Catching Kokanee


AMy boy Andrew and I had just spent three long, hot days camping in the dust in a futile attempt to hunt an antelope. We were dirty, dusty, dry and tired when we started over the Cascades. Leaving the parched sage, we drove through a stand of green forest, and then, like a mirage in the desert, we got our first glimpse of Odell Lake.

This blue jewel, a bright five-mile oval, borders Highway 58, some 60 miles southeast of Eugene, Oregon. We drove onto the eastern exit and found a cute little hotel and marina called Odell Lake Lodge. It was quaint and woodsy, but to us dust bunnies, it was just what the doctor ordered. We rented a rustic little room in the lodge, washed off the dust and rubble, and grabbed a nice meal in the dining room at the front of the lodge.

Gracing the walls in the lobby of the lodge were pictures of folks, some now long gone, holding big lake trout and displaying hefty limits of kokanee salmon. There was some good action out on the water. We slept well, and vowed to return one day and do some serious fishing.

Return to Odell
It took a few years, but we finally got our chance. One of my buddies at work put me in touch with her father, John Gyde, a longtime RVer who loves to camp and fish at Odell Lake. John had just purchased a new boat with fishing room for four and invited me to bring a couple of guests. My son Andrew was ready for a vacation, and my fishing buddy Milford would join us as well.

The lake was a five and a half hour drive from our home in northwest Oregon, but time went by quickly and we met John in front of his new Winnebago and made plans for an evening trip. We got our gear stowed in our cabin, took a little nap, and boarded his 22-foot fishing boat. It proved to be excellent for our needs. John had three outriggers mounted to the gunnels so that we could troll at most any depth, important in a lake that can be over 200 feet deep and is full of fish that use all of it!

Odell has several varieties of fish. There are native populations of whitefish, rainbow trout, and protected Dolly Varden, known locally as “bull trout.” Most of the fishing activity, however, focused on two relatively new species.

Giant Trout
Monster lake trout called Mackinaw provide the trophies of the waters. Topping 30 pounds (the minimum size limit is 30 inches), these bruisers were first introduced in 1902, with sporadic plantings through the mid-‘60s.

The top eating fare on the lake (for people and the Mackinaw) is the huge population of kokanee, a variety of sockeye salmon, first stocked in the 1930s, with many other plantings through the ‘80s. These fish spawn in a number of creeks that feed into the lake as well as on the gravelly shoreline, and are by far the most popular target for fishermen. They have done extremely well and are in huge schools all over the lake. Anglers can take as many as 25 a day and, if fishing is really hot, that limit is not out of reach.

The fish are a bit of a strange bird (so to speak!), feeding not on smaller fish, like many salmon, or even on insects and crustaceans, but rather on the tiny plankton that are found in abundance in the lake. The deep lake is driven by winds that can really stir up the waters, perfect for tiny life forms. The soup of yummy microorganisms are collected by the landlocked salmon through specially developed gill rakers, similar to the ones found in basking or whale sharks.

It can be a little tough putting microscopic critters on your hooks, but fortunately, the fish will readily hit small lures tipped with corn, or small jigs. Why is anyone’s guess, but they do work, and the small salmon, (most in this lake run between a foot and 15 inches) provide a good fight and absolutely wonderful eating. The flesh is bright orange, firm and with a rich taste all its own.

First Kokanee
While it wasn’t the best time to hit the lake, our afternoon trip brought some pretty good results. It took us awhile to get used to clipping the line on the outriggers and getting the units in position, but we soon had a good solid hit. Andrew grabbed the light rod and started reeling the fish in. “Keep the pressure constant,” John suggested. “These fish have soft mouths and the hooks can pull out if you’re not careful.” Andrew soon had the fighting fish up from the 65-foot depths where we were fishing, and John dipped the fish with the long landing net and flopped it on the deck. It was a nice fat little salmon, a little over a foot in length and bright and shiny, our first kokanee.

We managed to catch a couple of more and improved our technique with the equipment. When we returned to shore, John cleaned the fish; he was lightening with the knife, and built us a nice campfire at his site. Roasting a few hot dogs over the fire, we shared stories and planned on meeting with Milford at dawn to catch a few more fish.

John’s boat was docked on the west end of Odell Lake at the Shelter Cove Resort. He had a great campsite with full hookups and an excellent slip for his boat just a few feet away from his door. For fishermen, the west shore is a great place to set up camp. There is usually a strong wind blowing from the west and the waves are much smaller at this end of the lake. Shelter Cove also features a great little store with a few groceries and lots of good fishing tackle. In addition to over 70 RV campsites, it also has a number of cabins and even a pretty ritzy lodge for those who want more luxury.

Late Start
The next morning Milford met us at the boat at about 6. The hard-core fishermen had been on the water for an hour already. We joined a small flotilla of about 20 boats on the cove next to the resort. It didn’t take long; we soon had hungry salmon bouncing our rods and managed to pick up a half-dozen fish in a couple of hours of fishing. We lost a few others, but really enjoyed the sunrise and watching the osprey and eagles soar overhead.

The lake is flat out beautiful, surrounded by rocky peaks and fir and pine covered hills. A ski resort is just a couple of miles away and the adventurous can take a gondola to the top, playing Frisbee golf or mountain biking back down. The lake also features lots of walking and hiking paths, and with any luck, a train whistle or two will help you slumber as the nearby tracks host a freight train or two.

Our evening session added a couple of fish to our larder and we rose early to catch our last day of fishing at Odell. John had saved the best for last! We barely got a line in the water before Milford grabbed a bobbing rod and hauled in our first silver streak. Soon all three lines filled up with battling kokanee. For those first few minutes the only challenge was getting your gear back into the water. Within an hour and a half we had hooked almost two dozen and only lost a couple!

We proudly hauled our catch to the cleaning station; on this morning we could really hold our heads up! So many fish to clean, but by the time we were finished our hands were frozen! John had proven to be a captain and a wonderful host. If invited back, (I’m never sure with my behavior!) we’ll definitely make this a yearly ritual. John suggested that we come a little earlier next year, and maybe hook into a few of those monster Mackinaw, along with a bunch of great eating kokanee. We wouldn’t miss that chance for the world!

Note: Shelter Cove Resort can be reached at (541) 433-2568. Odell Lake Lodge is at (541) 433-9444

Bob Ellsberg’s column, Fishin’, appears monthly in RV Life and rvlife.com.