smoking spawning kokanee

Spawning kokanee are still edible, but the flesh quality is considerably degraded compared to non-spawning kokanee. Flesh quality continues to degrade during the spawning season, so fish later in the spawning period would be of lower quality. Kokanee deteriote quickly during spawning and die soon after as part of their natural life cycle. Smoking these fish is the most preferrred option to prepare them, but many kokanee anglers stop keeping them once the fish turn red and begin spawning. What is acceptable fish quality to you is a personal preference. Spawning kokanee still fall under normal bag limits and harvest methods. Snagging is prohibited.