Best Time of Day to Catch Kokanee (Is There a Best Time?)
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Kokanee are a popular species of salmon among anglers in many western reservoirs and lakes. Picking the right time of day to catch these landlocked sockeye salmon can be very important. While kokanee will feed all day long, there are specific time windows when fishing can be more reliably good.
What is the best time of day to catch kokanee? The best times of day to catch kokanee through most of the year are in the reduced light hours of early morning and late afternoon just before sunset. Kokanee are temperature-dependent than time-dependent and will bite all day long as they follow the ideal water temperature ranges. The ideal temperature for kokanee is 54° but will seek out water temperatures between 44° and 60°.
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Best Time of Day to Catch Kokanee
The truth is that kokanee will feed throughout the day and into the night. As long as kokanee can locate food and find suitable water temperatures, they will feed opportunistically.
Now while kokanee will bite all day long, the early morning and late after are the best time windows through most of the year for fishing.
Unlike many other freshwater fish, kokanee will readily eat during the middle of the day but at much deeper and colder depths. Trolling and jigging for kokanee are two of the most popular methods for fishing.
Trolling especially is effective because it allows you to cover a ton of water with different lures and at different water depths.
Many kokanee anglers fish during the early morning hours because these seem to be the best times of the day but late afternoon is awesome too
Recommended Inexpensive Fish Finder for Kokanee
Fishing electronics can be key to successfully locating and catching kokanee. But they can be very expensive. For a much cheaper option, try out the Deeper Chirp castable fish finder (link to Amazon where you can read customer reviews).
This fish finder costs far less than expensive boat-mounted units and can be fished from a boat, from a dock, while ice fishing, and cast from shore.
You can get an accurate idea of water temperature, water depth and contour, and the presence of fish and baitfish. You can also troll this transducer behind your boat as you troll for kokanee. It is a great option.
Target Water Temperature
Kokanee, like trout, prefer cooler water temperatures that are richer in oxygen level. They are pelagic fish that prefer to swim in open water far from shore. They prefer to swim in water in the 50° to 55° range.
Early in the morning, kokanee will often be up higher in the water column but as the day gets warmer, kokanee will descend down to deeper water following those preferred temperatures.
Kokanee will be found in the water temperature range of 44° to 60°. Anything outside of those temperature ranges will stress the kokanee and affect their willingness to actively feed.
Catching Kokanee at Night
Night fishing of kokanee can be tough because kokanee often rise in the water column following baitfish and become tougher to pattern than during the day. Using fishing electronics can definitely help you both locate suitable water temperatures and fish.
Trolling is the preferred way to target nighttime kokanee because you can cover a ton of water and different water depths to locate fish. Another technique that is growing in popularity is the use of fishing lights.
Underwater fishing lights can be dropped down to suitable water depths where kokanee are likely to be. Fishing lights work by attracting zooplankton and then smaller baitfish like shad and alewives will arrive to feed on the plankton.
After some time, kokanee and other bigger fish will show up to feed. The trick to catching kokanee with fishing lights is to be patient. It can take up to an hour or longer for kokanee to arrive and start biting. But once fish do arrive, more and more will likely arrive as time goes on.
There are a variety of great fishing lights on the market but I really like this one. It is a great investment because it produces a great fish-attracting green color, is easy to use, durable, and produces a wide illuminated footprint. You should check it out on Amazon to read customer reviews.
Does Moon Phases Affect Best Time for Kokanee?
From what I have learned and experienced, moon phases can make some difference in kokanee fishing at night. Moonlight causes zooplankton and baitfish to rise in the water column making kokanee more like to feed in shallower water closer to the surface.
During the day on full moon days, kokanee fishing generally seems a bit better. This is all just anecdotal evidence and nothing scientific. Feel free to experiment on your own, but this is just what I have experienced and read.
Morning vs. Evening
I wanted to do research for this article from fishermen much more experienced than I am. From most accounts, early morning is better for kokanee fishing than late evening. Even though morning and evening fishing windows are best for kokanee, the morning time frame is superior.
I have learned that dawn until about 3 hours after sunset is the best premiere kokanee window for most of the year.
Late afternoon from about 3 hours before sunset until dusk is also very good. If you have to make a choice, you will be better off fishing for kokanee in the morning.
If you want to learn what are the best fighting fish to catch to include saltwater and freshwater, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Will Kokanee Bite During the Day?
Even though the best time of day is typically in the reduced light moments of early morning and late afternoon, the truth is that kokanee will feed throughout the day. This means during the middle of the day, you can catch kokanee as long as you fish deeper.
If you find the proper water temperature and enough baitfish, you can locate kokanee willing to bite. If you have fishing electronics on your boat, you will have a much easier time locating proper water to fish.
Unlike many species of fish, kokanee will readily bite during the daytime as long as you fish the proper water temperature.
Final Thoughts
The best time of day to catch kokanee for most of the year is the early morning and late afternoon. Kokanee, like trout, prefer to feed during reduced light time windows.
That said, kokanee will feed all day long and will prefer water temperatures in the 44° to 59° degrees, with 54° degrees being ideal.
During the day when air temperatures rise, kokanee will move down deeper into the water column to find suitable water temperatures and follow schools of baitfish.
You can catch kokanee all day long as long as you find the correct depth in the water column and focus on areas with large amounts of baitfish. You can also catch kokanee at night during the summer, especially if you use underwater fishing lights.
