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JAG107
08-07-2011, 12:23 PM
HI all, I'm new to Kokes and am very excited to get out there on them. I usually troll for trout, so Koke fishing should be a blast for me.
Shaver looks to be the closest lake to me with Kokes, and I'm reading about how they're draining the lake for dam maintenance this fall. Is the fishery going to be off if I went in late september (or is sept. a good times for kokes anyway)?
Just browsing this forum has been very informative, I'm learning a lot from you guys!

sawtooth
08-09-2011, 09:05 PM
Jag,
Welcome to the forum. It looks like the Cali guys are all out fishing so I will do what I can to help you out. Even though I live in Idaho now I have family that live in Fresno and have a cabin at Shaver. My parents are at the lake as we speak and they said the fishing has been slow as the lake has been drawn down quite a bit already. September is quite late for kokes as they spawn in the fall and when this happens their bodies make a transformation from bright silver to dark red with green heads, just like their sockeye salmon brothers. At this time the meat gets real mushy and not nearly as good to eat as they are when they are not spawning. I would hold off on fishing until next summer. The plan is to replant the lake with both trout and kokes once the work on the dam is completed. My guess is that koke fishing will probably take a couple of years to recover as you usually only catch fish that are at least three years old. The young kokes feed only on zoo and photoplankton. If they replant with three year old fish then next summer could be good as well. Hope this info is helpful.

HiTechKoke
08-10-2011, 01:50 AM
I say go for it... don't wait till next season. the Kokanee are generally schooled up this time of year making them easier to find. Over by the dam is where they are usually found on the West shore in front of those docks and nice houses. There is a Kokanee Power derby there September 10th and the fish are definitely turning but are still fun to catch as it is a put and take fishery in the end as there is no natural spawn there. It's also the time of year you can try jigging if it suits you and the schools are big enough. Other than that have not heard a lot of reports out of Shaver recently.

Kevin

JAG107
08-10-2011, 07:41 PM
Thanks for the reply! Sounds like it could be a lot of fun!