Northwest Fishing Reports

Several years ago I took my grandson tot he Rife fishing bridge and we caught a bunch of what every one else was catching. I somehow got the impression they were kokanee, but now Im not sure. Kokanee are not listed in the species list for Rife and I dont see any in the reports.

What ever they were, they did not cook up well at all. They were so bad that I have been avoiding kokanee fishing ever since.

What were those things? Land locked coho or? Im wondering if I have been giving kokanee a bad rap for the wrong reason.....

Squawfish?

I dont think so, but Im no expert on squaw fish either. What ever they were, everyone was going nuts catching them on popcorn shrimp and worms.

Rife has land locked coho. I went down there a few years ago and did well from my boat. The fish were full of worms and even tho people said they were ok to eat we used them for crab bait. So I can't say how they tasted.

The WDFW page I was just looking at didn't show any squaw fish in the lake. Could have been what the fish were eating that made them taste bad, such as snails.

So, maybe Ive been avoiding kokanee for no good reason other than they are tiny tiny fish??? ;)

Larry3215 wrote:So, maybe Ive been avoiding kokanee for no good reason other than they are tiny tiny fish??? ;)

It's alright, repeat after me. "Bait"

LOL!!

I could never really get into trolling for itty bitty fish.

LOL!! Especially if they taste like c$ap!

This all got started because we have been debating going to either Merwin or Mayfield to try for musky. We still have never caught a musky or pike over 6" long.

Because we never seem to get anywhere chasing musky, I like to look at what else is available. Skunks are bad for morale.....

So one bro says we can go for bass - but it looks like there are no bass in Merwin, just kokanee. Other brother says lets go to Mayfield, we can catch bass and try for more kokanee, but it turns out there are no kokanee in Mayfield and we probably never caught one anyway.....

Larry3215 wrote:LOL!! Especially if they taste like c$ap!

This all got started because we have been debating going to either Merwin or Mayfield to try for musky. We still have never caught a musky or pike over 6" long.

Because we never seem to get anywhere chasing musky, I like to look at what else is available. Skunks are bad for morale.....

So one bro says we can go for bass - but it looks like there are no bass in Merwin, just kokanee. Other brother says lets go to Mayfield, we can catch bass and try for more kokanee, but it turns out there are no kokanee in Mayfield and we probably never caught one anyway.....

My next try will be musky or Pike on a fly.

Like others have said, that was likely the land locked coho you were catching. Very similar to kokanee, and these land locked salmon are many nwfr members favorite table fish. Very fun fish to track, hunt and catch with modern electronics! But... I think you must have been catching spawning fish. We're pretty spoiled here in the NW, (I have Texan family that thinks all salmon comes in a can) and I personally cant stand the taste of any salmon that has any signs of spawning. Flavored, bbq'd or smoked, any salmon past prime is gross to me. Fresh, healthy, chrome kokanee or land locked coho is up there in my top 5 favorite fish for eating otherwise. Land locked salmon do definitely have a little "trout like" taste to them though..

Riffe Lake silvers = landlocked Coho

Kokanee = landlocked Sockeye

A lot of the old timers have referred to either species as "silvers" - helping create confusion to just what is what in terms of species. I find myself guilty of it - calling kokanee 'silvers' sometimes, but then again...I sometimes still refer to Riffe Lake as Davisson

If a person is unsure of the species of landlocked salmon in any particular body of water, and it is important for them to know - best to check the regs for species listed.

onmygame

Or know how to identify species correctly.

We fish Rife lake to my knowledge these are a species of silver salmon that became trapped when the damn was constructed and now spawn naturally in the inflowing river. Kokanees are a different species of landlocked salmon the sockeye. If you caught the silvers from the fishing bridge if properly bled and iced they are excellent table fair I always fillet them and have never seen a worm in one unless as previously stated you caught spawners

"We still have never caught a musky or pike over 6" long."

I did not now they made them that small!
I have not fished for or caught either but all the vids and pictures I have seen they were quite large...

ScottinMilton wrote:We fish Rife lake to my knowledge these are a species of silver salmon that became trapped when the damn was constructed and now spawn naturally in the inflowing river. Kokanees are a different species of landlocked salmon the sockeye. If you caught the silvers from the fishing bridge if properly bled and iced they are excellent table fair I always fillet them and have never seen a worm in one unless as previously stated you caught spawners

It could also be that they come from the Coho trucked upriver (upper Cowlitz) by the Tacoma Public Power each fall from the salmon hatchery at Barrier Dam.

After escapement is met, they truck both Coho and Chinook from the ladder to not only the upper Cowlitz, but Tilton River as well, which feeds Mayfield Lake - just down river from Riffe.

onmygame

TrackerPro16 wrote:"We still have never caught a musky or pike over 6" long."

I did not now they made them that small!
I have not fished for or caught either but all the vids and pictures I have seen they were quite large...

Yup, they do come that small ---- for us!
The lure it hit was almost bigger than the pike!

That fish,,, it looks like,,, like it is laughing at you... Just sayin'...