Insect larva or nymphs may become food sources, but not in preference to plankton. Thus, when a lure or bait is used to tempt kokanee into hitting, it must be small and must appeal to the fish in both color and movement. In some lakes they will spend the summer concentrated in a very narrow band of 50 water. Once you've located the right water temperature layer and a school of fish within that zone, kokanee can be caught with a variety of lures. Trolled spoons, spinners or small plugs behind lake trolls such as the Beer Can or Ford Fender should be tipped with a small piece of worm, maggot, grub, salmon egg, Jensenegg, or white or yellow corn kernel.
Some anglers add a strand of white or chartreuse yarn to the hook for added attraction.
In spring and fall when kokes are near the surface, flatlines, small trolls without added weight and slow-sinking or floating fly lines often are used. Most anglers find trolling a Jeweled Bead Spinner, Needlefish , Kokanee King, Midge Wobbler, Super Duper or Hot Shot behind the lake troll with one or two split shot 18 to 60 inches up the line from the lure a very effective kokanee technique when the fish are near the surface in the spring and fall. Small trolls can be flatlined with the larger models geared for deeper running. When trolled, the blades act as attractors, kokanee follow the sound and flash to the source, spot the trailing lure and attack it. Care must be taken in making sure the shock of the initial strike is absorbed by using a rubber snubber or a rod having a sensitive tip.