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Danny Coyne

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July 2017

As a Kokanee angler I’m always on the hunt for water bodies that offer elite Kokanee fishing. In British Columbia we don’t have to look too far. The BC Cariboo Region is home to over 30-plus lakes that offer outstanding Kokanee fishing, but the two lakes that outshine them all are Bridge and Deka Lake. Over the past 20 years the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (FFSBC), along with the Ministry, has stocked close to 14 million Kokanee in the Cariboo Region, which has now grown into a reputable world class Kokanee fishery!

For years I’ve wanted to explore these lakes to discover for myself if the tales of these lakes do actually live up to these expectations. Needless to say, I was not let down as my expectations were fully exceeded. In my own opinion, and as an experienced and dedicated Kokanee angler, the Kokanee found

in the Cariboo region are like no other. The fish are very aggressive in nature and deliver aerobatic-tale walking fights when hooked. The water temperatures are much cooler, but an abundance of forage is available for these fish, which makes for a healthy stock. The fish found in these lakes aren’t so long in length as they are fat in girth and wide in the shoulders. The colors of these fish are blue back silver that are second to none. The best way I can explain it is that these Kokanee are the Rocky Balboa’s of the Kokanee world!

Bridge and Deka Lake are found in the heart of the BC Cariboo next to the quaint community of Lone Butte, which is only a quick two hour drive north of Kamloops. The Lone Butte community offers hospitality like no other, as they are very welcoming to visitors.

How to Fish These LakesFishing these northern, higher

elevation lakes can be much

different than pursuing Kokanee in your traditional warmer water bodies found in southern BC and the Pacific Northwest regions. The average weather temperatures in the Cariboo are much less than, say, the Okanagan or Lower Mainland areas. The water temperatures reflect the cooler weather and are much colder allowing Kokanee to cruise easily throughout the water column of the lakes. For the majority of the fishing season (except for July to September) the fish won’t be found stacked up within a tight thermocline of water. In late June, the upper mixed layer of the lake can be less than 60F. This means the Kokanee are comfortable to cruise at their own leisure in a range of depths due to the water being less stratified.

The important thing to note when fishing these lakes is that the Kokanee are still Kokanee and have the same needs. Just like any other salmon species, they require food while trying to expend the least amount of energy as possible. The main diet of these Cariboo Kokanee is still Zooplankton, but they will forage upon small insect hatches when the opportunity presents itself. It’s not abnormal to catch a Kokanee that has been devouring chironomids. During my experience fishing these lakes, the Kokanee are not consistently found in the

BCFishn’ | KokaneeFishing The BC Cariboo

By Danny Coyne

Mack’s Lure’s Bobby Loomis shows off a kokanee caught on Deka Lake with a Sling Blade™ & Pee Wee™

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predictable mid-water column sections of the lake. These fish will move from being suspended over deep water to hold within currents and wind seams off of points and other pieces of structure. Sometimes they will even be found hugging the bottom in 65-feet of water feeding on a deep water chironomid hatch.

When approaching these lakes it’s vital to pay attention to environmental conditions. If the wind is pushing strong to the south end of the lake against a point, look for the seam in the water that is generated by the piece of structure. These seams can also be created by two different directions of winds meeting in the middle of the lake. Food will be pushed together in these zones and the Kokanee will hold in this vicinity. The best way to identify these seams is that the surface will appear to be smooth of waves or a line of foam will be found.

Trusting your electronics is very important when fishing these lakes. There will be times that fish will not mark on the sonar no matter how much water is covered. This is a tell tail sign that the fish are holding in the upper 20 feet of water. As the boat cruises over top of the fish the Kokanee will push off to the side before the sonar cone can pick them up. When this happens it’s important to run setbacks on your gear at a minimum of 100-feet behind the boat. Using side planers will also put the odds in your favor. These Cariboo Kokanee do seem to be very boat shy. If the fish are

found on the surface be sure not to use heavy tackle such as large metal gang trolls that will sink under the fish.

Tackle & GearIf you’re going to make the trip to

these lakes, I recommend coming prepared with an assortment of tackle. These fish can be extremely fickle in their selection. One moment they will hit a pink hoochie then minutes later you can’t buy a bite with the same lure, but then a small UV spoon will work. The same goes for trolling speeds and lure actions. The fish will hit at 1.4 mph troll then they will change to a faster reaction hit at a 1.8 mph troll. Keeping this in mind using a “tune-able” dodger like the Mack’s Lure UV Sling Blade™ Dodger works incredibly well as you can bend the dodger to adapt to a variety of trolling speeds and levels of action. We found the UV Sling Blade™ 4” to produce best. There is a high predation rate in these lakes due to an abundance of Lake Trout, so keeping your dodger profile small will avoid mimicking a threat to the Kokanee. Tying short 8- to 10-inch leaders when the water temp is greater than 50F will increase your hook up ratio as these larger Kokanee tend to like more of an aggressive presentation.

The primary Mack’s Lure tackle that we found to be extremely effective for these lakes are:

• Sling Blade™ in UV blue, red, pink and silver.

• Hum Dinger® spoons in UV blue & silver, purple and pink – tied with short 8-inch leaders are dynamite!

• Pee Wee™ Wiggle Hoochie™ in UV Pink.

• Smile Blade® Kokanee Hoochies in pink and orange.

• 4-Bladed Flash Lite® Trolls with a Pink/Silver UV Smile Blade® and a Wedding Ring® (Excellent for long lining in the upper 20 feet of water).

• Double Whammy® Kokanee Pro® in Multiple Colors.

Scent & BaitIn the spring periods using live

pink maggots is a local favorite and they do produce results, especially when the Kokanee are feeding in on insect hatches. As the water temp warms into mid-May, switching to baits such as cured and dyed krill or white shoepeg corn is extremely effective. Popular Pro-Cure scents for these lakes are Kokanee Super Sauce, Kokanee Special, Krill/Shrimp Gel, Krill Oil and Bloody Tuna Garlic.

You can find these products and scents at Lone Butte Sporting Goods along Hwy 24, the perfect pit stop before hitting the lakes!

Overview of Bridge LakeBridge Lake is a unique lake that

offers an abundance of small islands and coves that make for excellent fishing hot spots. The surface area of the lake is 1371 hectares with a max depth of approximately 150 feet and

The author, Danny Coyne (L), and Bobby Loomis (R) with two 3-pound kokanee caught on Bridge Lake.

Mack’s Lure Sling Blade™ UV in the 4- and 6-inch sizes, combined with Smile Blade® Kokanee Hoochies were hot all week.

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the average mean depth averages around 55 feet. Over the past 10 years the lake has been stocked with over 1.3 Million Diploid Kokanee (130,000 average each year). There is a small provincial campground off of Hwy 24 that also provides a boat launch. The other access to the lake is the boat launch found off of Bell Road from Hwy 24, then connect onto Johnson Rd, the launch will be located on your right.

Not only can you catch Kokanee in Bridge, but it offers fishing for Rainbow Trout that can reach over 5-pounds and Lake Trout that can push over 20-pounds!

Hot spots on this lake are the north side of the island in about 70- to 90-feet of water right along the ledges. Trolling perpendicular to the sun in the mornings and later afternoons will help produce enough flash to attract cruising fish from afar. Feed can also gather within the small coves in 50+ feet of water and Kokanee will hold in these areas. Be sure to keep an eye on depths on this lake as there are many shoals that quickly shoot out into the lake.

Overview of Deka Lake

Deka Lake is really broken up into two sections as referred to by the locals, Big Deka and Little Deka. The area in which you launch from is Little Deka. The two sections of the lake are connected by a narrow channel that is only a few feet deep of water. This channel is marked off with marker buoys to aid in boat navigation; follow the markers and you’ll be fine to pass through. All of Deka Lake’s surface area is 1153 hectares with a max depth of approximately 300 feet and the average mean depth is 70 feet. The deepest portions of the lake can be found in the Big Deka section of the lake. Little Deka has numerous cottage like homes that hug the lake

whereas Big Deka has one small private camp at the north end. The large section of the lake cannot be accessed by vehicle, only by boat. There are a variety of small boat launches that can be found along the shoreline of the Little Deka section of the lake. Be very cautious on weather and winds when pursuing Big Deka as winds can pick up very quickly. Lower powered boats can have challenges in poor weather as there is very few areas on the lake to get out of the winds. Little Deka is an excellent option for smaller boats.

The lake is managed as one fishery. The FFSBC & Ministry have stocked over 1.5 Million Kokanee in the past 10 years in Deka Lake. (Recent average of 135,000 Kokanee per year) The lake was once stocked with triploids but now primarily diploid Kokanee are stocked. There is no established camping site along this lake but there are many other accommodations nearby such as Hathaway Lake Resort, which is only a couple minutes away.

Little Deka Lake seems to produce fish a bit smaller than Big Deka, however the average size is still pushing over 2-pounds. Big Deka is known for producing Kokanee over 4-pounds! The average size fish in Big Deka is around 2.5-pounds, but it’s not uncommon to hook into multiple 3-pound fish as part of your daily limit.

Fishing hot spots on Little Deka are near the coves on the north end of the lake in the pocket of 70-feet of water just before you head up the channel to the upper section of the lake. Areas on Big Deka that can produce nice fish are along the points and ledges of the north end of the lake. That being said, we’ve found Kokanee throughout the lake, so some hunting is required to track down the bigger fish.

Fishing the Cariboo Region of BC is a very surreal experience! You literally have hundreds of lakes to choose from that offer incredible fishing opportunities. The biggest challenge that you will be faced with is deciding which lake to fish.

To get the most up-to-date Cariboo fishing reports and to acquire all the latest Kokanee gear be sure to stop by and visit Mark Roseboom at Lone Butte Sporting Goods/Lone Butte Fishing Adventures. Mark has over 10 years of experience fishing the Cariboo region. If anyone can point you in the right direction and get you equipped with the precise Kokanee tackle, it’s Mark! Or even better yet, hire Mark as a guide for a day. He will assist you in catching a Kokanee of a lifetime! Check out Lone Butte Sporting Goods Website for more information.

Don’t forget to stop by Lone Butte Sporting Goods when making the trip north for all of your kokanee fishing needs.

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Mack’s LureDOUBLE WHAMMY®

KOKANEE PRO

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It seems like there is a lot of truth about that old business you’ve undoubtedly heard a good many times. What is it? It’s simply this: “All records are made to be broken.”

When you’ve been around as long as I have you’ve undoubtedly actually seen this happen time after time. I remember, for example, when the first four minute mile went into the record books, when a quarterback threw a record number of touchdown passes, somebody hit the most home runs and the list goes on and on.

These busted records also apply to the various species of sports fish found all around the world. Keep an eye peeled and sooner or later you’ll see this happening. Like they say, records are made to be broken. That may be, but there’s one record in the world of sports fishing that has stood for a long, long time.

The record I have in mind is the one for largemouth bass. The all time record for bigmouth dates way back to June 2, 1932. An angler named George Perry caught one that day at

Stan’s Space

Will It Ever Be Broken?By Hall-of-Fame Angler

Stan FagerstromPart 1

Anytime you see me holding a bass this size you can bet I’ll bet I’ll be smiling. Look closely and you’ll see this beauty smacked a Mack’s LureStan’s Spin spinnerbait. The Stan’s Spin is one of the few lures that has put a bass of more than 10-pounds in the boat for me.

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Montgomery Lake down in Georgia. It weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces. That record has been threatened a few times but never been officially topped. You may remember the excitement and publicity attached to the catching of a huge largemouth in Japan a couple of years ago. As I recall, that one was said to have weighed 22-pounds, 5-ounces. I think the decision that was finally made was that a new record would have to top the old one by at least 2-ounces to get official recognition.

Years ago you could pretty well pinpoint where record size bass were most likely to show up. Those locations were where Florida strain largemouth were to be found and at one time that wasn’t that many of them. There have been major changes in this regard.

Today Florida strain tackle busters have been introduced all over the place. In addition there are spots around the country that when especially big bass are caught they are put into specially operated laboratories in efforts to use their future spawning procedures to the utmost advantage.

I have visited some of these labs myself. Just eyeballing some of those big hawgs in their captive environment brings a mixture of emotions.

I’ve heard it said a bass that tops the present world record will be worth a million dollars to the lucky angler who catches it. It might be, but only if the angler who hooks it doesn’t have a heart attack when the fish is finally up close to the boat.

I don’t care how many big fish you’ve caught, and I’ve caught my share, I swear nothing looks as monstrous up close as a big largemouth bass. Maybe it’s that big mouth that does it. Or perhaps it’s because they come along so seldom. Maybe only someone who has spent

much of a lifetime trying to catch them fully appreciates it when a big one does show up.

These whoppers came out of Mexico’s Lake El Salto. The one the angler is holding in his right hand weighed 11-pounds, 2-ounces. That’s a 9-pounder he has in his left hand. The angler is Les Melton, of West Virginia.

I’ve caught salmon that were crowding 50-pounds. I’ll always remember their tremendous strength as they fought for their freedom. I never did manage to break that 50-size in the many years I lived and fished in the Pacific Northwest.

Be assured I’ll never forget the chinook I hooked one morning on Southwest Washington’s Cowlitz River. The Cowlitz is a major tributary of the lower Columbia about 50 miles downriver from Portland, Oregon. The Cowlitz and some of its tributaries also provide prime spawning areas for the variety of sports fish that feed and grow in the oceans and then return to spawn.

Why do I remember that chinook salmon I mentioned? It sure as heck wasn’t because I ever got to eyeball that thing up close and careful. As soon as that fish grabbed the bait of fish eggs I’d just cast and let bounce along the bottom---it took off! And when I say took off that really doesn’t tell the story.

I might just as well have not been standing on the bank with a rod in my hands. My level wind leader was loaded with 30-pound line and 20-pound leader. When that monster had stripped all but a few yards of line so far down I could almost see a bare spool I finally clamped both thumbs down on the spool just as hard as I could and held on.

The result? S-N-A-P! If I hadn’t been holding onto my rod as hard

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as I was I’d of probably lost it too. I’ve also had my hands plumb full beaching a couple of steelhead that were both very close to 20-pounds.

I mention these fish to provide proof that I know what good fish hook ups like. However, not a darn one of them looked as big to the eye than my first largemouth weighing over 10-pounds.

I had opportunity once to share a hotel room once with Ray Easley, of Fullerton, California. For some time Ray had the distinction of having caught the second biggest largemouth ever taken on hook and line. I’ll share what he had to tell me about it in my next Stan’s Corner column.

This past June, I had the good fortune to fish with Freshwater Hall of Famer, and pro bass angler, Dr. Jim Grassi. The scene was the

Fishing The Spokane River With Jim Grassi

By Captain Pete Rosko

This largemouth bass weighed a whopping 14.8-pounds. Big as this fish is it doesn’t come anywhere near the current world size record that has stood for decades.

Spokane River, the outfall of Lake Coeur d’ Alene. The target was smallmouth bass. It was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about river boat fishing from Jim, the premier guide on the Spokane. Almost all of my previous river fishing had been from the bank. Some of those were trout rivers in Kentucky and Arkansas, namely the Cumberland and the White. Both previously produced 50- to 100-trout days while shoreline casting 1/6 oz. metal jigs like the Crippled Herring and Sonic BaitFish™.

Even though Jim is on the Mack’s Lure Pro Staff, it was decided that he would fish traditional bass baits, like plastics and crankbaits, and I would only fish the Sonic BaitFish™. It would be a good test for the Sonic BaitFish™ (SBF), the only Mack’s Lure product that would be tested against proven competitor bass lures.

Not considering the pollution, the Spokane River, like all rivers, is subjected to two main variable fishing conditions of water visibility and rate of flow. On that day, Jim deemed the Spokane as fishable. It would be a short outing on the river because of a previous commitment.

Pete Rosko

Captain Pete

The varying depths of the Spokane, fished that short morning, ranged from 5- to 20-feet; good for casting the shallower water and bottom-bouncing in the deeper water. The first smallmouth was hooked on a 1/6 oz. SBF while vertical jigging through the bottom structure. Then it was Jim’s turn as we fairly matched each other that morning. In the end, Jim topped me for the largest bass but the versatile SBF was responsible for a colorful cutthroat trout in addition to the smallmouth bass.

Even if you are not a river boat fishing expert, as I am, you can still utilize your land-based casting skills. These are some of my suggestions that I hope will help you in your boat:

1. To reduce snags, cast the smallest SBF to effectively reach your target when fishing over snaggy bottom. Also, cast slightly downstream to permit the water current to immediately intercept your SBF and keep it suspended above the bottom.

2. Since the SBF sinks, do not cast upstream unless the bottom is snag-free.

3. In shallow water, immediately raise your rod to an 11 o’clock position and retrieve once your SBF hits the water after casting.

4. Depending on water depth, and rate of flow, vary your retrieve. Reduce your retrieve speed in deeper water and stronger flow and increase your retrieve speed in shallower water and weaker flow. Simply “straight retrieve” as your SBF swims through the water “doing its thing.” Practice in clear water to determine the slowest retrieval speed to achieve a sideways darting action. Note: The SBF is designed to achieve a strike-triggering minnow-like side-to-side tail movement on

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Gary Miralles

a very slow retrieve. By increasing the speed of the retrieve, the SBF will also dart. The larger the lure, the greater the darting. This is why it (darting) is also so effective as a trolling lure, often out-fishing traditional trolling baits and without the need for an attractor like a flasher or dodger. Attractors actually inhibit the action of the SBF and are best left to lures with no built-in action such as flies and plastic squids.

5. AA deadly, and simple, river technique is to anchor over a deep hole and bottom-bounce your SBF through the structure.

6. Jigging is the best with braided main line for extreme sensitivity, less line twist and no-stretch for better hook sets. It also sinks faster than monofilament main line. The only personal advantage I see with mono is that it sinks slower than braid when casting over shallow, snaggy bottom.

7. Always attach leader to your main line using the double uni-knot. Fluorocarbon is best, especially in clear water for being near-invisible. Leader is stiffer than braid (much softer), which prevents the braid from collapsing and entangling your lure.

8. Best river jigging rod for me is medium 5 1/2- or 6-foot with the bend no further than a fourth of the way down from the tip. For casting, a 6 1/2- or 7-foot medium action works fine. Rods with fast, or ultra-fast, tapers result in better hook sets.

As always, a sincere thanks to all of our loyal subscribers to the Mack Attack Magazine. It is our hope that our “tips & techniques” result in greater success and enjoyment for you on the water.

Downrigger Fishing For Trout & Kokanee

ByGary Miralles

Targeting lakes during the summer months can be rewarding. However, fishing deep water requires special equipment. Leadcore, weights and divers can help you get to the depths required to catch fish, but consistency can be an issue.

Downriggers are obviously the most proficient way to work the thermocline effectively. They put you at the exact depth you require, and with downriggers, you can fish multiple rods and lures.

Here’s a typical set up with two downriggers, two fishermen and two rods each:

A typical thermocline for trout and kokanee is 20- to 60-feet. With that in mind, I would run one downrigger at 60-feet and the second downrigger at 55-feet. I would also run a second rod on each downrigger, typically 10-feet above the bottom set. That would put the stacked rods at 50- and 45-feet.

When stacking, I use the Shuttle Hawk™ because it is by far the easiest and most productive way to stack two rods. What is the Shuttle Hawk, you ask? It’s a downrigger release carrier. Attached to your downrigger cable, the diver takes

your release, line and lure down to a prereset stop placed on the cable, usually 10-feet above your bottom lure, as mentioned earlier.

The big advantage to the Shuttle Hawk™ system is that after it’s released, it will plane back to the surface, so you can reset it without bringing your downrigger up. There’s a short video on MacksLure.com for a better understanding on how to use it and it comes with an Ultra Release™ and a stop.

Now, after setting my second rod, I like to add a drop line to my stacked rods. A drop line is basically a 3-foot leader with a lure on one end and a snap swivel on the other end. I like to use the Hum Dinger®, Pee Wee™ Wiggle Hoochie™ or spinners like the Scorpion™ or Wedding Ring® for this particular setup.

Take your snap and attach it to the line going down to your second rod, then toss it back behind in the water. This second lure will slide down to the middle of the bow on the line due to the pressure of the water.

So, now we have the entire thermocline covered with a total of six lures in the water. The fish can’t escape this setup. If you’re interested in learning this system and/or gaining a greater knowledge on kokanee fishing, be sure to check out all of the latest kokanee tactics in our Kokanee Fishing DVD, located in the Caps, Decals and DVDs section on MacksLure.com.

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Question of the Month

Have a question? We’d love to answer it! Contact us at MacksLure@Mack-sLure.com if you have a question you would like to see featured!

Q: What is the correct way to rig a crawler on a Mack’s Lure Super Slow Death Rig when fishing for walleye?

A: That’s a great question! We would recommend threading a crawler from the end, and continuing to thread it up the hook until the crawler is just about to the eye of the hook. Then, pinch off the crawler at the tip of the hook and continue to thread the rest of the crawler on up the hook until it is running straight up and down the shank. Please

The staff at Mack’s Lure is always committed to providing a quality product. We want your input! If you know of anyone who would like to be on the mailing list to receive the Mack Attack, please forward their email address to Al@MacksLure.com. Photos, stories, and comments are welcomed and encouraged. Please forward all content materials to Media@MacksLure.com THANK YOU!

Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Shane Moon of Moons Guide Service & North Flight Waterfowl showing off a gorgeous walleye caught on a Smile

Send your photo’s to media@MacksLure.com for consideration to be included in a future Mack Attack edition or on Facebook.

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Check out this video on the Smile Blade® Spindrift® Walleye for tips on how to rig it for walleye fishing, as well as technical tips on how to match this lure to the hatch you’re targeting.

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note: The pinched off end should be resting on the edge of the bend of the hook. The tip end should be about 1/4” over the eye of the hook and running up your line. The knot on the hook has a short tag of line. When the crawler is threaded on, it will go up and over the tag, which helps keep the crawler in place.

Photo of the Month

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