AK Yak'ers - Try lake trolling for Sockeye

I know there are AK lurkers and mute members out there visiting the forums. Here are some suggestions for a brand new opportunity fishing from your kayak. LAKE TROLLING FOR SOCKEYE SALMON~!  Yes it's entirely doable. And many poly anglers in the L48 have targeted migrating sockeye moving through the lakes on the Columbia River and succeeded in catching these fish.

Tyler has posted a great video doing just that on Lake Wenatchee in Washington recently. Everything you need to know about lake trolling for reds is in that informative video.  https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=23056.msg237595#msg237595

Where to go? HIDDEN LAKE in the central 'heart' of the Kenai Peninsula has a sockeye run that enters the lake at the beginning of August that averages about 35,000 fish. But with the beach sites shut down this year, I expect that clear water lake with 100 feet of visibility will get closer to 50,000 reds in it. Right now they are bright and chrome. The weir count thru August 11th was 11,896.
https://www.ciaanet.org/reports/adult-enumerations/hidden-lake-sockeye/

We have a long way to go before hitting 50K. OK, yeah I know, you all have plenty of reds in the freezer and moose season is right around the corner. But for those who are looking for a new unique fishing opportunity, i.e. adventure, that few if any Alaskans capitalize on, here it is. But keep in mind that a large portion of the 2+ million reds moving up the Kenai River will be spawning in Kenai Lake and for those coming from Anchorage or the Valley, that is several miles closer with a lot more targets to try for. Free launching at Quartz Creek campground boat ramp or launch at the Kenai Lake bridge ramp for a modest fee. 

I just got my Scotty Lake Troll downrigger and am mounting it today. That should give me the controlled depth needed for Hidden reds that just suspend while they finish maturing and ripening their eggs and milt for spawning.   I may give it several more days to increase the numbers in the lake and then hit the lake for a day before moving on over to Seward and chase the silvers and pinks. It's entirely possible to catch the kokanee in the lake using the exact same lures and method. Perhaps a double bonus.

Good Luck.

Keep us posted on how your downrigger is working for you and where you bought it. I will try the Silver Derby later next week.

Keep us posted on how your downrigger is working for you and where you bought it. I will try the Silver Derby later next week.

I just checked the CIAA Bear Lake Weir page to see if any coho had made it up the river to the lake yet. Nope, no silvers counted so that indicates sparse numbers around town still. Even the weekly ADFG report said most coho were still south of Lowell Point towards the mouth of the bay. That sounds like a typical year for timing so far so the later into August the better the chances at the head of the bay.

I bought my Scotty DR from Amazon. Price had dropped from $73 down to $65, lowest price in quite some time so I was happy with the savings as that paid for another 3# cannonball. And I just ordered a 4# fin ball for 12 bucks on AMZ.  If you go with their DR you should get the Scotty backing plate kit for the underside of the base mount. That comes with the plate and 4 SS bolts and lock nuts. Took me 10 mins to mount the system.  But a lot longer removing the cable and respooling with braid. I mounted it right next to my left hip (the side I land fish on) which makes it totally out of the way especially with the pulley rod angled back against the gunnel.  One thing I am very pleased to find out, its very lightweight (total of 22.9 ounces with 580 feet of 50# braid and the line clip) and I can stow it inside my hull through the hatch between my legs. I will sew up a 1000 denier cordura bag to put it in to protect the inside hull surface and add a "tether line" to keep it in the general area to retrieve after I transport my kayak upside down. Now I have a permanent option for using a DR always on the boat but totally invisible when not needed.

I will add an important mounting notation that is CONTRARY to Scotty's instructions to mount the base unit so that the downrigger must be oriented facing INTO the kayak to drop it in the mount. As you can see in my photo, while sitting in the seat I would not be able to deploy or remove the DR without getting off the seat. So orient the base mount so the DR points out away from the kayak when installing in the base. This way I can pop it off in one second, set it in the boat and then swing my legs overboard so that I can reach gear and supplies bungied in the trunk behind the seat.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M4HSFI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1