Welcome to my Fishing Adventure Blog. Let me give you a short introduction of myself and what this blog will be focusing on. Quite simply I'm a doctor who loves to fish. Doesn't matter if it is Kayak, Ocean, Stream, Shore, Alpine, Spear, Ice, Deep Sea or Fly Fishing. If it has anything to do with Fishing I'm into it. Hope you enjoy and feel free to give me suggestions for topics!
How We Caught a Full Kokanee Limit on Kalamalka Lake & Wood Lake in One Day
Some days on the water feel almost too perfect to waste sitting at home.
Blue skies over the Okanagan. Calm morning water. Sonar lighting up with fish. Two legendary British Columbia Kokanee lakes within driving distance of each other.
The goal was ambitious but simple:
Catch quality Kokanee on Kalamalka Lake first, then head over to Wood Lake and finish the full provincial Kokanee limit.
Not every fishing plan works out that cleanly.
This one actually did.
Which feels suspicious, honestly.
Early Morning on Kalamalka Lake
The day started on Kalamalka Lake with ideal conditions and high expectations.
Right away, the first fish hooked up felt solid. Heavy head shakes below the surface hinted it was a better Kokanee, and like many mature Kokanee salmon, the fish stayed relatively controlled until it approached the surface.
That’s often when chaos begins.
Kokanee are notorious for violent surface thrashing and throwing hooks at the last possible second, especially on light tackle.
This fish stayed pinned.
Moments later, a beautiful mature male Kokanee slid into the net already showing early spawning color.
It was an impressive start to the morning.
First Kalamalka Lake Kokanee
Approximately 18 inches long
Mature male beginning to color up
Estimated around 2 pounds
A trophy-class Kokanee by most standards.
Dialing in the Bigger Fish Pattern
The second fish came after adjusting slightly deeper in the water column.
That subtle change immediately produced another quality Kokanee, this time carrying a brighter chrome appearance compared to the colored-up male caught earlier.
The pattern started becoming clear:
larger dodgers
deeper presentations
slightly faster trolling speeds
Those adjustments consistently targeted larger Kokanee while avoiding smaller fish higher in the water column.
Only a handful of bites occurred all morning, but nearly every quality opportunity came from fishing deeper with larger presentations.
That’s one of the most overlooked parts of Kokanee fishing. Many anglers focus on simply getting bites. Bigger fish often require a completely different approach than numbers fishing.
The fish were not feeding aggressively, so constantly changing trolling depth until fish responded was critical.
Eventually the second trophy Kokanee came aboard, completing the daily limit for Kalamalka Lake.
Two fish.
Two giants.
Not a bad way to start the morning.
Why Bigger Dodgers Often Catch Bigger Kokanee
One of the biggest takeaways from the trip was how effective larger dodgers were for mature Kokanee salmon.
Bigger dodgers create:
more flash
wider vibration
more erratic action
stronger visibility at depth
Combined with slightly faster trolling speeds, the larger presentation appeared to trigger reaction bites from bigger fish while smaller Kokanee often stayed away from the setup entirely.
Instead of sorting through endless undersized fish, the strategy focused on quality over quantity.
On this day, it worked perfectly.
Heading to Wood Lake to Complete the Limit
With the Kalamalka Lake limit complete, the decision was made to continue the challenge by heading over to Wood Lake.
In British Columbia, anglers can combine limits from different lakes within regulations, making this kind of Kokanee combo day possible.
The conditions on Wood Lake looked promising immediately.
The sonar graph was loaded with fish suspended between roughly:
30 feet
60 feet
The trolling spread was adjusted quickly:
one rod set around 31 feet
another deeper around 45 feet
Two completely different setups were tested side-by-side.
Rod One
Larger dodger setup used successfully on Kalamalka Lake
Rod Two
Smaller dodger
Pink flash fly
UV and glow materials
Gulp maggots
Added scent
Underwater camera attached initially
The water on Wood Lake was noticeably murkier, limiting underwater visibility, but fish activity remained high.
The First Wood Lake Kokanee
The first hook-up on Wood Lake fought surprisingly hard, initially feeling more like a Rainbow Trout than a Kokanee.
After several strong runs, another Kokanee came to the net.
Compared to the Kalamalka fish, the Wood Lake Kokanee were noticeably smaller but still healthy and aggressive.
One important fish care tip discussed during the trip was bleeding Kokanee immediately after landing them.
The process used was simple:
remove the gills
allow the fish to bleed in the net
keep water flowing through the net
place fish on ice immediately afterward
Proper fish care makes a massive difference in meat quality, especially during warm summer conditions.
Many anglers believe Kokanee fishing requires extremely slow trolling speeds.
That was not the case here.
The most productive speed range was approximately:
1.5 to 1.7 mph
But constant speed alone was not enough.
The real trigger came from speed variation during turns.
By gently steering the boat side to side:
inside rods slowed down
outside rods sped up
That speed change dramatically altered dodger action underwater.
At slower speeds, the dodger fluttered naturally.
During acceleration, the dodger occasionally made aggressive looping motions that triggered reaction strikes.
Then, as the lure slowed again, the flutter became irregular and erratic, often triggering following Kokanee into biting.
That subtle speed variation turned followers into biters throughout the day.
Why Direction Matters When Trolling for Kokanee
Another advanced Kokanee tactic became obvious during the trip:
Fish often preferred trolling in one specific direction.
Whether it was:
light angle
lure flash
trolling speed
current
fish orientation
…the bite would frequently improve dramatically during passes moving one direction compared to the opposite.
Once productive travel direction was identified, repeated passes and large trolling circles through active fish zones kept producing strikes.
Interestingly, trolling circles naturally create speed variation between rods, making them highly effective for Kokanee fishing.
It’s a small detail many anglers overlook.
But small details are usually what separate average Kokanee days from memorable ones.
Completing the Full Five-Fish Kokanee Limit
The final Kokanee of the day came on the smaller dodger setup paired with the flashy pink fly tipped with Gulp maggots and scent.
The fish inhaled the presentation aggressively enough to bury both tandem hooks inside its mouth.
Fish number five.
Mission complete.
The final tally:
2 trophy Kokanee from Kalamalka Lake
3 solid Kokanee from Wood Lake
A full British Columbia Kokanee limit and an unforgettable Okanagan fishing day.
Final Thoughts
This trip perfectly demonstrated how technical Kokanee fishing can become when conditions change and fish behavior shifts throughout the day.
Success came from:
adjusting trolling depths constantly
experimenting with dodger sizes
varying trolling speed
changing direction frequently
using scent effectively
staying patient during slow periods
The reward was one of the most satisfying kinds of fishing days possible:
a complete multi-lake Kokanee limit featuring both trophy fish and consistent action.
There are few things better than watching a Kokanee rod bury underwater while the Okanagan mountains sit in the background and the sonar screen lights up beneath the boat.
That’s the kind of day that keeps anglers coming back to these lakes year after year.
British Columbia is a very attractive place for most Albertan’s to head during the summer months. “Why?” some people may ask since Alberta has it's own stunning outdoors. If you haven’t been to Alberta I’ll fill you in…. Mosquitoes! There are a few other reasons my family enjoys going to the Okanagan Valley including tasty fresh fruit, hotter days, beautiful lakes to water ski on and camp at without that Alberta algae. So what is an avid angler to do surrounded by the watersport center of British Columbia? Quite simply put, they fish! We usually stay in Oyama, which is a town between two adjoining lakes, Kalamalka and Wood Lake.
Kalamalka is known for its spectacular blue green waters that make you feel like you’re some place tropical. Fishermen on the other hand will tell you it is well known to hold some monster lake trout in its depths and fair sized rainbow trout. Wood lake on the other hand is known for a population of fat kokanee that school in the lake. While the lake trout fishing seems tempting we often head out after kokanee salmon to take a little break from water skiing. There is one small problem. The best fishing and calm water skiing times seem to coincide in the early am hours. Lucky for me the kokanee in Wood Lake usually are eager to bite most of the day and later afternoon.
Sadly this past summer (2013) the kokanee fishing was closed on wood lake due to a population collapse from a couple of bad spawning years and fishing pressure. So hopefully the fisherman leave them alone and let the fish rebound so we can once again catch some kokanee in the years to come.
Like I've said the best fishing is usually in the early am hours when the sun peaks over the mountain. Fish are readily caught almost all over the lake in depths ranging from 60-120 feet of water. These fish are usually suspended somewhere between the surface and 60 feet down.
Our typical set up is very simple and goes to show that likely anyone will be able to catch them. Just get any sort of lake troll or Ford Fender flasher rig. Then put a kokanee shock leader which helps prevent the hook from being torn out of these soft mouthed fish. Next you need some sort of lure. They will bite on all sorts of lure from small spinners, spoons, plastics, and plugs. Our favorite to use on this lake is the watermelon colored Apex by Hot Spot. These are killer tipped with a few maggots or just fished bare. We find these keep the fish hitting even when they've not been biting anything else. When the fish are biting you can't go wrong with a pink wedding band and a few maggots.
Once you are set up we usually had 1-3 ounces of weight to the front of the lake troll to get it down to the fish. Typically you want to let out 40-60 pulls of line to start. Then add more or less if nothing seems to be happening. One of the most important things is slow trolling. Go about as slow as possible. If your boat wont go slow enough then just take it in and out of gear or drag a sea anchor. The slowing and speeding up action which causes the lure to rise and fall through the water column often causes strikes. Another way to slow the lines is to troll in an S pattern or make frequent turns. The inside rod on a turn will often catch the fish as it is moving the slowest.
Having a landing net is a good idea if you want to get more fish in the boat since they like to go air-born beside the boat and will get off right beside the boat if you aren't ready.
Best of all they taste great! I can't wait till they re-open the lake so we can get back out there and catch some.
