Kokanee fishing for both birds and humans is still good

Labor Day found me without a fishing partner due to illness, so I headed to Ririe Reservoir to observe how the fishing was going for both man and birds.

Before the sun came up, the sky was busier than the boats with 11 Ospreys and two Bald eagles looking for breakfast.

An osprey successfully harvested a kokanee from a high dive, bragged of its capture and the chase was on. A Bald eagle, not wanting to get its feet wet, chased the smaller bird until it gave up its prize and the eagle picked the falling fish out of the air.

With its meal, the eagle flew up the lake to consume the hapless fish.

The land-locked salmon were dimpling the surface of the reservoir while the ospreys continued to harvest and while fishermen continued to put boats in the water.

The Juniper boat ramp was busy with 18 fishing boats being launched. From my observation spot on the rim of the canyon, I did ot see any success in any of the boats until the sun came up.

By 9 a.m. most of the fishing birds had eaten enough fish for the morning and disappeared while the fishermen started to be more successful.

I recognized several of the boats that are regulars on the reservoir, and those experienced kokanee fishermen soon were catching fish consistently.

Most of those fishermen and I have visited together, and we agree that this summer has been some of the best kokanee fishing that we have ever experienced on Ririe.

The success is starting to slow down and catching these salmon can be quite challenging especially for inexperienced and ill-equipped fishermen.

During the early summer months, the kokanee was found mostly in the canyon, above the powerline crossing.

By mid-July most of the 2023 planted kokanee had moved to within a mile of the dam and were feeding about 40 feet below the surface.

Then during early August they continued to move closer to the dam and deeper into the water.

Early morning was the best fishing and most of the experienced fishermen were limiting out by fishing from 5:30 to 9 a.m.

By the last week of August, the kokanee was preparing to spawn by reabsorbing their scales which started coloring their skin pink and will eventually turn red.

They also dropped to 80 feet below the surface, making it difficult to get down to them unless you have downriggers.

We also found that we could get to them trolling with a sliding five-ounce weight and by letting out 140 feet of line.

We also found that we were catching mostly males because the females were full of eggs and had quit biting.

We have also found a daily pattern for the kokanee. In the early morning, they are not in schools but were scattered from the surface to the bottom of the reservoir.

Right after sunrise, they will form schools from 80 to 90 feet down. If the water is calm, you can park over them and be successful by jigging for them. You will get a lot of hits, hook some but due to their soft mouths, landing them can be very difficult.

The larger kokanee that are getting ready to spawn in late September and October are still staying deep while the 2024 planted fish are separating from them.

Those younger fish ranging from eight to 11 inches are now schooling in about 40 feet of water and are moving up the reservoir.

Those preparing to spawn will become harder and harder to catch as they will quit eating as their bodies start rotting while they are still alive.

The kokanee in Ririe does not successfully reproduce, but the females will drop their eggs in the reservoir which will attract trout who will feed on the eggs.

If you can find the areas where the eggs are dropped, fishing can become very good for the trout.

Last fall one of those areas was near the Juniper Boat Dock and fishing was very good there.

As the spawning kokanee begins to die more and more birds will be attracted to the reservoir where there will be more eagles robbing from the ospreys.

It is a show worth watching – stay tuned for it.