Kokanee and King Salmon fishing 101's..pics Included

That's a great lesson plan there Ricci, thanks for the new tips. A couple of questions & comments,
#1 - Where did you get that cool leader holder ?
#2 - What exactly is Shoepeg corn ?
#3 - Do you like the longliner ? , I hav'nt tried mine yet.
#4 - With so many choices, how do you not blow your mind trying to figure out what to use ? 

Try out the beaded keel weights in front of the dodger (not sure of proper name ) or w/o the dodger
Keep the scents cold , I've had them go bad in the heat.
Dan, try the UV red firetiger Cripplure for Kings, also kicks butt on the bows @ Berryessa.

Thanks again for the education, tight lines to all, Tim   
 

To answer your ?'s tim,
1) the leader holders you can get at most tackle dealers and baitshops cabelas, basspro, etc.
2) White shoepeg corn is just a small kernal sweet corn that you can get at most grocery stores...i always buy Green Giant Brand Corn. But berkley gulp maggots in white and pink are a good sub. if you cant get the corn, you should buy at least one bottle and store it in your box just in case you forget the corn.
3) You know to be honest i only used the longliner once so far but didnt catch anything on it, yet that is. It was kinda challenging to figure out how to use it and set the tensioner, but once i did its easy. The trick is to find and set the tensioner just right before you actually start letting out your line/setback. I know it will work, i just havn't tried it out or been fishing enough lately to say so yet.
4) Thats easy tim, dont let yourself confuse youself when deciding what to use. Before i ever headout and fish, i check out the reports first and will start off using whats been working, specifically by the color. I always have at least 3 rods rigged and ready and usually fish with 2 at a time. If i dont get bit within 30mins. i make small changes first by changing my leader and lure first, not the dodger. Pink is always a good starting color. As for what type of lure, just choose one style first, then go from there. Choosing the right color is more important 1st, then deciding what kind of lure to use. Im personally a bug/hoocie fan, but will always carry spinners and apex's too cause sometimes they just want something with a lil more vibe or action. One of the biggest tips i could give is, if your not getting bit within 20-30min, keep changing your setup until you find what they want.

GD Ricci! That was really cool man. You are the koke king. Amazing knowledge and gear. Thanks, Craig.

One of the biggest tips i could give is, if your not getting bit within 20-30min, keep changing your setup until you find what they want.

Great advice and something I'm guilty of not doing.  For some reason, I always tell myself, maybe I haven't passed any fish yet, or maybe the next fish will want what I have.  The great fisherman always change it up to find what's working.

Thanks Ricci for answering my questions , time to go fishing  , er..ahh... right after a trip to the local tackle shop.

Try out the beaded keel weights in front of the dodger (not sure of proper name ) or w/o the dodger
Keep the scents cold , I've had them go bad in the heat.
Dan, try the UV red firetiger Cripplure for Kings, also kicks butt on the bows @ Berryessa.

Thanks again for the education, tight lines to all, Tim   

Tim , thanks for the heads up on the cripple lure , actually that is my new go to in my last 3 or 4 trips . My son in law used one in a Camanche trout derby and was slaying them , tried to hide his lure so I could not see what it was  !  I have a liking for bright red , but have a couple UV ones also . Last trip to Berry I caught my biggest trout there , 22-24 inches , did not get a real close measurement or pic as I let him go and did not want to touch him . Real pretty fish with nice fins and red stripe , but buggy - I don't keep any rainbows from Berry for that reason ,  plus they just don't compare to smoked salmon .

Ricci , hear you on IV , got in on a bunch of those bigger fish a few years back . Hooked up a beast trolling across the dam , should have seen the fleet coming from the eastbeyond the boat ramp . Was a monster 30" Sac pike , nice fish but at that size needed to be removed from the lake , sure he dined on smaller kokes , could'nt have that ! 

Huh... I really thought the UV stuff was a gimmick compared to normal flash/sparkly stuff.  Aren't fish colorblind too?  Guess i'll give it a try now 

I do not believe in UV stuff but I do believe in glow

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I do not believe in UV stuff but I do believe in glow

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Mayby another gimmick but a guy at the ISE shined a UV light on a UV lure and it was very bright . I know nothing about UV light penetration but I'm guessing it penetrats water deeper than regular light , anyone know about this ? I know that when I was diving different colors were very subdued 20' down .

On the Cripple lure I would bet it is more the action/ vibrations ringing the dinner bell than a specific color . More colors means they are gonna sell more lures .

Here's a little blurb from Fishwithgary.com, a pretty well known kokanee guy and lure and dodger salesman.

http://www.fishwithgary.com/kokaneeuniversity.html

U.V. light is below the visible spectrum (of lower wave frequency), which means it cannot be seen directly. All U.V. light is dissipated in very shallow fresh water holding kokanee, because the water, plankton and other particulates in the water absorb all of it. It is well documented that there will be no U.V. light in the fresh water column below just a few feet. I have tested lures labeled "U.V." Most work very well in waters holding kokanee, and in particular the UV squids should be a part of your tackle box. However, lures labeled "U.V." would be more accurately labeled as "fluorescent." These "U.V." lures come in visible colors. Since UV is not visible, the color you see is fluorescent. As with all fluorescent colors, stimulation by a black light will make the color jump out at you. But these lures are in fact only fluorescent. But that is why they are good. They still need some visible light at depth to be most effective. They do not glow. Match one of these "UV" (fluorescent) squids with a Fish With Gary™ POWER Dodger and you have a great setup.

I am no kokanee scientist but i have done well with lures that arae "U.V" but do not believe it is the "U.V." that is doing it.  I think its because they are well made lures that happen to be in attractive fish catching colors.

bmb, thanks for the interesting article, as I am new to koke fishing that could be a big plus.
I usually go with Shasta Tackle. Have you tried Fishwithgary products ?, & how do you like like them ?

Here's a little blurb from Fishwithgary.com, a pretty well known kokanee guy and lure and dodger salesman.

http://www.fishwithgary.com/kokaneeuniversity.html

U.V. light is below the visible spectrum (of lower wave frequency), which means it cannot be seen directly. All U.V. light is dissipated in very shallow fresh water holding kokanee, because the water, plankton and other particulates in the water absorb all of it. It is well documented that there will be no U.V. light in the fresh water column below just a few feet. I have tested lures labeled "U.V." Most work very well in waters holding kokanee, and in particular the UV squids should be a part of your tackle box. However, lures labeled "U.V." would be more accurately labeled as "fluorescent." These "U.V." lures come in visible colors. Since UV is not visible, the color you see is fluorescent. As with all fluorescent colors, stimulation by a black light will make the color jump out at you. But these lures are in fact only fluorescent. But that is why they are good. They still need some visible light at depth to be most effective. They do not glow. Match one of these "UV" (fluorescent) squids with a Fish With Gary™ POWER Dodger and you have a great setup.

I am no kokanee scientist but i have done well with lures that arae "U.V" but do not believe it is the "U.V." that is doing it.  I think its because they are well made lures that happen to be in attractive fish catching colors.

I have read and seen this article as well and do believe it...I think "UV" LABELED LURES ARE JUST MADE BETTER AND ACTUALLY CONSIST OF HAVING REAL FLOURESENT(S) IN THEM AND INRETURN, GET MORE BITES...SO BASICALLY, KEEP BUYING THE "UV" labeled lures!

Great stuff Ricci - thanks for posting it up brother, much appreciated.

Here's a little blurb from Fishwithgary.com, a pretty well known kokanee guy and lure and dodger salesman.

This isn't Gary Mirales is it?  Isn't he associated with Shasta Tackle.  Must be different people right?

Never mind, just found my answer.  Fish with Gary is Gary S. Gordon, so yes they are different people.

Superb write-up Fishworks, thank you!  I've always wondered about those "trolling bugs" that guys use for salmon.  I first saw them about ten years ago, when a family friend from Folsom came up to fish Almanor.  We trolled those "bugs" for a loooong time without so much as a nibble.  The only thing we could get the kings on were threaded minicrawlers about 18 inches behind a dodger.  My friend from Folsom was perplexed that the "trolling bugs" weren't working on Almanor, because they worked great on Folsom Lake.

Anyway, I'm gonna be giving the bugs and Uncle Larry's spinners an honest chance come spring.  Thanks again for this post!

guess my message yesterday didn't go through..stupid cell phones.  anyways, I've never tried any of the lures or dodgers from fishwithgary, I usually use shasta tackle sling blades.  I prefer the sling blades over the rockymountaintackle dodgers because they are a little bit thinner and I like to put a bend into them.