Kokanee Fishing, Hoochie colors, and other lure selection?

I remember as a kid fishing for kokes in other states that corn was definitely illegal. Catching them on ultralight tackle is way more fun than the offshore tackle and lead core line we used to use.

I think something about the shape of shoepeg corn helps too, they tend to have nice long teardrop shaped kernels that I assume are more hydrodynamic than big fat round kernels. That could be complete nonsense on my part too! 

Thanks Al! Here are some tackle I got for Koke fishing, I got mostly Hootchies but im gonna throw in some Wedding Rings and other things as well. It's madness!

I think that i'm running something crazy like 150lb PowerPro, which I got a small spool on eBay for 15$.  Diameter of braid is way smaller than any SS cable, so I went a bit big, also because I found it so cheap.

Thanks for the tip! I went lite, 130# 

On it's way from China. 100 meters for $14 - includes shipping - will be here in a few days.  What a strange place the world has become.

StephL learn to snell two hooks on a leader. Get some 10 lbs Fluoro and a bunch of #4 octopus hooks and then let the madness really begin. It's really not that hard. A couple colors of beads and hootchies and you should be fine. I catch 3/4 of my fish on hootchies the other 1/4 on spinners. All tied with the same beads.

StephL learn to snell two hooks on a leader. Get some 10 lbs Fluoro and a bunch of #4 octopus hooks and then let the madness really begin. It's really not that hard. A couple colors of beads and hootchies and you should be fine. I catch 3/4 of my fish on hootchies the other 1/4 on spinners. All tied with the same beads.

+1 hommade will save u a bit of $ plus u can make modifications on the water to match what is working

StephL learn to snell two hooks on a leader. Get some 10 lbs Fluoro and a bunch of #4 octopus hooks and then let the madness really begin. It's really not that hard. A couple colors of beads and hootchies and you should be fine. I catch 3/4 of my fish on hootchies the other 1/4 on spinners. All tied with the same beads.

+1 hommade will save u a bit of $ plus u can make modifications on the water to match what is working

+1 as well when I started fishing for kokes there was limited manufacturers for koke tackle so it was all about making your own

StephL learn to snell two hooks on a leader. Get some 10 lbs Fluoro and a bunch of #4 octopus hooks and then let the madness really begin. It's really not that hard. A couple colors of beads and hootchies and you should be fine. I catch 3/4 of my fish on hootchies the other 1/4 on spinners. All tied with the same beads.

Thanks kokayak! Great advice, any places you would suggest I can buy packs of koke gear alone to make my own tackle? Saving money is definitely a plus, added with the opportunity to be creative! And it seems like fun to do on downtime.

BassPro in Manteca has lots of hootchies. I like PLine's but it seems most people use the smaller ones. I buy all my beads and spinner blades at Fishermans Warehouse in Manteca. They have tons of Kokanee stuff including corn, scents and those awesome Abu Garcia Kokanee rods. Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp carries stuff as well.

Snelling hooks is nothing more than whip finishing a fly if you've ever done that. Getting the two spaced takes a time or two but probably matters more to the fisher than the fish.

I'm not certain how others tie up their hooks, but i've got a very simple way to snell two hooks together on a line.  Use the same setup for tying Salmon rigs as well.  Maybe I should try and make a video of it for the heck of it.  It's really easy, and once you have the hooks tied, just slip on beads, hoochies, spinners, etc.  Like making bracelets  +1 on FW and BPS they have a lot of beads and hoochies. 

If your gonna be ordering from an online retailer check out Jan's netcraft

Sonoramike you have any idea what blanks are used for Sling Blade dodgers? I've looked at trolling spoons but none of them seem like the right size.

I do not the only thing I've seen was Jan's netcraft sold a dodger blank that was the same style and shape but had a star design stamped into it. Not sure if they still sell them and there probably not as light gauge as a real sling blade.

Maybe I should try and make a video of it for the heck of it

Oh man, that would be great! Or just a description of how? I've looked at examples on the net and after 20-30 minutes tangles, frustration and spit I said "f**k this" (wife in background, "Dear?")  $10 for a 10 pack is just sooo much easier... but somehow I feel like I'm whimping out

Man, the way I do it is so simple compared to all the video's I've seen on the net.  Jonesz showed me how to do so after I was telling him how much my hands hurt trying to tie leaders the other way's i've tried.  I'll probably have time tomorrow to do a quick video 

Yeah I really don't need sling blade blanks but I just love to roll my own. Seems like a fun use for the airbrush.