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[Zaphod]

I caught what I think is a Kokanee (I'm not good at identifying fish) from Buntzen Lake.  Does anyone know if there are a lot of Kokanee in that lake?

Also, I've read that Kokanee are a special kind of land-locked salmon.  Is this true?  If so, does one need a salmon stamp to catch and retain them?

[Koho]

Kokanee are sockeye salmon that don't go to the ocean.  They don't have much spots on their bodies.  

[The Gilly]

Probably a cuttie or rainbow.  I have not heard of Kokanee in Buntzen.  Kokanee is a landlocked Sockeye salmon.  They do not grow as big because they dom not have the big food source.  Check your regs before you go out and it will tell you what species are present in the water.  Cutties have a red slash down by their neck.  Rainbows have a distinct "rainbow" down the centre line on their side and Kokanee are very Silver and no spots.

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fish_profiles.html

[The_Roe_Man]

You bet there are kokanee in Buntzen.  Numbers are not that great as they don't stock it with them.  I catch them from time to time but the size is small, biggest I caught was around 11 inches.  You can tell they are kokanee by their big eyes and thin silver bodies with small scales.  The most I have caught in one day was 3.  

[The Gilly]

Stocked with Rainbows and Cutties.

[Zaphod]

What I caught looked *exactly* like the bottom fish in the picture at this URL:

http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.cfm?StartRow=4&ID=243&what=species

According to the site's author, this is a Kokanee.  Do you guys agree?

[Zaphod]

Also, about stocking -- do any of you know or know of a resource where I could find out what hatchery trout are fed in the hatchery before they're released?

[Koho]

That looks like a kokanee.  The scales are real small, and the body has few black spots.  

Did you keep the fish?  The inside is a nice neon red colour too.

[Rodney]

To find out stocking dates, stocking numbers and food information, visit Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery and give them a phone call.

[The Gilly]

Koho,
You scared the heck out of me!  I thought they were going to jump out of the screen and eat me
Those are great pics of clean kokanee.  Notice the lack of spots and the distinct blue tinge on the back.
Zaphod,
Those are Kokanee, but they are about to spawn as they have gone dark and are starting to turn red.
A great spot to see Kokanee is in Antler Creek if you get to Peachland in Aug/Sept.
There are kokanee in Coquitlam Lake and I understand that the fisheries biologists think that they may be land locked
Sockeye from when the dam was put on the Coquitlam R.  There has been some talk of trying to use them to reintroduce
a Sockeye run to the Coquitlam R.  Apparently, the Coquitlam R. used to have one of the most prolific Sockeye runs in the
province at the turn of the 19th century.  That's you history lesson for today.

[Koho]

Here's a pic of a couple of Kokes I caught this summer.  Sorry the image is too big, but you'll be able to see the detail up close (I've got real bad imaging software, will try to make the image smaller...)

<edit 1: erased first post before grummans and put new post after>
<edit 2: made the picture to fit the screen  >

[Zaphod]

Fantastic information.  Thanks.

Yes, I did keep the fish.  I'm now looking for good recipies for Kokanee.  Any suggestions?  Should any good recipe for salmon also work great for Kokanee?

Also, I'm still wondering if a salmon stamp is necessary to retain Kokanee.  Does anyone know?

[DragonSpeed]

Also, about stocking -- do any of you know or know of a resource where I could find out what hatchery trout are fed in the hatchery before they're released?

Google for "Fish Wizard"

[Zaphod]

Well, I went to FishWizard, and there is all sorts of great information there about the lake, but no information (that I can find) about how the fish are fed before they're released.  I'm just curious to know what I'm eating if I catch one.

[Koho]

Looks like that fish was caught in New Zealand.