PDA

View Full Version : Nantahala Koke Head Project



trollmonkey
03-17-2011, 09:51 PM
Since you guys are catching "My Kokanee"101ok101,I wondered if y'all wanted to help on a project.Last year I started keeping kokanee and trout heads to give to the district biologist with the NC Wildlife Commission. He is trying to collect age/growth data on Nantahala's kokanee.Last fall he gill netted and caught 30 or so and I took him about that many.They read the growth rings on the otoliths(ear bones) ,and with length and weight,determine age and growth rates. We just need to record length and accurate weight of each fish and keep the heads for the biologists.Since kokes don't usually survive release, we all are tossing some valuable data(unless you guys eat fish heads). laugh hyst I figure if we collect the heads we can enjoy fighting and eating our catch and contributing to science. the fish that are gill netted are essentially wasted except for the otoliths. If you're interested we can figure logistics when summer kicks in. TM101chromefish101

rgarbar
03-20-2011, 08:25 AM
Count me in. I will be up at the lake on or about the Memorial day weekend. Hoping to fish for kokanee at least 2 times per week through September unless gas prices continue to soar.

SeaDog
03-20-2011, 04:45 PM
Hi!

Yeah! If the price of fuel goes sky high.....We all better consider going back to using sails and oars! (Not Kidding - Seriously!)

SeaDog

trollmonkey
03-20-2011, 06:27 PM
Seadog,If I could survive a season trolling with oar power,I'd probably rip a fishes head off on the hookset.laugh hyst Thanks Rgarbar,let me know when you get to the lake.I'm planning three or four trips out this summer and also go to Andrews in June so maybe I can get your heads on one of those trips.thumbsup

Harpoon
03-20-2011, 08:03 PM
Will do on the heads.H

SeaDog
03-20-2011, 08:26 PM
Seadog,If I could survive a season trolling with oar power,I'd probably rip a fishes head off on the hookset.laugh hyst Thanks Rgarbar,let me know when you get to the lake.I'm planning three or four trips out this summer and also go to Andrews in June so maybe I can get your heads on one of those trips.thumbsup

Hi tm!

Trolling under oar power????
Too much work!

Luckly the 2 waters we have here in Ct. aren't too deep (48') so I can row or sail to my favorite spots, anchor fore and aft, and jig for the Kokes.

"Love My Little Silver Psycho Fish!!!!" ..... LOL

SeaDog

trollmonkey
03-20-2011, 10:19 PM
But Seadog I would get arms like popeye! Although since I'm powered by burgers and barbeque my midsection would look more like Bluto. Besides Nantahala is mostly over 100' and trolling is what I know(at least it seems like I do some days).Do you mostly jig after dark? TM 101chromefish101101chromefish101

SeaDog
03-21-2011, 01:47 PM
Hi tm!

Yes! Here in CT. the most popular way to fish for Kokes is at anchor at night with light over the side and jigging. We're allowed 8 fish per day.

I've been a mariner all my life so I already have the arms and legs. LOL

SeaDog

rgarbar
03-21-2011, 05:45 PM
Seadog
I would love to try to jig for the kokes but I figure I would need at least a 200' anchor line. Don't know if there would be any room left for me! Another benefit to fishing at night would be the lack of power boaters, jet skiers, and geezer barges that infest Nantahala in the summer. What is the CT state kokanee record?

SeaDog
03-21-2011, 08:40 PM
Seadog
I would love to try to jig for the kokes but I figure I would need at least a 200' anchor line. Don't know if there would be any room left for me! Another benefit to fishing at night would be the lack of power boaters, jet skiers, and geezer barges that infest Nantahala in the summer. What is the CT state kokanee record?

Hi rgarbar,

Well at West Hill the speed limit is 15mph day and at 6mph night.
After Memorial Day -> Max engine hp allowed is 8hp.

Ct. state Kokanee record is 1.8 lb @ 16"
Our fish are small but put up a great fight and tasty!

SeaDog

rgarbar
03-23-2011, 01:46 PM
Thanks for the reply. The Nantahala kokes seem to run a tad larger. Last year I was catching them in the 14" to 16" range both males and females seemed to be putting on weight and all looked healthy. I stopped fishing for them the end of July. I did loose an 18"+ one at the net. Troll Monkey any idea of the size of the kokes caught in the gill nets? Welcome back Harpoon!

trollmonkey
03-23-2011, 07:46 PM
Rgarbar the biggest one in the nets looked to be about 19"-20".Last year 14"-17" seemed to be what we got into. In 09 they weren't plentiful but ran 18"-19.5" capped off by Ashleys' 21.5" male that dwarfed the others .101chromefish101

rgarbar
03-24-2011, 02:13 PM
TM
Thanks for reply. It seems like the Nantahala kokanee have a good growth rate compared to their northern cousins. I was wondering if all the development at the lake and in the upper Nantahala river watershed is making the lake more fertile. The lake goes from crystal clear in the cooler months to that pretty aqua color in the warmer months. Lots of plankton for the kokes to fatten up on? Got the all clear from the wife to store the kokanee heads in the freezer. Now all I have to do is start catching them.

trollmonkey
03-24-2011, 07:51 PM
Good thing you asked.One time I had a container of crawlers in the vegetable crisper,until a blood curdling scream called me to the fridge. Evidently nightcrawlers yearn to be free ,my wife did not appreciate their ability to escape.Now I discretely put them in the mini-fridge in the fish room.nananana

SeaDog
03-24-2011, 10:19 PM
Hi All!

Just read the post on higher gas prices, etc!

So glad my 14' wooden Guideboat weights only 83lbs. empty, a very stingy 3hp outboard, and only 8 minutes away from West Hill Pond (My Koke Pond) from my home here in Ct.

Kokanee Heaven for Me!

SeaDog

trollmonkey
03-25-2011, 10:32 PM
Will do on the heads.H

How's it going Harpoon? Sorry I missed your post.Powell said he needed 100 or so heads to get a good data base. He already has 50 or 60 so we should be able to get him over a hundred pretty quick.101chromefish101101chromefish101

Harpoon
03-29-2011, 08:54 PM
Wow?? a hundred heads. I think I ate about 10 at the most last year. Caught was a little different. I stopped fishin for them later on in the summer because they would not go down. Most of the ones I caught were released at the back of the boat without taking them out of the water .I wonder what the total count in the Lake would be? I hope the study goes well and can give us some info on the condition of the stock. Wish I could convince the powers that be to stock them in Jocassee. H

trollmonkey
03-29-2011, 09:12 PM
Hey Harpoon,I've been trying to talk the guys at NCWRC to put kokes in Bear , Glenville,Fontana etc.But it ain't going to happen ,they are set against any other exotic species.So I'm hoping they are going to protect the kokes in Nanty.I even asked if they might consider lowering the limit to 5,but they said they didn't have enough information on the population.On the other hand the NCWRC is planing to stock rainbows in Cedar Cliff and Apalachia Lakes.101chromefish101101chromefish101

SeaDog
03-29-2011, 10:21 PM
Hi,

Would be nice to have more then the 3 waters east of the Mississippi (2-Ct and 1-NC) with Kokes.

SeaDog

Fishfinger
03-29-2011, 11:01 PM
I hope the quality of fish is better this year at West Hill (cant complain about the quantity) I have never caught so many 8-9 inchers like i did last year. Even just watching the spawn in Nov., you were hard pressed to see a red over 12 inches. East Twin however produced some quality kokanee last year, with most being 16-18". My best being a 19.5" @ 2lb 8oz. 4 oz. shy of our state record. There were rumors of a 21.5" koke from twin also last year.

SeaDog
03-30-2011, 10:28 PM
Hi ff!

Where were you fishing mostly on West Hill last year?

Because I was averaging 12-15 inchers all last year (few 16-17") down the east side 1st cove in 44-47 ft. of water!

End of season last year caught a bunch of 2 year olds.
Also marked a lot of 2year old schools -> Mostly down at the south end.

Personaly I think this will be a banner year at WH!

Might try East Twin this year -> Though I hate to have to pay O'Hare's to launch my boat for a body of water that I pay to have stocked!

SeaDog

Fishfinger
03-30-2011, 11:46 PM
All over, i troll, but the majority of the fish last year were on the eastern shoreline, from the big boulder south to brodie beach. The deep hole looked barren compared to other years.

SeaDog
03-31-2011, 05:31 PM
Hi ff,
I pretty much just jig for Kokes!

I am though, of the firm belief, that Kokes do school up according to size because they are so aggresive.
The bigger ones will muscle the smaller ones away from food sources.

See you soon on WH!

SeaDog

rgarbar
03-31-2011, 05:47 PM
SeaDog

Speaking of food sources. Did you know the reason the Nantahala kokes get so big is because they eat "grits". They also whistle "Dixie" when we put them in the cooler!

trollmonkey
05-29-2011, 10:56 PM
Is anyone catching kokes yet?I'm hoping to get to Nantahala sometime in the next 3 weeks or so.Last year was way too busy and we only fished kokes three times last summer,wanting to hit it more in 2011.Remember ,save your heads.101chromefish101

rgarbar
05-30-2011, 01:31 PM
TM

I am up at Nantahala. Will be launching my boat tomorrow at Big choga to test out the new carburator, fish finder and shuttles. Hoping to do some serious fishing later this week. Will keep you posted and save any heads. I now have internet at my Nantahala house so I can keep in touch with the forum.

rgarbar
06-03-2011, 04:02 PM
Finally got on Nantahala lake. I had no luck with the kokanee but I did pick up a nice pair of rainbow trout. The water at the lake is vert clear. no sign of the summer plankton bloom yet. The surface temps ranged from 72 to 74 degrees. My FF indicated the thermocline between 8 and 12'. Marked fish all over the water column but no pods or schools. I did not start catching kokes until the 3rd week in June last year. Did not mark much in the area of the dam. Fished mostly Big and Little Choga coves.

trollmonkey
06-03-2011, 10:02 PM
Nice rainbows,we were out there late May last year and got 12 or 13 nice stocked rainbows and 6 kokes.Its weird about the rainbows being stockers because the state doesn't stock the lake with bows .I wonder if there are stocked streams above the lake the trout are moving down from.Let us. know how the koke search goes. I am really ready to get back out to the lake. Good luck Mark101chromefish101

rgarbar
06-04-2011, 06:58 AM
TM
I don't think the Nantahala rainbows are stocked. The only trib still stocked is Buck Creek way up in the Rainbow Springs area of the upper Nantahala area. There are a number of wild trout streams beside the Nantahala river feeding the lake. The meat was as orange as kokanee and IMHO they tasted better the kokanee using the same grilling recipe. Have you ever caught a brown or a brook trout at the lake?

trollmonkey
06-04-2011, 10:08 PM
TM
I don't think the Nantahala rainbows are stocked. The only trib still stocked is Buck Creek way up in the Rainbow Springs area of the upper Nantahala area. There are a number of wild trout streams beside the Nantahala river feeding the lake. The meat was as orange as kokanee and IMHO they tasted better the kokanee using the same grilling recipe. Have you ever caught a brown or a brook trout at the lake?

I think Harpoon got a nice brown last year ,but I haven't seen one so far. I would almost put money on no brookies being in Nanty.We caught 15 or 16 rainbows last year with only one being a wild bow. The wild fish are more sleek and their fins have straight rays and aren't rounded like stockers. The wild lakerun bows can be as silver as a kokanee.Tony Robinson(first NC Kokanee record holder). turned in what appeared even to state biologists to be a koke in the picture.,upon further examination it was identified as a rainbow . It was a beautiful mint silver lake rainbow typical of wild lake rainbows in WNC. A lot of trout feed now has components that give hatchery trout red/orange meat,and they definitely taste good fried or grilled.101chromefish101

rgarbar
06-05-2011, 07:53 AM
Mark

Thank you for your informative reply. Since the state has not stocked Nantahala in many years it is possible the stocking is being done by some private groups or local HOA's. The Rainbow Springs Fishing Club who control most of the Nantahla river head waters might also be doing some private stocking in their beautiful and very private stretch of the river above the lake. I will heading out to fish both the Nantahala river and the lake this week. Will keep you advised of any luck with Kokes.

Ron

rgarbar
06-06-2011, 03:42 PM
Got out on the lake for a few hours and hit paydirt. Caught 2. One was almost 18" the second was 17". One caught at 18' the second 35'. Have the heads marked and in the freezer. They hit hard and jumped all over. This might be a banner year.

trollmonkey
06-06-2011, 09:59 PM
Hey Ron ,Those are nice looking kokes,congrats.You,re killing me I'm going to try to get out there Sat 6-18 .I've got a white Key Largo CC come over and say hello if you see us.This week is rough I'm working in Andrews and fishing in the gorge at lunch hour,its hard to be that close to the lake without my boat. Good luck with your fishing ,keep us posted . Mark101chromefish101

rgarbar
06-07-2011, 05:33 PM
Mark

Let me know for sure when you come up to the lake. I will make it my business to meet up with you. I trust you launch at Rocky Creek? I have a white 14' Carolina Skiff DLX cc with a blue bimini top with bow mount troll motor. One of my most productive koke places is not far from the launch. I will also bring the koke heads I have if you want.

Ron

rgarbar
06-09-2011, 07:06 PM
Mark

Got out a bit today. Cut short by a thunder storm.. Did manage a nice 18' koke and a walleye.

Ron

rgarbar
06-12-2011, 03:01 PM
2643Mark
Got out for about 2 hours sunday. The chiggars bit my wife up pretty good mountain bike riding yesterday so she did not want to ride. Left my comfort zone and tried a new area of the lake. Got another nice 18" koke and a rainbow. Did mark a couple of schools of fish at 40' to 43'.