegal in fresh water?

Wow, you’re right on those lakes you can’t.🤔

Up here on Baker lake you can.👍

We’ll have fun, chumming makes it somewhat easier.🤣

[Not selected]

Hard to beat some pop gear with a wedding ring and a piece of shoe peg corn

[fowl smacker]

I'm no expert but have done my fair share of catching on Merwin.  Get yourself some deadly venom hootchies, and a few Dodgers in different colors (I like pink, chrome, gold, rainbow).  Keep the leader between the Dodger fairly short 12-16", and don't be afraid to use heavyish line (25lb seems to allow a pretty good action).  Until the water warms up in summer, just long line them 125'-200' behind the boat, add a small trolling weight if you're not catching on the surface.  Oh yeah troll slow!  1.2-1.6 mph seems to be my money speeds.  Tip your hooks with different scented corn (garlic, anise, shrimp).  If you're marking fish and not catching, change a color or scent.  Good luck.

[Alchase]

I use a one oz banana weight with swivels both sides.
A flasher (or willow blade string) with a snubber. Kokes have a soft moth, snubbers help keep the hooks in their mouth.
Then 24” - 36” leader to a Double Wammy (or wedding ring) with the hooks replaced with Gamakatsu reds.
On the top hook a couple white shoe peg corn kernels. On the bottom hook a couple of pink Powerbait maggots, only pink seem to work.
Troll at 0.5 to 1.0 mph between 25 and 50 feet depending on where the fish are.
And while trolling, do “S” patterns. The “s” patterns will slowdown and speed up your bait and trigger strikes. When retrieving a koke, they will start to spin like an alligators death roll when they reach the surface. This is where most Kokes are lost. If they start to spin, stick your pole tip in the water and slow your retrieve just a little, they will stop spinning long enough to net.
If they are not biting, I simple change in color usually will make the difference, or throw a hoochie on.

Good luck!

[carpsniperg2]

Awesome guys just the kind of info I was hoping to get. I have a clamp on downrigger but doesn't seem like until the water starts to warm I will need it much. I have watched a bunch of you tube videos but most are down rigger fish so this more top water info is very helpful thank you.

I have some wedding rings/bill squids/squid spinners etc and some doggers.

I picked up some sling blades in uv with different colors. What do y'all like for a dodgers? lake trolls etc?

Going to watch a few seminars at the shows and pick up some more gear.

Going to grab some snubbers thank you for the tip alchase. Do you do main like to snubber and snubber to dodger or put in some line between the 2?

[h20hunter]

Dicks Dodgers......that corns gotta be white shoe peg only. Yiu can scent it with this and that...maybe a little tuna oil. I get more off the longline than the rigger. You can put a little throlling weight up ahead of the Dodger to get it down a few feet.

[carpsniperg2]

Ill look into them. Any color better or trade secret's

[h20hunter]

The clown multi color is good....i try and stay away from chrome and flash.....purples are good on my lake. I also like little hoochies as you can kinda fill em with scent. Lots of folks swear by the always be turning...long line out the back allows the gear to travel through water you haven't driven. Let's see.....get to a place that is your happy place....little buggers come unpinned super easy. Once you get a few i like to take the head off, gut em, season and grill whole. Nom nom nom.

[carpsniperg2]

I am hoping to!!! I was watching videos of them cutting them and man sure the heck beats white mushy trout meat lol Beautiful red cuts!!!

Got to get a longer net for the boats as well. I see the trend of super long handles must be cause they pop a lot off lol

[Jason]

Hard to beat some pop gear with a wedding ring and a piece of shoe peg corn

[carpsniperg2]

Is that one run with a down rigger or just slack lined out with some weight?

[ELKBURGER]

Lots of good info from the guys. I have fished both lakes but consider myself a novice Koke angler. The times I have gone it seemed that Yale produced better numbers and Merwin had fewer but bigger fish. Maybe someone can back that up?
Let me know when you're thinking about heading up, maybe I can treat you to a burger at Cougar bar and grill! Btw, the quad is working great...as expected.