Northwest Fishing Reports

On a scale from 1-10 how important is shoe peg corn for kokanee? Also how important is the scent?

I have read a lot about this subject and I have mixed opinions. Why would a Gulp alive scent not work as well? I know that different days and conditions have a different result. I am looking for a average set up to use at American Lake.

Thanks for your input.

Jack

We've caught most of our kokanee on American this year using wedding band spinners behind small dodgers - tipped with Gulp pink maggots FWIW.

Always have a can of shoepeg in the box, but hadn't busted any out since April and fished through the first part of July.

onmygame

I agree with Onmygame with the wedding rings I have had great luck with them. Now I always use SP corn. I also apply other scents as well but corn works magic. You can run two poles at American if you pay for that option. This way you can try both ways. One thing with American is try all types and when you find what works remember that and when you fishing sucks on another day go back to what worked the first time. I like the brass blade on my wedding rings YMMV. Tight lines!

Oh to me it's a 10 for the corn, adding scent to that is not always a +

I have found that ...gasp...yellow corn works just as well. I soak all my corn in Tuna Oil anyway. I also use Gulp maggots in colors, I have green, regular and pink. Koko's are very strange fish. Yesterday was a great example. Picked up Paul and headed to where he caught a quick limit on pink hootchie and corn the day before. NOT a single fish on it less than 12 hours later in the same spot/depth/speed. But did great on a willow leaf blade Wedding ring in pale pink with pink Maggots.

As we all know corn predominantly grows in all Northwest lakes and rivers, not on land as farmers would have you believe. This makes it a staple in the kokanee diet.

Seriously though, if the kokanee are hot on pink presentations I am tipping my hooks with pink shoe peg corn. If it's a green day I will be tipping the hooks with the small green Gulp maggots. When I first started fishing for kokanee I didn't use any scent or bait and I can tell you that I have definately been more successful since I started using them. I'm not sure that I would say that corn is an essential part of the equation, but I can tell you it is super cheap as baits go. One can can last me 4-5 days on the water.

I divide the can of shoe peg corn into 4-5 snack size ziplock bags, pour fire brine, tuna oil and a sprinkle of Pro-Cure corn magic in them and stick them in the fridge for about 24 hours. Then I take one bag fishing and freeze the other rest for later trips. I am probably averaging like 60 cents a trip on corn, which is a very worthwhile investment if it even makes a small difference.

--consitent size of the corn, fairly firm so allows to hold on hook well and the white colour
--coloured cures seem to adhear better.
--size suitable for use on smaller hooks
--I don't know if actual scent of the corn is different from other yellow varieties.
--and of course sometimes they prefer yellow but Im not a fish psychiatrist
--I can't buy it in Canada... have to cross the boarder... so it must be better than the Polar Bear fly's we can use here.

It's very important I think but you can dye it different colors.

I have used shoepeg for a long time. I have found that different scents work better on some lakes. For example I use a different scent for Roosevelt than for Loon Lake here in Eastern Washington. All of that said Berkley Gulp Maggots seem to work just fine too on some days. I only "cure" a half can at a time and freeze the rest for later. If it is kept cold the cured SP corn will last multiple weeks trips. Rinse if it doesn't look so good and that may extend it. PS no chlorinated water please, that stuff is smelly!

"The Experiment Must Continue"