By late August and into late September, anglers will be positioned in front of the Taylor Creek to jig No. 2 Buzz-Bombs, 2-ounce Crippled Herring or 3/4-ounce Bomber Slab Spoons doused in green or orange Kokanee Fuel.

10. UNION VALLEY
In 2006, Union Valley Reservoir had high expectations, but proved to be a major disappointment for kokanee anglers.

Guide Fred Thomason is hoping that won’t happen again this year.

“I really think it will be good,” he said. “If the lake stays lower, they’ll concentrate more in the middle of the lake, but I think they are going to be between 12 and 14 inches on average, with a few 16 inches. But don’t expect that many big ones.”

In July, focus on the Sunset Boat Ramp on toward the dam. The kokanee should be in 45 to 55 feet of water, before moving into 55 to 60 feet in August when they’ll likely creep closer to the Sunset Boat Ramp.

The water at Union Valley stays cold. You won’t have to fish as deep to find schools of kokanee.

Thomason recommends dragging a Crystal Basin Tackle Wild Thing or a Vance’s cop car dodger with a UV Apex tipped with pink, red or natural Fire Corn and soaked in Liquid Krill.

He says it’s best to troll at 1.3 mph and normally uses 10-pound Maxima Perfection.

BEST OF THE REST
Bass Lake has the ability to yield kokanee to 19 inches this year, but heavy boat traffic can make it tough to conquer, even on weekdays. At Bullards Bar, anglers will have no problems catching limits of 14- to 15-inch kokanee -- an improvement from recent years. Nevertheless, a lack of trophy fish will keep the fish void of crowds.

Lake Pardee will again suffer from dinky kokanee: a 10-inch kokanee will be a prize.

Bucks Lake will again have to contend with stunted kokanee, but catching limits of kokes to 12 and 13 inches won’t be an issue.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Shaffer is the author of The Definitive Guide to Fishing Northern California and The Definitive Guide to Fishing Central California.

You can purchase his books at www.fishingcalifornia.net/