05-10-2020, 09:05 PM
(05-10-2020, 08:56 PM)dubob Wrote: Except for kokanee (sockeye), adult salmon are fish eaters and that is why the Idaho report was not surprising. He was catching chinook (king) salmon, not kokanee (sockeye) salmon. I've been pulling Rapalas on the surface off my planer boards at the Gorge for the past 3 years hoping to snag the bonus rainbow for my 4 fish limit. Doesn't happen very often and I've never cuaght a kokanee on those Rapalas. I have caught a couple off spoons fishing for lake trout and tha one off the J-plug. That's it. Catching a kokanee (sockeye) salmon off any kind of a crank bait or fish imatation bait is always going to be a rare thing. IMHO.
The only other time I caught a kokanee on a Lucky Craft was the same lure which is very very reflective. Otherwise, I've not caught any kokanee on cranks or hard baits. And, the only reason I think I've got them is because that particular lure is so reflective the kokanee see the flash and strike out of surprise or aggression. And, I think that because both kokanee I've caught on the hard baits were on the surface and right at the end of a turn. The sun hits it just right, the flash changes when it "flips" in the turn and there is a kokanee right at the end of the turn. That's a recipe for a kokanee jumping behind the boat follwed shortly by flopping on the deck.