First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

[CoachPotato]

I've read several glowing reports about the great koke bite on Lake Berryessa (about 40 miles west of Sacramento), and having never visited the lake, decided it was time to give it a try. I hooked up the boat on Tuesday morning and started the 105 mile trip.

I launched late and didn't begin trolling 'til about 1530. I planned to fish 'til evening, then again the next morning before sunup. At anchor I hung a couple of lines over baited with night crawlers. Again nothing at anchor and I can't figure that out.

Within the first hour of Day 1, I reeled in a small king salmon of about 15" from 80' deep, trying for kokanee. He took a pink Assassin, then put up a grand fight 'til I finally netted him. I reeled in a small, sickly trout later in the evening, and tossed it back. The water is waaaay too warm for trout to be healthy is my guess. That was it for the first day.

On Wednesday morning I was again trolling before sunup. It would be a short day as I wanted to head home before the lake lice started launching. I managed one more sickly trout, and tossed it back. I called it a day at 0930, and headed for the dock.

Once again I caught the single, dumbest fish in the lake, but that's not all bad! It's been that way almost all summer it seems, and I'm sure looking forward to ocean-run salmon fishing on my beloved California Delta soon!

More story and photos on my homepage: http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/my-first-visit-to-lake-berryessa/ (Mods: My site contains nothing for sale, no forums, nothing but my stories and photos.)

 

[j.4knee]

Re: First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

What depth are you trolling at? We just got back from Tahoe and we were killin Koke's at 35 and 40'. Fished two days limited both days.

 

[CoachPotato]

Re: First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

Berryessa is a very warm valley lake, unlike the cool waters of Tahoe. I fished at 70' to 80'. But I'm missing something - others have done much better.

 

[axeman1988]

Re: First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

hey couch what are you running. besides pinkies?? to be honest i've never had any luck with them i catch most on mine fish on speedy shinners and viper spoons i fish melones and on a good day limit out with some nice fish haven't caught any kokes in about a month there deep and in sleep mode till they spawn i figure but i've been having really good luck with the bows. i was out there yesterday testing the boat, (motor problems again back to the drawing board) and i launched at 0830 hours and hooked into 2 nice 18 inch bow's near tuttle town ramp and rose island. do you run a worm on the pinkie?? when i run wedding rings or pinkies i like to put a baby crawler on i think it helps, and if i'm running them i like to pull it behind some sort or flashers i've had good luck with gold and copper colors. anyway good luck next go round maybe see you on melones one day.

 

[CoachPotato]

Re: First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

axeman - I seldom use a nightcrawler on a lure, but maybe I should start doing so more often. For kokanee I use pink or green hoochies, spinners, etc mostly but sometimes watermelon. I almost always have flashers on one downrigger, and when deep, only set back 15' and 25' with the longer line 5-10 feet above the shorter line so it passes directly over any fish attracted by the deeper one. Sometimes it works, often it doesn't. But then, I'm not much of a catcherman; I'm a fisherman - but that ain't all bad!

 

[axeman1988]

Re: First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

yeah i know the feeling fishing is just that fishing, not catching. hahaha i think its funny cause my girlfriend always wants me to take her "catching".... needless to say we went once together and haven't gone since...
okay thats cool i've tried hoochies before, green was the color and had no luck with em, normally i don't use flashers as the boat i fish from only trolls as slow as 2-2.5 mph. which seems fast and i'm afraid of scaring the fish away from the boat. even though i don't use flashers i still catch fish. i wish i could go slower cause i would like to employ the uses of dodgers i hear pairing a dodger with a hoochie in the same color produces good numbers of fish. if i could only go that slow:facepalm: o well, tomorrow i'll be heading out to don pedro for the first time, want to try my luck there. would be grand if i could catch a king i believe there called the land locked form of chinnok samlon. anyway good luck fishing and maybe see ya out on the water.

 

[brianvolt7]

Re: First try at Berryessa - where are all those kokes?!

Where I am from in Oregon we used to fish Odell and Wickiup, outside of Eugene. The Kok limit there was 25, Odell and 20, Wickiup a day. This is not an exaggeration, we would limit with Koks in the 15 to 17 in range and some up to 20. Packed the coolers. Fishing is just no the same in CA.