Great video as always Tyler. I was there fishing the second day you were there and said hi (Dave in the Blue Lund). Quick question: how did you decide to fish as shallow as 18-20 ft deep? I measured the water temp and at 44 feet it was 53 degrees. From this and my fish Finder I focused on this general range and caught some good ones. That said, I didn’t limit like you at a shallower depth. I normally catch so many cutts at shallow depths I try to go deeper. How did you analyze the lake and know to go shallow even if the water temp wasn’t ideal more shallow? Thanks tons in advance, really appreciate you.
First I always tend to run one rod about 10-15' above the ideal temperature zone (53-54 F). I noticed immediately the higher rod was picking up more fish. I also didn't observe strong stratification at Strawberry and have found that in lakes without pronounced stratification Kokanee tend to wander more throughout the water column especially during the morning feed. This makes sense as there is going to be higher concentrations of phytoplankton and thus zooplankton (e.g. Kokanee food) shallower and if Kokanee can access it without enduring thermal stress they will go for it. Lastly, I was hunting for big Kokanee and its been my experience that larger fish will tend to feed shallower than their smaller counter parts. This just goes back to basic physiology but larger animals tend to have a wider range of temperature tolerances than smaller animals of the same species. With all that combined that's what pushed me to fish shallower.
Love to see you fishing Utah waters. Strawberry is my favorite lake to fish. Honestly it just produces lots of big and healthy fish. Saw the Flaming Gorge video too, pretty rad stuff.
This comment is a big thank you for visiting with us while fishing. You are a fountain of knowledge and I love all of your careful, thoughtful and accurate explanations. Keep up the great work. Steve Hess, aka Retro Steve
Unlike so many channels, I love that you are so forthright with your methods and locations. Don't get to target kokes much myself but thoroughly enjoy watching you smash them in so many locations. Keep up the great content!
I had never targeted Kokanee until last year when we took our boat up to strawberry reservoir from AZ, we were super fortunate to have some beginners luck with a 1 person limit including one that was 20in… the wind was definitely crazy there and it seemed like we had the best luck away from all of the other groups of fishermen, similar to the results you had. Been hooked on Kokanee since but don’t get nearly as much opportunity as I wish! Super jealous of your Kokanee across America tour. Love the informative videos!!!
Hi Tyler. Here from Vancouver Island. Another awesome vid. I took my daughter fishing and she got her first kokanee, very proud. The bite was so, so and I am also learning the downrigger. Awesome 👍, keep them coming.
Sure enjoy the pre dawn starts , get to see all kinds of wildlife and have plenty of time to fish before the wind kicks up around noon, I also always get a kick out of pulling out of the absolute best parking spot at the local marina during peak density and seeing someone win the parking jackpot, mere steps from the water
It’s a kick in the chops when you see the video, get inspired and fish the Berry, get skunked and come back home to see the the video thumbnail agin with Tyler’s smiley face with a beloved Kokanee. You really have the magic touch! What was your scent?
Update: I went back today and got 4 to the boat, and 2 of those in the net! What an amazing morning. Thank you so much! 7 attempts on Strawberry in the past 2 years. The scent today was the last detail to figure out. I’m gunna grab a shirt to support your channel. You made my summer!
Love the series! It's been awesome to watch you dial in each fishery. Any plans for sockeye or chinook videos this year? There's been a ton of fish coming up the Columbia!
On this trip I off loaded my catch on friends along the way so as not to violate possession limits. Otherwise I've been looking at something like this. amzn.to/3uNIBzY
@@spiltmilt Maybe youve touched on the subject in the past and I missed it but how are you keeping your catch stored on the kayak? Stoked you were able to enjoy the Beehive State on your adventure! Safe travel home.
Nice to know, purple and pink. Do you know a supplier of paulina peak tackle in Canada? Can't find and ordering from the US is prohibitively expensive, with the dollar exchange and shipping etc. On a lighter note, was out on my favorite lake yesterday. Did well again but my biggest Kokanee (I suspect) fought me tooth and nail for quite some time. When he was about 10 feet from the boat, he gave a big head shake. He spit the hook and the dodger flew up and hit me in the face. Fortunately I avoided the hooks. Well played, Mr. Kokanee.
Hey Tyler, So, as I was trolling Wallowa Lake this morning dodging thunderheads, I had a question / thought pop into my head after I lost a few fish. I noticed that more of my bites this morning came at pretty slow speeds 1.1-1.3mph…but my loss rate also increased with the slower speeds. When I hooked up at 1.4 mph. I didn’t lose fish but had fewer bites. I ran brand new Maruto hook rigs on both rods…one on a down-rigger and one on a 3 ounce dropper. Anyways, it’s a predicament….troll slower for increased bites…or troll faster for fewer lost fish?
You are more likely to get a better hook set with higher troll speeds. In those situations where lower troll speeds are producing more bites I "boat hook set" that is I throttle my speed up when I get bite to drive the hook home.
@@spiltmilt I do that with large salmon and the thought never crossed my mind this morning…need more coffee, apparently! As a side note, talked a guy this morning who crossed paths with you when you were here…a local Joseph guy with a pontoon boat. Anyways, you made a great impression and he said “I’ve been Kokanee fishing for years but learned quite a bit from Tyler.” “Nice guy.” You’re a great ambassador for the kayak fishing community! Keep up the great work and keep those videos coming.
Hey Tyler, noticed last few vids you have a left hand reel on the left and right hand reel on the right, any reason? Or just because why not? Anyways, always love the videos and also kokanee in the rain has been good this year here in bc lol. Cheers!
We fished the derby at the Gorge, Chad is my friend and we stopped by his place and we met Richie and looked at the monster Kokanee they caught. I’m going to strawberry this weekend. How deep were you catching them? Did you launch in renegade or the main marina?
I grew up in Utah, I wish I was into kokanee fishing back then! Hey sorry a little off topic but I want to try fishing Yale Reservoir and am also in a small boat only using a trolling motor so I have a limited range. Would you recommend launching out of the park or saddle dam?
I had repeated rain and thunderstorms in the cariboo last week for 6 days.....had to work hard to put 4 fish a day in the boat Was disappointing considering with 3 people we could have had 10 to 15 a day like normal
For some reason the dropper works better for me, they seem to stay on better. I think there's something to being a better downrigger angler! It's a skill for sure.
I’ve caught my share of big fish from the berry and the pressure that was put on that population of fish was insane. It’s a great environment for big kokes and it will come back . The same with flaming George .
Great video as always Tyler. I was there fishing the second day you were there and said hi (Dave in the Blue Lund). Quick question: how did you decide to fish as shallow as 18-20 ft deep? I measured the water temp and at 44 feet it was 53 degrees. From this and my fish Finder I focused on this general range and caught some good ones. That said, I didn’t limit like you at a shallower depth. I normally catch so many cutts at shallow depths I try to go deeper. How did you analyze the lake and know to go shallow even if the water temp wasn’t ideal more shallow? Thanks tons in advance, really appreciate you.
First I always tend to run one rod about 10-15' above the ideal temperature zone (53-54 F). I noticed immediately the higher rod was picking up more fish. I also didn't observe strong stratification at Strawberry and have found that in lakes without pronounced stratification Kokanee tend to wander more throughout the water column especially during the morning feed. This makes sense as there is going to be higher concentrations of phytoplankton and thus zooplankton (e.g. Kokanee food) shallower and if Kokanee can access it without enduring thermal stress they will go for it. Lastly, I was hunting for big Kokanee and its been my experience that larger fish will tend to feed shallower than their smaller counter parts. This just goes back to basic physiology but larger animals tend to have a wider range of temperature tolerances than smaller animals of the same species. With all that combined that's what pushed me to fish shallower.
Thanks so much! And as always with you, I just learned a lot more. Really appreciate you!
Love to see you fishing Utah waters. Strawberry is my favorite lake to fish. Honestly it just produces lots of big and healthy fish. Saw the Flaming Gorge video too, pretty rad stuff.
I just got a fishing kayak. Any recommended docks or spots to launch out of at strawberry
Hi from Utah! Cool to watch you fish some local waters here! Utah has some sneaky big fish folks wouldn’t expect.
This comment is a big thank you for visiting with us while fishing. You are a fountain of knowledge and I love all of your careful, thoughtful and accurate explanations. Keep up the great work. Steve Hess, aka Retro Steve
Nice meeting you! Thank you for your support.
Love it good job my home lake love the 🍓
Some nice kokes from Strawberry, nice video, looking forward to more Kokanee action. Thnx. Doug
I was up there on Saturday the 9th. 5 fisherman in the boat and we limited in 2 hours. Soldier side. Had doubles multiple times and even a triple.
Could you message me and let me know where on that side? Always struggle to find them. Tyler caught more fish on his trip than I ever have there🤣
@@Bykerboy26 just troll the humps on the soldier side. We picked 1-3 up every time we passed over the top.
@@kobyhubbs6105 the humps?
Congrats on making videos that I almost yell at when you're distracted and one or both rods get hammered! Nice work Tyler!!
Unlike so many channels, I love that you are so forthright with your methods and locations. Don't get to target kokes much myself but thoroughly enjoy watching you smash them in so many locations. Keep up the great content!
Me and my dad our so addicted to Kokanee fishing!! Love your channel
Always an awesome day when the kokanee are peeling line. :)
Strawberry is my sons favorite. We tend to fish the Soldier creek side. Less boats and smaller body of water to find them in.
I had never targeted Kokanee until last year when we took our boat up to strawberry reservoir from AZ, we were super fortunate to have some beginners luck with a 1 person limit including one that was 20in… the wind was definitely crazy there and it seemed like we had the best luck away from all of the other groups of fishermen, similar to the results you had. Been hooked on Kokanee since but don’t get nearly as much opportunity as I wish! Super jealous of your Kokanee across America tour. Love the informative videos!!!
Yessss.
Hi Tyler. Here from Vancouver Island. Another awesome vid. I took my daughter fishing and she got her first kokanee, very proud. The bite was so, so and I am also learning the downrigger. Awesome 👍, keep them coming.
Awesome 👏 tell her congrats
Will do, thank you.
Sure enjoy the pre dawn starts , get to see all kinds of wildlife and have plenty of time to fish before the wind kicks up around noon, I also always get a kick out of pulling out of the absolute best parking spot at the local marina during peak density and seeing someone win the parking jackpot, mere steps from the water
Awesome stuff you have been very helpful. I going there next week on my single pontoon hopefully going to catch some.
I think you should extend kokanee across America with two additional lakes … keep up the great videos! 👍👍
Bonus lake added on the way home!
It’s a kick in the chops when you see the video, get inspired and fish the Berry, get skunked and come back home to see the the video thumbnail agin with Tyler’s smiley face with a beloved Kokanee. You really have the magic touch! What was your scent?
Garlic bloody tuna! Keep at it. You'll get them figured out.
Update: I went back today and got 4 to the boat, and 2 of those in the net! What an amazing morning. Thank you so much! 7 attempts on Strawberry in the past 2 years. The scent today was the last detail to figure out. I’m gunna grab a shirt to support your channel. You made my summer!
Awesome stuff! 👌
When you come, they have been smaller in East Twin. If you have time, try Westhill. Hope to see you on the water.
2015 2016 20 in plus kokes we were spoiled then lol been fishin it since i was a kid in the 70s
Love the series! It's been awesome to watch you dial in each fishery.
Any plans for sockeye or chinook videos this year? There's been a ton of fish coming up the Columbia!
Oh yes! Found one Sockeye today it will get better.
Love the series!! Question,…how do process & keep your catch on the long road trip? I’m planning a similar trip for next year,….inspired by you!
On this trip I off loaded my catch on friends along the way so as not to violate possession limits. Otherwise I've been looking at something like this. amzn.to/3uNIBzY
@@spiltmilt Maybe youve touched on the subject in the past and I missed it but how are you keeping your catch stored on the kayak? Stoked you were able to enjoy the Beehive State on your adventure! Safe travel home.
Nice to know, purple and pink. Do you know a supplier of paulina peak tackle in Canada? Can't find and ordering from the US is prohibitively expensive, with the dollar exchange and shipping etc. On a lighter note, was out on my favorite lake yesterday. Did well again but my biggest Kokanee (I suspect) fought me tooth and nail for quite some time. When he was about 10 feet from the boat, he gave a big head shake. He spit the hook and the dodger flew up and hit me in the face. Fortunately I avoided the hooks. Well played, Mr. Kokanee.
Unfortunately I don’t know of a Canadian retailer for Paulina Peak tackle
Hey Tyler,
So, as I was trolling Wallowa Lake this morning dodging thunderheads, I had a question / thought pop into my head after I lost a few fish. I noticed that more of my bites this morning came at pretty slow speeds 1.1-1.3mph…but my loss rate also increased with the slower speeds. When I hooked up at 1.4 mph. I didn’t lose fish but had fewer bites. I ran brand new Maruto hook rigs on both rods…one on a down-rigger and one on a 3 ounce dropper. Anyways, it’s a predicament….troll slower for increased bites…or troll faster for fewer lost fish?
You are more likely to get a better hook set with higher troll speeds. In those situations where lower troll speeds are producing more bites I "boat hook set" that is I throttle my speed up when I get bite to drive the hook home.
@@spiltmilt I do that with large salmon and the thought never crossed my mind this morning…need more coffee, apparently!
As a side note, talked a guy this morning who crossed paths with you when you were here…a local Joseph guy with a pontoon boat. Anyways, you made a great impression and he said “I’ve been Kokanee fishing for years but learned quite a bit from Tyler.” “Nice guy.” You’re a great ambassador for the kayak fishing community! Keep up the great work and keep those videos coming.
is that the renegade ramp? i'm having a hard time recognizing it
You should try Wolford lake in Colorado
Hey Tyler, noticed last few vids you have a left hand reel on the left and right hand reel on the right, any reason? Or just because why not? Anyways, always love the videos and also kokanee in the rain has been good this year here in bc lol. Cheers!
I do that so I can reel up line leaving the rod in the rod holder
I noticed you are using the snap on weights instead of sliders, have you kept stats on #fish lost with snap on vs sliders?
I don’t notice much difference
We fished the derby at the Gorge, Chad is my friend and we stopped by his place and we met Richie and looked at the monster Kokanee they caught. I’m going to strawberry this weekend. How deep were you catching them? Did you launch in renegade or the main marina?
I launched at both marinas. Fish were 10-20'
I watched your videos then trolled for the first time I was shocked how many fish and how quick the bite was used a deep dive crank
I grew up in Utah, I wish I was into kokanee fishing back then!
Hey sorry a little off topic but I want to try fishing Yale Reservoir and am also in a small boat only using a trolling motor so I have a limited range. Would you recommend launching out of the park or saddle dam?
The park. Fish the point just south of there
Caught a 25" rainbow there a couple weeks ago.
What brand or make of down rigger clip do you use?
I use the Scotty mini clip amzn.to/3P7NnAh
I had repeated rain and thunderstorms in the cariboo last week for 6 days.....had to work hard to put 4 fish a day in the boat
Was disappointing considering with 3 people we could have had 10 to 15 a day like normal
Been fighting the winds at my lakes in CA. I have a Hobie but peddling against the wind sucks. How is it peddling a prop drive against the wind?
Much the same as a Hobie like pedaling up hill
How do you turn your light on and off with it being so far behind you?
I don’t.
Should have made it down to fish lake I just made it back and the 8 I landed were all 2.5-3lbs
Yeah I only learned of it too late
If you make another trip next year let me know and I'll try to help if I can
It seems like on average your downrigger out performs the snap weights.
Yes it didn’t used to be that way but I think I’ve become a better downrigger angler over the past year
For some reason the dropper works better for me, they seem to stay on better. I think there's something to being a better downrigger angler! It's a skill for sure.
What time of the year we’re you there?
June
Can u fish Odell lake ?
Probably won’t make it there for a long time
Oh ok it’s really good but the bites at 4:30am I fish it and me and my dad got 50 in one hour
Strawberry can be very finicky. I remember the year that the Forest Service killed off the whole lake because of the trash fish and no game fish.
No fish is better at dodging the net than a Kokanee
strawberry was over fished during covid . the next few years the fish will get back to their normal 3lbs average ,
I saw a lot of 5 lb fish caught during the Covid years
I’ve caught my share of big fish from the berry and the pressure that was put on that population of fish was insane. It’s a great environment for big kokes and it will come back . The same with flaming George .
One thing about strawberry is you can count on the wind. Very predictable.
Hi my name is charlie! Is it possible that I can private message you regarding kokanee fishing! Thank you!
Sure email me spiltmilt AT gmail.com