Greetings, Kokanee Nation - A schedule

[NW Wild Country]

My thanks to Jason and all the great boys and girls involved in KFF.com for the warm welcome - neat forum, looking forward to being part of it. One of our longtime NW Wild Country listeners/viewers eenakoK (thanks D.B.) already introduced Kokanee Nation to everyone here, but I wanted to give everyone an official heads up, and welcome each and every one of you to our little kokanee party we throw every Saturday.

I'll fill in whatever details any of you may need to catch NW Wild Country - either on FM/AM radio, on TV, on the web, and on podcasts/vidcasts -if you have any questions. To introduce Kokanee Nation, though, I'll get right down to it.

Bill Herzog has fished for these little beauties since 1972. Yes, the same Bill Herzog who's been writing about steelhead for STS for nearly 25 years. Any longtime STS readers know, though, that some of his best work in recent years has been on the subect of kokanee: I,frankly don't know anybody more obssessed with a fish than he is with kokanee (and sockey in general). And he's absolutely the most creative angler I've ever met. Herzog will be driving the bus during Kokanee Nation, and there's puh-lenty of room for more. We're all awfully excited for the opportunity to share some ideas, and maybe borrow a few of yours.

Below is the Kokanee Nation syllubus for the next couple of weeks, just to whet your whistle. If you don't get our radio/TV channels, no worries: ALL of these kokanee segments will be available as Pro-Cams, which you'll be able to see online. MOST IMPORTANTLY, though: we would absolutely love to hear from every one of you! Kokanee Nation is all about interaction with fellow anglers, helping each other out, and passing along information that will help all of us be more successful out there. Feel free to come "Like" the NW Wild Country Facebook page, chime in with advice and questions. We are an eager Nation!

I look forward to chatting with all of over the weeks. Tight lines. - JS

Week 2 (March 24) Kokanee Baits & Scents
-Corn (commercially available baits, and how to cure your own if you so choose)
-When to use live maggots and how to store them
-Alternative baits: Synthetic baits, squid, cured shrimp, and when to use each (legality, and some "novel alternatives")
-Scents: Commercially available scents and why we use them for kokanee
-Zog’s Ultimate: Bill’s super-secret kokanee scent revealed
-When (and when NOT) to use anise
BONUS: The 2012 “Band of Cold” and how it’ll effect the early season
BONUS x 2: Where are they biting now?!?

Week 3 (March 31) Early Season lures
-Wedding Ring spinners and adding spinner blades to lures
-Why spinner blades for colder-water kokanee?
-When is “blade time”, and why?
-Proper rigging of all spinner blades – Natural metal spinner blade finishes and when to use each (a framework for depth, lighting and visibility)
-When and when NOT to use UV; when and when NOT to add a spinner blade
-Blade colors and when to use each
-How to properly add scent to spinners

If anyone has anything to add to the discussions above, bring it on!

J. Shangle, host
NW Wild Country