After having all my Kokanee catching superpowers stolen from me on Lake Roosevelt I returned to my local lake to restore my fragile fishing ego. With only a short commute I dragged myself from bed much later than I typically go to work and made it to the ramp just as the first rays of sunshine spilled out across the Columbia and shattered against the eastern Cascades.

Clouds of Yellow Jackets greeted me on this warm August morning at the boat ramp while noisy throngs of Coots busied themselves feeding young in the reeds that line the lake. I quickly outfitted the kayak and slipped out onto the lake. Barely a 100 yards from the ramp the bottom of the lake dropped away and the first Kokanee marks appeared on the screen at 25'.

I quickly outfitted my two new "travel kokanee rods" from Santiam Fishing Rods. These cherry red 4 piece fiberglass rods have quickly become my new favorite kokanee rods. They look, feel, and fish like two piece rods but break down and fit in 24" rod tubes. Did I mention they are a beautiful red...well they match perfectly with my red kayaks. Red kayak, red kokanee rod, red meat fish swimming below me, ready to kayak fish!

I rigged a Paulina Peak Tackle Big I Dodger pink/moon jelly and a pink/purple microhoochie with my secret kokanee corn recipe and dropped it 82' behind the kayak with 1 oz. Before I could even get the second rod deployed I had a fish on. In short order I bagged the first fat Kokanee of the morning. According to my new ruler the Kokanee was a little over 29' in length, but not sure how accurate that is. I rebaited and while dropping the rig back I hooked up again with 23' on the line counter. Another fish in the bag. The third fish also came on the drop and I was starting to wonder why I had rigged two rods.

By now the morning winds and intermittent trolling had carried me a 1/4 of the way down the lake. I figured at this rate I should just troll back towards the ramp. I managed to get the rod fully deployed when I hooked another fish. The fish immediately went aerial before throwing the hook about 30' behind the kayak...just in time for a Bald Eagle to sweep in and collect it up. Ooops...somedays you can't catch a break.

I finally got both rods deployed and the other rod, sporting identical rigging in orange, hooked up. About halfway back to the kayak the other rod crackered off. I kept the kayak moving to keep pressure on the other fish and let the glass rod absorb the fight. I netted the first fish and let it chill in the cooler bag. In short order I converted the double and completed my limit.

Victorious and with my kayak heavily loaded down with Kokanee and my fishing ego restored I headed back for the ramp. I launched at about 6 AM and was off the water by 7 AM. After a brief photo shoot, I enjoyed a hearty and nutritious breakfast of beef jerky and sugar donuts on the dock. The sun finally chased the last of the shadows off the lake and the heat of yet another August day began to build. In the willows along the lake flocks of warblers flitted about and blackbirds swirled along the shoreline. Fall is coming, the days are getting shorter, the faces of Kokanee bucks a little longer, but they are still chrome and eager to feed. As for me I am eager to see those kokanee rods bend and thump a few more times before I relent for the year.

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