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View Full Version : If you had to choose 25 lures for a koke trip, what would you take?



Full_Monte
10-21-2008, 09:59 AM
I've been collecting lures and jigs like a madman and am not sure I even have the right mix of popular ones. So, here's a hypothetical question for you. If you had to select 25 lures for an upcoming trip, what would you take and how many? The total number of lures of all types should be 25. Now, I know you guys would feel under-equipped unless you had 17 tackle boxes in the boat, but
remember...this is hypothetical. Thanks!

Kokonuts
10-21-2008, 02:03 PM
Monte......I have been using Macs Weddings, Hoochies, Koko-a nuts & Dodgers From Shasta & Small Dick Nite Lures.

I have made up a LOT of different Flashers, Dodgers and if I can ever figure out this puter I'll post some picts.

Also I just sent in a large order to Crystal Basin Tackle, going to try 1 or 2 each of their hoochies , dodgers & wedding rings. If you havnt seen their stuff check them out but be careful with the $$$$$....LOL!.....Kokonuts

Kokaholic
10-21-2008, 04:37 PM
Ok, I am gonna be guessing a little but assuming that what works for us here for kokes will work for you in the cali area.

Dodgers: Hyper plad and colors in pink, Chartruse, orange,red. 4" for your lures and spinners and 5" for my squids and baits with less action.

Hoochies: i would take double rainbow glow, pink and white in RMT You mention that you have some koke-a-nuts. pink and green are good colors

Lures: sounds like you have a good start with various Shasta cripplures, humdingers. try nickel and pink, nickel and green and hot head pink cripplure

I would also have a few watermelon RMT serpant spoons, mai tai and tequilla sunrise serpant spoons also.

a few assasin RMT spinners in pink and orange colors.

With this in my box, I feel I can go just about anyplace and catch kokes with these items.

Good luck. Lets see what else others have in mind.

Petty4life
10-21-2008, 07:04 PM
not to sound cocky but i think i could catch koks with a ziplick bag of squids and dogders. give me 1 hyperplaid dodger with a pink haze squid and im sure i can put fish in the boat all day long is my #1 go to lure followed by a double glow rainbow squid. thats all you rally need

SilverBullets
10-21-2008, 11:18 PM
In your area I have read they do very well with radical glow tubes, hoochies, spinners and apex's. As far as colors, have a good selection to choose from.

HiTechKoke
10-22-2008, 01:28 AM
It does seem like us California guys over complicate things in the lure department. A lot of that stems from all the lakes / stores / derbies / seminars and shows and friends with hot tips! But in the end it seems like every year I end up keying in on a particular lure combo but I tend to always have out the following:

Two spinners, A hoochie setup and a Radical Glo Tube. These are matched with various dodgers / slingblades with my heavier setups usually down deeper. This year was all about pink combinations most of the time even when you are not supposed to be fishing pink... way down deep!

This year was the year of the RMT Assassin Spinners for me and last years standard spinners like my favorite Copper Pop series just didn't fare as well and it still mystifies me. Year before that was a big Radical Glo Tube year and the year before that it was a Hoochie year. Bugs and the occasional Apex make it into the rotation as well. If something gets bit I'll look to double up on that lure for a while to see if it was a trend or fluke. Dodgers are another story unto themselves..... of course now you just have to have the UV stuff or you couldn't possibly catch any fish.... a bit of sarcasm of course. I love the U.V. stuff as much as the next guy / gal.

Monte - You are welcome to come up and visit my tackle boxes any time.

Full_Monte
10-22-2008, 11:36 AM
Monte - You are welcome to come up and visit my tackle boxes any time.

Hi Tech...Let's do it. Thanks for the invite. Alternatively, you could just leave your tackle boxes outside the garage door, and I'll come visit them some night.
:):):)

oldguysrule
10-22-2008, 03:54 PM
I am new to this kind of fishing but if you could pick any 3 set ups what would they be.

Propnut69
10-22-2008, 06:43 PM
"It does seem like us California guys over complicate things in the lure department."

Believe me it's not a Cali thing. I think it's a koke fisherman thing instead.I look at my own tackle boxes,and wonder if I really need all this tackle. Then reality smacks me in the head,and I remember that I need to buy some more. With Kokanne being the temperamental little creatures they are ,it sometimes takes a wide variety of lures to find out what they want.

If I was to limit my lures to just 25,I would have a few dodgers in hyper-plaid, some pinks,a orange ,and maybe chartreuse. I would have a few squids in rainbow,pink, clear ,and white. A few apex's in the same colors. With small kockadailes in both hammered brass,and sliver.A couple spinners in fire tigers colors ,would help to top off the list.

DuckHead
10-22-2008, 07:53 PM
I will just stick with my apexes they have been very reliable over the years

SilverBullets
10-24-2008, 01:21 PM
I will just stick with my apexes they have been very reliable over the years

For where I fish, I'll have to go with DuckHead and say the apex lure. Time and time again they put limits in the boat. Why I have 1000 other lures in the boat I'll never know, the apex's get used probably 90% of the time. I guess if they ever stop working I'll be prepared!thumbsup

Kokonuts
10-24-2008, 03:10 PM
I've tried the Apex lures a couple of times here in Washington at Lake Merwin without any luck.
How do you guys rig them? Do you use flashers or dodgers in front? How fast do you troll with them?

I think I was doing something wrong because so many guys love em!! worthy12

Petty4life
10-24-2008, 03:15 PM
I've tried the Apex lures a couple of times here in Washington at Lake Merwin without any luck.
How do you guys rig them? Do you use flashers or dodgers in front? How fast do you troll with them?

I think I was doing something wrong because so many guys love em!! worthy12

i run them 1-2mph without a dodger

SilverBullets
10-24-2008, 04:42 PM
I've tried the Apex lures a couple of times here in Washington at Lake Merwin without any luck.
How do you guys rig them? Do you use flashers or dodgers in front? How fast do you troll with them?

I think I was doing something wrong because so many guys love em!! worthy12

I wrote a thread awhile back on what works for me with the Apex. Try the orange Pro-Troll Kokanee Killer at Lake Merwin, heard it works great there! The leader length I mentioned in that thread was a tip I received from a seminar I attended years ago by a kokanee expert here in Central Oregon, and only applies to the specific lake I fish (extremely clear water). I think the normal 36" leader will work at most lakes. Good Luck!

TopFuelKokanee
10-24-2008, 05:43 PM
You tend to fish the kind of lure you have the most confidence in. For me, this year was a dodger/hoochie show. But that was my first year going after kokanee since I was a kid. Back then it was lake trolls with a triple teaser.
My question is this, what water conditions dictate a change in lure choice? Does that mean same lures, but maybe different colors? The last 2 years I have fished the Shasta Lake Trout Derby (sorry this is a trout example and not kokanee, but I think its relevant). During pre-fishing Friday and the first day of the derby we had windy conditions and some rougher water. During those days our big fish came on spinners or spinner/hoochie combos. Then on Sunday of both derbys the conditions calmed and those same lures didn't get touched. What I didn't try was more action in the dodger or sling blade, or running 2 sling blades together as Silver Bullets has suggested. What do you think?

SilverBullets
10-24-2008, 08:35 PM
Topfuelkokanee brings up a good point....fishing the lures you have the most confidence in. But there are days you need to experiment with others. Those hoochies do work quite well from what I have read, and thanks to Topfuelkokanee I will be trying them out next year. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and craftsmanship Russ! As far as windy conditions while kokanee fishing, where I fish I like a ripple on the surface. I have witnessed the fishing good with a light breeze, then shut completely off after the wind dies down numerous times. Also, sunny days are more productive over cloudy where I fish. I sometimes wonder if since koks supposibly look up, a ripple on the surface makes it easier on their eyes on sunny days? In my opinion, the kokanee aren't quite so skiddish with a ripple on the water. I think sometimes they just change their minds alot, and when the bite turns off, toning down your presentation and going to less flash, changing colors, and speed are things to try. I have found that when the sun is directly over head, it's best to shed the ball trolls. Try useing gold or copper blades on sunny days instead of silver...sometimes going the opposite is a good thing! I have put fish in the boat after the bite turns off by fishing farther back also. Of coarse the water conditions as far as temperature and time of day are going to dictate what color lure you choose, and how far back your presentation will be by what depth your fishing in the water column. That probably wasn't the answer you were looking for though, hopefully someone can chime in with a better understanding of it. Water conditions dictating lure choice...it's a good question!

CurlysLures
10-29-2008, 06:01 PM
All those choices and not one mention of the old go to Curlys
thumbsup
Ouch I was hoping to award a winner some lures lol

Petty4life
10-29-2008, 06:10 PM
hey i used curleys this year and when nothing else worked i said what the hell and threw one on and wam 2 fish in a very short time

CurlysLures
10-29-2008, 06:44 PM
And you are a good man for that Petty!!
We have some new products in line for the next year that will hopefully produce some good results as well

Propnut69
10-30-2008, 10:32 AM
hey i used curleys this year and when nothing else worked i said what the hell and threw one on and wam 2 fish in a very short time

I can vouch for that ,as I was with him when he put on the curley's,and they did bring a couple fish to the boat.

Full_Monte
11-03-2008, 08:43 AM
Well, this has been an enlightening thread. And I was correct....I don't have 90% of the lures named by you guys in my tackle box. Not one of you mentioned Wee Tads. Are they not working any more? If not, I just bought $120 worth of worthless tackle.

FishHunter
11-03-2008, 04:43 PM
Not one of you mentioned Wee Tads. Are they not working any more? If not, I just bought $120 worth of worthless tackle.

I purchased some Wee-Tads this year and used them for the first time at Flaming Gorge. I put them on when nothing else was working and caught a few kokes within an hour on one trip. I also caught some rainbows and macks on them. I don't think many guys use them here, but I wanted to try something different.

SilverBullets
11-03-2008, 07:07 PM
Well, this has been an enlightening thread. And I was correct....I don't have 90% of the lures named by you guys in my tackle box. Not one of you mentioned Wee Tads. Are they not working any more? If not, I just bought $120 worth of worthless tackle.

I purchased around 12 wee-tads when I first started chasing koks around 6 years ago after reading in Dave Biser's book on kokanee that they knocked em dead up at the lake I fish on "wee-tads". I really haven't given them much time, as we have had good results with apex's. I have since repainted most of the wee-tads to brighter glow kok colors, and plan to try them out next season. They do have a real good action, might try adjusting the leader between the lure and hooks like mentioned in the book. I did this on apex's this year and had good results with hook set backs of 6" and 12".

Kokaholic
11-03-2008, 07:31 PM
Ok................. Can you share with us what the wee-tads are? a Picture?

SilverBullets
11-03-2008, 08:15 PM
Ok................. Can you share with us what the wee-tads are? a Picture?

They are from Canada...google Tomic Lures.They look like a 2" j-plug. Their color chart shows 75 different ones to choose from...good luck!

Kokaholic
11-03-2008, 10:43 PM
Cool, I will check it out. Thanks