by Randy Castello (Rseas), January 08, 2014

Lake Samish, AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) and Kokanee Fishing

I just got off the phone with Teagan Ward with Whatcom County Public Works. Teagan is the AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) focal for Whatcom County/City of Bellingham - Natural Resources and is very knowledgeable with the AIS program being implemented by Whatcom County. Aquatic invasive species are non-native plants, animals, and pathogens that live primarily in water. AIS thrive in a new environment, and cause economic loss, environmental damage, and harm to human health and property. Teagan is supportive of the overall usage concerns with the management of the AIS program and the potential impact the management of the AIS Program could have on the recreational fishery at Lake Samish.

Lake Samish, open to fishing year-round is managed as a multi-species lake; offering cutthroat, large and smallmouth bass, crappie, brown bullhead/catfish, yellow perch and excellent kokanee fishing. The 810-acre lake consists of a smaller lake connected to a larger main lake by a narrow channel. The larger main lake has significant weedy shallows at the south end and a max depth of 60 feet or so. The smaller lake located at the west end of the two lake chain is up to 150 feet deep and maintains a large pocket of cool water throughout the late summer and fall. The cool water effectively extends the Lake Samish kokanee fishery when other west side lakes are too warm to support a fall kokanee fishery. Historically the WDFW provides a significant kokanee fry plant but I was unable to verify whether or not Lake Samish received a kokanee fry plant for the 2013/2014 and the 2014/2015 kokanee seasons (typically Kokanee fry are planted in the fall 1 ½ years ahead of the optimal harvest period). An excellent source for Lake Samish access, boating and fishing information can be found at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/123/

On July 14th, 2012, the Lake Whatcom Management Program launched its aquatic invasive species prevention program at the Bloedel Donovan launch on Lake Whatcom. The 2012 goals for this program included: evaluating watercraft usage patterns at Lake Whatcom, conducting aquatic invasive species education and outreach with boaters and park users, and determining the feasibility of a comprehensive watercraft inspection/decontamination program for 2013. As of September 30th 2012, 1,794 boater surveys and visual boat inspections were conducted at Lake Whatcom. The majority of these surveys were conducted at Bloedel Donovan with surveys and visual boat inspections also conducted at the Sudden Valley Community Association Marina. These interactions provided AIS staff with the opportunity to educate boaters while developing a better understanding of usage patterns at Lake Whatcom. The information gathered from these surveys was used to develop a frame work for a more comprehensive aquatic invasive species prevention program for 2013 and on.

Also in 2012, the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County both adopted ordinances prohibiting the transport or release of aquatic invasive species into waters within the jurisdictions of the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County. Both of these ordinances authorize local enforcement staff to conduct watercraft inspections to detect the presence and prevent the transport or release of invasive species into our waterways. On April 23, 2013 the Whatcom County Council expanded Whatcom County Ordinance Number 2013-018 to include Lake Samish in the AIS Prevention Program. The amendment further expands the program to all Whatcom County water bodies starting in 2015.

During the 2013 boating season watercraft 16 feet or longer and/or operated by a motor with 10 horsepower or more were required to be inspected for aquatic invasive species and to display a valid aquatic invasive species permit sticker prior to launching or operating on Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish. Permits were not required for non-motorized, hand-carried watercraft in 2013.

According to Whatcom County Public Works the Whatcom County Sheriff will not be enforcing the AIS program at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish until Mid-April this year (2014). When specifically questioned whether or not a boat that has not been inspected can be used on Lake Samish before April 2014 the answer was yes, an uninspected boat can be used on Lake Samish until Mid-April 2014 or the start of the general lowland lakes opener. After which time your vessel must have an AIS certification sticker and as appropriate the daily inspection.

As currently planned Whatcom County will be staffing an inspection station at Lake Samish this year. The AIS program is sensitive to the needs of the anglers participating in the kokanee fishery at Lake Samish and is planning and budgeting to staff the inspection station by 5:00 am 7 days a week. Yet to be determined are the overall hours the inspection station will remain open but they will consider the evening fishery in setting the inspection station hours.

Beginning the with the 2014 enforcement period the AIS Program will include all water craft. Non-powered or hand launch will no longer be excluded from the AIS inspection program. Whatcom County Public Works will be offering an on-line AIS course where completion of the course will provide a 10-20% discount on the cost of the annual AIS registration sticker. During the enforcement season a boater will be able to launch at an un-gated facility (The WDFW Launch at Lake Samish) outside of the AIS inspection station hours as long as the boat has an AIS registration sticker. The 2014 AIS Registration stickers are on order and will be available February-March 2014. For 2014 Whatcom County Public Works has no additional plans to expand the AIS program beyond Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. That said there are plans to set up information kiosks and collect user information at other Whatcom County bodies of water which may include Baker Lake and Lake Shannon.

Boat inspections are important because they can help to prevent the transport of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County lakes. AIS are transported on boats travelling from infested waters and can result in significant impacts to lake ecosystems, water quality, and water supply infrastructure. AIS can also make shoreline areas hazardous and uninviting for recreational users and property owners. To prevent the introduction AIS; inspectors are on the lookout for any animal or plant material on the watercraft that might pose a risk to Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish. They will also be checking to see if your boat has been cleaned, drained, and dried as some aquatic invasive species larvae can be transported in any areas on the boat that remain damp or have standing water in them. Inspectors will also conduct a physical inspection of the outside of your boat to feel for any signs of mussel larvae, algae, or other organic material on the hull that could pose a risk to the lakes.

I for one was very concerned that the AIS Program would severely limit my recreational access to various Whatcom County lakes. After spending some time on the phone with the Whatcom County Public Works Department it is clear that they understand the concerns of the recreational fisherman, the impact that the AIS Program could have on a number of the unique fishing opportunities available in Whatcom County and are managing the AIS Program to mitigate those concerns. I hope that this is a sigh of relief for my fellow Lake Samish kokanee fisherman. Although the AIS inspection program will be a bit of an inconvenience, having AIS inspectors on-site at Lake Samish will help to reduce the vandalism problem at the WDFW launch. Ok, your rig is safe and your AIS free boat is pulled up on the beach now what?

It is time for Lake Samish Kokanee 101

Lake Samish is kind of crescent shaped with the main lake being the southeastern portion of the lake. At the west end of the main lake, the lake bottlenecks down and then opens back up into the smaller western end of the lake. Overall the lake is probably 4 miles long and a mile wide. The main lake is much shallower than the smaller lake which I think is as deep as 140-160’ deep. The lake is open year-round and offers kokanee fishing most of the year. It is an excellent kokanee fishery in the spring and early summer. It can be difficult to figure the kokanee out in the fall but once you do, the fishing can be very good. Pay attention to details: depth, speed, leader length, dodger size and color, lure and bait… Repeat what is working. Although late April-June Lake Samish can be smoking hot, easily giving up limits of fat 12”-16” kokanee one of our biggest local Kokanee came out of the smaller lake during a mid-October trip a few years back. It hit our old school gear running 2 colors on the lead line, 20’ of 8 pound leader, a rainbow color kokanee gang troll and an orange wedding band spinner tipped with a maggot. The fish was nearly 3 pounds and was in full spawning colors.

Kokanee? The beer in the blue can?

Kokanee are land locked sockeye salmon and eat plankton. Their gills are specifically designed to filter plankton out of the water. Of all the kokanee that I have caught in my more than a few years of fishing for them I have never found anything more than green goo in their stomachs. So, how does one catch them? You dazzle them, piss them off, and invade their territory or whatever it takes to get a reaction bite out of them (kind of like what I remember of dating). I know that kokanee can be caught by chumming with some concoction of feed eggs and then dropping a single salmon egg to the correct depth. But I figure the kokanee is just trying to eliminate a competitor’s egg and not looking for a five star dining experience. So how does one catch a kokanee from a moving boat?

By attracting them with scent, low frequency vibrations or both and then dragging some flashy or irritating hardware in front of their noses. I troll small dodgers or swing blades followed with some small spinning, oscillating, vibrating or flashy offering. My theory is that, as the swing blade or dodger travels through the water they transmit low frequency vibrations or noise. The low frequency vibrations travel for long distances in the water. The dodger is like a billboard to the fish. “The world’s biggest plankton bloom, just 100 more miles!” Curiosity gets the best of the kokanee and it heads in the direction of the noise. When it gets there all it sees is this irritant in the form of your lure. The fish is cranky now, it just swam 100 miles out of the way and all it sees is your lure. The fisherman is hoping for one of two things at this point. First is that the fish sees your lure/attractor combination as a form of competition and figures that it will eat the lure before the competition does or secondly, that it just plain pisses the fish off so he lashes out and strikes the lure. Ok so much for my views on kokanee fishing, now what?

My basic rig is a Swing Blade flasher or a small Sep’s dodger in metallic colors, 12-16” leader and then one of the following lures; A Wedding Band type of lure, mini squid, Dick Night spoon, other lightweight trolling spoons and whatever else is on the boat that I can tie a hook to. I often use scents and tip my lures with some form of bait such as corn or maggots. On my boat I typically run two rods off the down riggers, one lead line rig (the most productive) and then one flat lined rig. My trolling speed varies but I will usually try to target .9 – 1.4 MPH. Regarding depth, I will frequently adjust the depth of any rod on the boat until I find fish that are willing to bite. I typically chase meter marks with one of the downrigger rods.

Speaking about meter marks, in my opinion a good fish finder is important when fishing for kokanee. I am not sure what kind of electronics any given fisherman has but many boats have something. Don’t be afraid to turn the sensitivity way up, surface clutter down and the noise filter off. I know that the screen will be a mess but you’re not going to marry your fish finder, a pretty white screen is not what you bought the thing for. Look for the thermocline and fish arches with red in them. Kokanee have proportionately larger air bladders than other fish their size. When running your fish finder in the arch mode Kokanee will typically be distinguishable from other fish. I know that cone angle, frequency, water conditions, the fish’s position within your transducer cone and other factors will affect your ability to interpret sonar readings but generally when fishing for kokanee the fish arches showing on your meter will have a red area in the middle of the arch. Thermocline is also important in determining what depth to fish for kokanee. On a better meter the Thermocline will show as a band of (for lack of a better term) interference. Typically the band of interference will be denser in the middle with a symmetrical dispersion of the interference above and below the denser area. My antidotal experience is that the bulk of the actively biting kokanee will be in the upper half or just above the thermocline. All that said when fishing for kokanee one needs to be flexible. If something is not working change tactics. Later in the summer it is common that the fish will be active in 50’ or more of water while early in the season, overcast days or early mornings the fish will be in the upper 10’ of water. But consider that as a guideline only, change depths every 5 to 10 minutes until you find fish willing to bite. I have one last comment on depth, if you are catching smaller fish and you need something to brag about increase the depth that your lure is running at in two foot increments until you locate bigger fish. Typically the bigger fish will be hiding below the relative safety of the school of little guys above.

I know all great information, well at least mildly interesting. Ok ok you’re nodding off and wondering where the last 30 minutes of your life has gone. Maybe some specifics on catching Lake Samish kokanee will help, if not I owe you a cup of coffee. One of the most productive areas for catching Lake Samish kokanee is right outside the WDFW launch. After launching your boat head out past the 50’ depth line and start looking for meter marks or surface activity. Wedding band type spinners tipped with maggots or a small snipet of worm will work wonders in this lake. Once your gear is down, troll along the shoreline in 50-70’ of water up to the small bay northwest of the launch area. As you enter the bay turn left towards the west so that your trolling path draws a large hockey stick on your GPS. Another productive area is the area along the shoreline opposite the WDFW launch. It can be very productive and typically is less crowded. I have found that the bay leading up to the bottleneck produces a lot of fish early in the season. For my boat the north shore of the small lake is the place to be during the late summer and fall. For the fall fishery chase meter marks with your downriggers, running your gear 5-7’ above your chosen target. This area has produced many of our larger Lake Samish kokanee.



I hope that this has been informative or at a minimum raised your confidence level when approaching an AIS inspection station and then fishing for kokanee. Kokanee are an excellent sports fish, pound for pound harder fighting fish than most. They are delicious and with proper care (ice not 50 degree plus lake water) their culinary value is equal to any salmon. As a closing thought, maybe the WDFW can develop a hybrid kokanee by feeding the fry ground Quadra Mussels where the mature kokanee primarily feeds on aquatic invasive species! An AIS Kick’n Kokanee!

Randy Castello (Rseas)
WashingtonLakes.com