Is Kokanee really THAT GOOD?

[Tesoro]

Am new to this forum so thought I would post something to introduce myself. I grew up in Oregon fish hunt etc...Didnt have the bucks to buy a boat back then but I do remember my dad taking me kokanee fishing a few times at Crescent lake in a rental boat when I was a young teen but thats about it for my koke experience. And then I left Oregon for the Caribbean and came back home after a 25 yrs absence. So I got all toyed up and took off to enjoy the mountains lakes etc.

So last fall my wife and I were camped at Odell Lake - Shelter Cove fishing for rainbows off the shore. There were a small group of good ole boys camped there doing a late koke fish trip. So one afternoon they all came in loaded up and I went to chat with them at the fish cleaning table. We were all having a good time drinking beer and bs'ing while these guys were filleting away. I think I mentioned 4 times that had only fished for kokes when a kid and couldnt remember what they tasted like but I heard they are REAL TASTY...I think I even mentioned that I would sure like to try eating JUST ONE FISH. Now there were 4 guys there which means minimum of 96 fish were on the table excluding wife limits...the fillet piles were about the size of half basketballs...And nope NOONE offered me a measly fish! This was the last trip of the year for them before the fish spoiled from the spawn.

So I went back to camp and was sitting around the fire talking to my wife about all of this...I said you know thats the first time I have witnessed this..people always share and these guys were nice and one even invited me to elk hunt at his place..but no sharing of these fish! And to top it off they all have expensive boats, specialty gear and electronics all to catch some puny sized fish that wont even strip off line with no drag! Something is up I said to myself and I gotta find out! What an excuse to buy a boat if I ever heard one...ha

So yesterday we did it...went to Odell for the trial run..I had studied up on basic techniques and armed with a couple of koke rods & reels, scottys, electronics, lures, and of course a can of the right corn, we went fishing to catch OUR OWN friggin fish!

And then came the moment of truth when I dropped a fat koke rolled in cornmeal and spiced flour into sizzling coconut oil....And now I understand and forgive those guys!!!