Lucky Duck Fishing

Normally I would go into great detail about how to best put kokanee in the box.... Today however I must mention the mack adventure I witnessed and played a part in. Jay Kendrick hooked a nice mack on a kokanee jig and the new 6.6 Santiam jig rod. He wrestled with it between 60 and 120 ft for a bit. When he finally got it to the boat, we put it in the net and proceeded to celebrate. About that time the fish started to take line. Huh. Jay looked down and watched him swim away. Again huh. Jig was still in his mouth. Now what, it swam through a hole in the net (about the size of basketball). We decided the best strategy was to feed the rod and reel through the giant hole in the net. (BTW that's the first time I've had to do that). As you can imagine that didn't exactly go smoothly. It looked like 2 monkeys f, , ,ing a football. We got the net back and tied a few well placed knots and were able to subdue the beast.
This is backed up by video as I was doing a live broadcast at the time. This is a must watch and may get aired on America's funniest videos.

Anyway good fishing, stay on the bottom with fresh corn. We found them on the edges again.

I was lucky enough to get an invite from Jig master Jay Kendrick of Santiam rods. For a quick morning at Odell. Great weather, great company and really good fishing. We found biters east of Princess creek in 100 fow. Lots of big suspended schools. But here is the secret,,,,,, IGNORE the suspended fish. I know, how is that possible. Stay on the bottom and keep your corn fresh. 6 kernels was the trick for me as they would pick me clean 4 or 5 times before I sealed the deal. Set the hook fast and hard to avoid heartbreaking losses at the boat. This is a perfect weather pattern this week so fishing should remain good. Beware. Some of the bites were super light, pay attention to your rod tip. We did catch a few over 12 inches and thicker.

Photo for effect.
I want to make a post to clear up some "fake news" that we've all heard in one form or another.

Odell lake is a natural producing kokanee fishery! NO kokanee are planted. In fact kokanee are trapped for their eggs to stock other lakes.
This year you will likely see many photos with dozens of fish displayed. When we see these our response should be, "Well done ". Not only did they have a good day with a bounty to take home and feed many families. More importantly they did this fishery a big favor by thinning the herd.
The last 5 years the kokanee have been getting slightly bigger. Last year we were catching some 14 inch FAT fish. I had high hopes that this trend would continue. I based this trend on increased Mack pressure and population. I must be wrong.
This year the fish are much smaller and very thin.
We get 100 fish in a 5 gallon bucket. Last year it was 40. This is a big swing in size. My opinion is that this phenomenon is some combination of food source and population. We must have had a very successful hatch 3 years ago when these adult fish were spawned. Either way there are plenty of fish. If we keep trending in smaller fish, we may end up with a fishery like Suttle lake. Very small fish barely worth cleaning.
I believe that the population of fish at Odell cannot be affected by angling pressure. ODFW also agree with that statement.
Most of the negative comments are rooted in jealousy or bias, not facts. Get out there and catch your limits and proudly post the pictures. We all appreciate your efforts and success.

Quick trip to the lake. Great weather, tried the jumpers at the east end, they didn't want to play. About 8:00 they settled to the bottom in 100 fow off Princess creek. Steady bite for a few hours. We did get 2 that were 12 inches. Bacon burger was great at Odell lake Resort. Don't forget to sign up for the Mack derby this month.

I want to take a moment to remind folks of the mission statement and reason for this page. We're here to try to improve the overall environment of our passion. Kokanee fishing. I make it a point to provide honest, thoughtful and timely information that help folks to make their plans and enjoy the adventure. No negativity. Full stop. I have recently had a few negative comments. Unfortunately this online platform seems to encourage arguments. We don't do that here.
I'll remind everyone that I no longer guide. I don't get any $ from endorsements, pro staff ect. My only payment is the smiles and gratitude that I see on the water and at the dock.
I've recently received criticism about my hookset in one of my videos. These folks and their comments have been removed.
My opinion (for what it's worth) is that a fast and powerful hookset is more effective if you want to put that fish in your fishbox. The picture shows how effective that hookset can be.
Good luck out there and stay positive

Day 4. Fishing and weather even better. Done early today because the skipper is a bit tired. Fish are on the bottom at the west end. Look for small schools on the bottom in 90-115 fow. Use corn and stay close to the bottom. Keep your jig active.

If you really want a treat , get to the west end on a calm day before daylight and enjoy the jumper show.
It's a bucket list experience.
Fish on. I'm going to take a few days off to lick my wounds 😆.

Odell report, day 3. Better weather but still tough with an east wind in the morning. Got the biggest kokanee of the year 11.75 inch, woo hoo. Found them on the bottom at 115 ft again. Highlights were chasing jumpers at the east end in the afternoon on a glossy lake. Also catching 6 Macks. 5 in the 20 to 22 inch range and one 29 inch keeper.
East winds usually shuts down the bite but it stayed steady. I think all the Macks in the area didn't help.
One more day tomorrow.

Odell lake opener report.
Bad news is weather is challenging and fish are small. 11.5 was the biggest fish we caught.
Good news is there are tons of fish, even better they are settling to the bottom already. This means everyone is in,,,, now.
No need to chase with fancy electronics, just anchor up in 100 or so feet of water and bounce corn off the bottom with 3/4 or 1 Oz jigs.
Jumpers are biting so far also. We had another epic 20 minute jumper bite this morning. 41-44 degrees depending on location. Fish are already all over the lake and being harassed by macs. Sunset is open for launching, no docks at Princess creek. Fresh corn (yellow corn) for us. Keep jig within a few inches of the bottom. Look for days with light winds. Odell lake Resort has many upgrades this year and they're ready for action.