Fast Action For Dworshak Kokanee

Kokanee fishing success on Dworshak Reservoir near Orofino has been good, and last weekend it got even better. A recent Idaho Fish and Game creel survey of anglers on the 17,000-acre reservoir recorded an average success rate of 2 kokanee per hour--hot fishing in anybody's book. "Kokanee fishing has been excellent this year, with limits relatively common," said Larry Barrett, IDFG fisheries technician. "Ford fenders in front of wedding rings seem to be the ticket." Most of the landlocked salmon were caught at depths of 25 to 40 feet. Kokanee are running eight to thirteen inches in length, with most fish being caught between the dam and Dent Bridge. Anglers continued to catch kokanee around the clock, with standard pop-gear working during the day and jigs with glow-in-the-dark hooks effective at night. Anglers using rubber jigs also reported catching good numbers of smallmouth bass off the steep, rocky shorelines. The reservoir produced the Idaho State record smallmouth bass in 1982, weighing 7 lbs 5.6 oz. and was 20 3/4 inches in length.