Kokanee Salmon

Oncorhynchus nerka

Natural-history illustration of a silver-phase kokanee salmon with a blue-green back
Reviewed species illustration. Confirm your catch with current state identification resources before keeping fish.

Kokanee are landlocked sockeye salmon, stocked extensively in deep, cold lakes throughout the western United States. They spend most of their lives in the deep, cold water of large reservoirs, feeding on plankton and small invertebrates. In fall, they migrate into streams to spawn and die — turning brilliant red with green heads. Kokanee are exceptional table fish, with deep-orange, oily flesh rivaling their ocean-going counterparts.

Catching Tips

Troll small wedding-ring spinners tipped with white shoepeg corn at 25–60 feet using a downrigger or lead-core line. Kokanee school tightly — once you find the depth where they're marking, work that precise depth. A scent attractant on the corn or small squid is often the difference between limits and skunk.

No stocking events recorded yet for Kokanee Salmon.