Don’t Count Out September – 2018

With everyone concentrating on Hunting and Fall Chinook, it leaves Odell Lake wide open this time of year.  

We have had great weather, with full sized fish and very little boat traffic.  Odell Lake’s Kokanee are the latest spawning kokanee in the entire state.  This is because of colder water temperature and a super high altitude.  

With other lakes showing signs of the spawn as early as the first part of August, Odell Lake’s fish don’t tend to spawn until Mid October this leads to full sized kokanee later in the season.  The fish are running in the upper 12″ – 14″ and they are weighing three times the size as those caught in May or June.

 With the dry hot summer we had the feed really came out and it’s obvious at the cleaning station.  The water temperature is starting to cool with the temp’s in the low 60’s, but the fish are still concentrated between 40 to 70 feet.  The first three weekends in September we boated more fish than one will ever want to clean.  We used mainly Twisted Hoochies and Super Miss Bugs in pink and orange along with Silver and Gold Moon Glow Wing Arrow Flash Dodgers.  

Even though the water temperature is starting to get colder the fish are super aggressive and are still wanting a fast troll speed 1.4mph – 1.6mph.  Using 30 degree turns has been very effective when you know your gear is in the middle of fish.  This lifts and lowers your gear plus speeds up and slows it down at the same time making kokanee more likely to attack.  We have been using a shorter set back of 30′ or less so we can attack fish while making quick turns to go back over them again and again.

 The weekend of the 7th, all four rods went off three different time within 10 minutes because we stayed on them.  Pro-Cure Ocean Mess and Garlic Sand Shrimp have been working fantastic so don’t forget to use the magic stuff on your corn before heading out.  Also fish have been concentrating west of Princess Creek in the middle of the lake, and also in-between Breezy point and Roosevelt.  

They are moving around but if your not marking fish then you haven’t found them yet your screen should be solid fish…

So don’t count out September for some of the best kokanee fishing in the world up at Odell Lake Resort.  The rest of September and most of October should be EPIC just trust me “We can’t wait for next weekend”!!!

Fish On Jeremy Jahn