May 2013 - Mack's Lure

Stan’s SpaceThe Keys To CatchingKokaneeBy Hall-of-Fame AnglerStan FagerstromPart 1 of 2If those wonderful landlockedsalmon we call kokanee had the capabilityto do it, chances are they’ddeclare an all out war on Mack’sLure.And who could blame them? It’sa cinch no other lure maker hascaused them more misery than thosefoxy folks who hang their collectivefishin’ hats in Wenatchee, Washington.And it’s not a brand new development.It started way back when a fishcatchin’little wonder called theWedding Ring first hit the marketdecades ago. The products theWashington lure makers have beenmaking ever since have just donemore of the same.If you keep up with things inthe field of kokanee fishing you’reaware of what I’m talking about. Fora long time now Mack’s Lure hasbeen right at the forefront of presentinganglers with new methodsof putting kokanee in the fryingpan. And that, my friends, ain’t alwayseasy.Have opportunity to get into thethinking of guys like Bob Schmidt,the general manager of Mack’sLure and Bobby Loomis, the company’sdirector of sales and marketing---andI do---and you’ll learn aheap in a hurry. One of the thingsthat grabs me when the two talkabout kokanee brings up a pair ofwords that rhyme. Those words are“evolve” and “revolve”.In that last column I also promisedto share what Schmidt had to sayabout the lures most likely to get thejob done. If anybody has a right tomake a meaningful comment in thatregard, he’s the guy who can do it.Here are the experts who are providingsome of the best kokanee catchingproducts you can get your handson. And yes---that’s a pair of beautifulkokanee they are holding. Pictured onthe left is Bob Schmidt, general managerof Mack’s Lure, and Bobby Loomis,Mack’s director of sales and marketing.I’m reminded of evolve in dealingwith the near constant improvementand design in the lures Mack’s Luremakes available to anglers. Theword revolve comes into play intalking about how those finicky kokaneeoften choose one color overanother when they start feeding.We’re right now entering thatperiod when you’re likely to encountersome of the best kokaneefishing of the year. I can, thanks tothe Mack’s Lure executives I’ve alreadymentioned, provide you withsome kokanee-catching guidelinesthat can be of tremendous help.As I’ve already detailed, kokaneeare a landlocked sockeye salmon.While they’re not the migratorytravelers as are the salt water variety,they do share some of the sameways of doing things. One is thatthey are a schooling fish. Just liketheir saltwater counterparts, theyare also scent and color oriented.“Kokanee will go on a bite andthen shut off just as quickly as theystarted,” Bobby Loomis says. “Likemany species, the size of the baitsthey’ll take do not really correlateto the size of the fish. Trying to createbig baits to take big fish doesn’twork well, but at times downsizingyour presentation does seem to helpcatch more.”Loomis points to a couple of otherfacts that kokanee anglers need toknow. “Being finicky plankton feeders,”he says, “you’d expect the bestcolors for kokanee should revolvearound green and chartreuse. Thesecolors do work well, but it seemsthat the best colors for them oftenseem to revolve around silvers andpinks.”What’s the best size Smile Blades touse when you’re after kokanee? You’relooking at ‘em! They are the two smallestSmile Blades made. At the top is the1.1-inch blade. The bottom blade picturedis 0.8-inch in size.Loomis and Schmidt point outthat kokanee will follow the existingfood chain like other species. Watertemperatures also affect whereyou’ll find them and the planktonthey feed on at any given time ofday. Experienced anglers tell youkokanee can sometimes be caughtup near the surface and then, dependingon those details I’ve mentioned,as deep as 200 feet.What this tells me and you is thatwe darn well better be well preparedfor a variety of tactics whenwe’re serious about our kokanee an-Page fourContinued on Page 5