Leave the boats at home boys, deep lake is hot for kokes! I got my limit today at scorching mid-day in 2 1/2 hours! Slip bobbers and go deep!

Sounds like fun, what were you using? Also what kind of size did they have? Any parts of the lake better then others? Thanks in advance for the info.

BBVD - how about a little more information for those that don't know about this fishery. Like how, where etc. Never fished for kokes before but would like to learn.

Isn't Deep Lake the one between Blk. Diamond and Enumscratch? If so, it's a good fishery. Have had plenty of success there. Didn't go there this year though as my Dad obtained a 17' boat and went to American Lake and Spanaway Lake. Then started Salmon fishing on Elliott Bay.

Sorry guys!! I havent been on here for awhile! Yes, it is the one between black diamond and Enumclaw. Its off the Veazie Cumberland road.

I personally LOVE to use slip bobbers out here, and my best is a limit of kokes in 2 1/2 hours. Beat that with another method, and I'm all ears.

With the slip bobbers all you really need is to find the magic depth. I've been as low as 30 feet with them and as shallow as 8 feet. Find that depth though, and the kokes come fast.

Good look!

Curtis

BBVD,

I troll Deep Lk. using pop gear, red diamond ring, white powerbait maggot and a chunk of nightcrawler to cover the hook from the maggot to about 1/8th of an inch below the barb. Pretty good setup. Can't tell you how fast I troll. We don't have the Fish Finder's speed sensor set up correctly.

When I let out line, I pull out about 20' of line (give/take a few feet for non accurate measure).

BBVD,

Forgot to mention to have a bullet style weight just ahead of the swivel for the pop gear (can't remember the ounce rating though.

How do you tell if you have a bite with pop gear? I havent used it much, but when i did, the action of it drove me crazy. especially since i use a UL now.

BBVD,

If you've fished with a downrigger (i.e. the pole bent and pulsating tip action) popgear kinda makes the pole act as if it's on a downrigger, albeit you're not as deep. When the fish nail the wedding ring (not diamond ring as previously posted), Pwr Bait and worm combo, you'll know - trust me! Just remember to keep an eye on the tip! You'll recognize a bite the 1st time a fish hits the lure. Try it a couple times, you might like it! I'm sold on trolling now.

I used to anchor the boat and fish with an egg hook, Not anymore. Trolling will outfish the alternative most of the time.

SFJ

Big bad voodoo Daddy. Would you be so kind to tell me, what you've been using under that slip bobber. You don't have to if it's a big secret, or you can just e-mail it to me. Mattsturza@attbi.com. Thanks

worm and power bait usually. Sometimes a salmon egg, if nothing else works. If I have power eggs, I'll slip one on. Colors that work well for me are green, orange, red, and yellow. Brown, purple, white, and blue havent worked well for me yet. Mostly just remember to combine. I always have a small piece of worm on there.

I plan on buyin a new ford fender tomorrow and taking the boat out. Thanks for the info!

I do agree on trolling. Ever since I started, I havent used my slip bobbers as much. They just arent as productive for me. The kokes are slowing down for some reason. Tomorrow... Tomorrow is the day of ford fenders for me

By the way, whats the difference between a diamond ring and a wedding ring?

I give up, what is the difference between a diamond ring and a wedding ring?

Was that a joke?

When I posted my message that mentioned 'diamond ring', I meant Wedding ring lure. At the time I posted it, I couldn't remember the correct name but knew there was an object that had a 'diamond ring' like object in the center of it. My bad! Sorry to confuse everybody!!!!!!!!

~SFJ

ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS

When your done with one of them you can keep our house.

If you have a diamond ring you don't get to use your wedding ring as much.

Use your wedding ring too much and you don't need a diamond ring. :p

Basser, not if you go with CZ!

BBVD - what kind of launch is available for this lake? Good enough to launch boat with trailer? (17ft)

BBVD, Ford Fenders? Are you serious? Know why it's called a Ford Fender? Cuz it's like reeling one in when you hook up. I hate the Ford's, or even regular popgear. They make you lose fish after fish and take forever to reel in. And, YES, i've been laughed at cuz i use my down rigger for Kokes, can you believe that? It's all good though, cuz i sure wipe the smiles off the peoples faces when they see my catch.

What i think is scary is people fishing with 4oz of lead, a full length ford AND a snubber. The heartbreak these people must go through, losing fish after fish. But i must admit i did use this setup my first time koke fishing. But i quickly learned from that disastrous fish losing nightmare.

The best setup i have ever used is a trout/koke snubber(not the sergical tubing with the dacron in the center) 5" or 6" half brass half crome les davis flasher(with shrimp oil on it) and half of a red wedding ring on a 14-18" leader with a size 12 or smaller trebble hook tied on the end tipped with maggots. I fished this side by side with my G/F's pole last week in montana and i landed 7 of 8 and she got 2 of 10 on the standard popgear and wedring. The popgear and lead let the hooked fish swim all over eratically behind the gear, but the popgear and lead rarely moved because of the drag as you reel in. So in reality the fish can swim in any direction to dislodge the hook, and can do it easier because it now has a stationary point to pull from. It's just like fighting a fish with your drag way too tight. Rip.

Also kokes tend to nip at your bait so this gave me the idea of a very small treble and flasher and almost every fish was hooked at the very front of the jaw, right on the lips with 2 hooks in the bottom and one in top along with no popgear drag, they were not getting away! And i think the short leader with the flasher enticed them more with the jerking action it gave the wedring. The wedring was actually the blade half the body then the ring then the hook. Keeping the ring down at the bait was the whole idea. Just adding twinkle to your maggots.

Like i said i hate popgear and fords. So i was just giving you guys some ideas if your arms get tired or you get tired of missing bites and losing fish, no bragging here, it's just that koke fishing had stumped me for a while, and now it seems easy, or easier, so i passed on some info trying to help out.

How big were those Kokes you say? That's not too far from me and has caught my interest. And like BUSY said, hows the launch??? I write too much.

FFF,

I use popgear and haven't lost many fish at all. Most of the time it's because I don't set the hook properly. I also use a rubber band to minimize some of the shock from an overpowering hook set so as not to rip the fish's mouth off. I darn near limit everytime with popgear. I guess some people have all the luck.

SFJ

If you don't have a down rigger, do you need lead-core line to get your bait down?

Try using a wedding ring with two single hooks instead of one. I never loose fish with a wedding ring with two single hooks and the worm stays on better.

The boat launch is PRIMITIVE. You have to carry your boat down to the lake pretty much... about 40 feet or so. Its kinda nice though cause no big boats come in. Also no gas motors allowed.

I tried a small troll (i didnt want those HUGE blades i saw on the fender pack) and still hate it. I switched to my wedding ring again and did a little bit better. Went to Kanasket after that and made it all better by releasing two bows, one a 7 inch, the other 12 inch.

If you do decide to get out there, tell me when ya go so we can meet up and i can see you work your magic firsthand

Good luck!

Curtis

BBVD,

The lake might be too warm by now. Usually i stop fishing the lake around July due to warming. Never tried downrigging deep though. Color of Wedding that works best is RED

SFJ

BBVD,

Hey just trying to put login name to face. Are you the young guy I trolled the wedding ring around in my float tube for? Sounds like to same dude since you have your boat now. Might have to hit up the lake again soon.

HOW BIG ARE THE KOKANEE IN DEEP LAKE? ANYTHING ABOVE 18"? SLIP BOBBER OFF THE BANK, ANYONE TRY USING SUCKER MEAT FOR KOKANEES? **BERKLEY BOY**

Floattuber,

Yeah that was me. That day really did suck, it was just a bad day. I ended up putting ten hours onto that lake, and i only brought in one. he was a nice bow and all, but i couldnt get ahold of those kokes at all.

I ended up going to kanasket and using that same blue fox that you had, only i couldnt find any with a skirt like yours had. I ended up getting a couple, that was pretty nice, and made up for the slowing of the lake. Thanks for pointing that out to me.

As for the kokes, they average around 11 inches or so... But the meat is what is best. BRIGHT red.

Hey does anyone know how to catch some LUNKER bass? Like when and how. I keep seeing them cruising around the dock but can never get them to take anything. The biggest I caught out there so far was about a pound, but I keep seeing these huge ones and i cant get them!! Frustrating!!

FFF - sounds like you have some good info on fishing for these. Wouldn't mind hooking up sometime with you and see what is going on.

BBVD - sounds like I would have to bring my pontoon with me to fish this lake. Not out of the question - just got a new boat though so I am into 'breaking it in' properly by catching fish off of it...Wife only wants to use it for skiiing.

Hey Floatuber I thought I saw you today at the lake. How has it been lately? Sports and work have kept me from fishing for at least a week... which is almost depressing.

Anything? Keepable?

One 9" perch. Threw back
One 10" Kokanee Threw back

You must have been with the high school track team running? Cause I didn't see you on the dock or on the water.

Really slow out there though.

BBVD,

When do you normally hit Deep Lake? My Dad and I usually hit it around May and June (lake warms up in June/July so fishing would be way slow then).

Sidenote: we need some rain to get the Coho moving in to Lk. WA!!!

SFJ

Yeah some may call it cross country, I like to refer to it as suicide... Nearly killed my ankle this week. If you wanna yell at us or insult us, its all good, i know its all from the heart.

I usually fish it from may to august. Kokes seem to heat up in the summer. I want to know what is goin on though cause no one seems to be hittin them very well.

Someone told me the pollen falling from the trees dramatically slows the bite... Fact or hoax?

Stopped by there today with the wife off of the dock. SHe caught a 12" KOke and I caught a worm. So I went to the salt and crabbed for awhile and caught nothing "fish wise" there either. Bad day. About 30 crabs in 2 hours. NO KEEPERS.

heading there tomorrow, will let you know how i do. like i said, its been awhile since i fished it now with cross country and school goin.

Okay, I dont know WHAT you guys are sayin. I went today and limited. All kokes, all 18 feet down with power bait, and pieces of worm. Colors that worked were sherbert and chartreuse.

No more then 4-5 hours.. mostly cause I was talkin to a few friends rather than fishin and i missed a hundred bites... I probably coulda been gone by 10 if I hadnt been with friends

Good luck

Curtis

BBVD,

How warm is the lake now? Congratz on your fishing!

Well me and the wife headed out to the dock at about 8 this morning. Landed three nice Rainbows and had many bites but no takers. We had to leave for other plans but may have limited with alot of time. We were averaging about a fish and hour. I was fishing at 18ft and she was at 12ft. Both effective today.

A tip that ive kinda learned at Deep Lake...

If your bobber is all of a sudden underneath the water, its a rainbow. No question. It is a 99% chance that it is a rainbow. I've had about 1, maybe two kokes grab it that fast.

With kokes, they tend to sit there and just play with it for awhile. thats why I only use half a worm at most, and a tiny piece of powerbait. use to much, and they will play with it FOR EVER.

When they finally take it, I'd suggest waiting for the bobber to be underwater. Even if they take off with it, I still like to wait for it to go underwater before i set the hook, mostly for reassurance.

If your bobber just tilts over and all of a sudden just lays on its side.. You can either wait and hope the koke isnt jetting it to the surface, or you can reel it in as fast as you can, and when you feel any pressure, set the hook lightly and see if you got him. It's a 50/50 chance hes going to jump if you see your bobber set over.