pimpler
03-24-2011, 11:17 AM
This is not a scientific survey by any means, but in 2009 the kokanee fishing at Wallowa Lake netted me 87 fish over 16 inches and as I look back over my fishing logs the average size of fish that year was a shade over 18 inches with largest fish for the year at 23 1/2 inches and just over 5 pounds. Last years logs show that I caught 85 fish over 16, but the average size was 20.2 inches and topped out with my 8.85 pounder at 26 inches. I also caught 6 additional fish last year that topped six pounds. Now we come to this year. So far I have caught only 18 fish that have topped 16 inches and overall average of all fish caught is just under 15 inches, with largest at 21 inches. In talking to all the diehards that fish February and March in the ice and snow, the consensus seems to be that the fish this year just do not stack up to the last few years. Now don't get me wrong- there have been some bigger fish (up to 5 pounds) caught this year, and a 15 inch koke is a very respectable fish, but the numbers seem to show that if you're looking for that next record fish the big fish will be a lot harder to come by this year. Tight lines and I'll see you at the lake.