They call him the Kokanee Kid and his mission statement can be summed up with one line: “To convert all fishermen into kokanee addicts.”

I met Jeremy Jahn and his lovely wife, Debbie, a few years ago at Wickiup Reservoir. Their enthusiasm for the landlocked salmon is infectious.

Last week, I called to get a sense of the state of the fishery. I wanted to know what were his favorite Oregon kokanee spots right now.

“My personal favorites are Green Peter, Odell and Wickiup,” he said, “because they all have 25-fish limits. On lakes where the limit is five, if it’s just me and my wife, we can’t stay very long.”

The Jahns make their home in Salem, and are not too far away from good fishing. But fish in Green Peter Reservoir have been running smaller this season. For that reason, Jeremy Jahn has been fishing Odell and Wickiup.

“Jigging up at Odell is really good right now, but this year Wickiup has some of the biggest I’ve ever seen, with kokanee pushing 20 inches and three pounds,” he said.

Right now, most Odell anglers are using jigs. As soon as water temperatures begin to warm at Odell, the hot bite will switch to trolling gear.

Kokanee are nothing if not finicky, notorious for preferring one color or lure one day and another combination the next. Nevertheless, Jahn recommends starting with pink and silver on Odell. One of his creations, the Mysis Bug, is a favorite with anglers on the lake.

Because most summer days are clear at Odell, the more flash in the water, the better. On overcast days, use subdued colors.

When trolling, downriggers offer a definite advantage at Odell.

“There are some shrimp in the lake and the fish that are in play are at 30 to 90 feet,” Jahn said. “You will see them jumping on the surface, but they just don’t want to bite. I get most of my fish from 40 to 60 feet. Year round. Even during the middle of winter. There are always fish holding down deep.”

Odell Lake will see an algae bloom during the summer, and when that happens, a lot of anglers go elsewhere. Jahn said that’s a mistake. “Some of the best fishing of the season is during the algae bloom.”

“Wickiup has the biggest kokanee right now, hands down,” Jahn said. “Wallowa had those big fish in 2010, but Wallowa Lake fish are tiny right now. There is no food. The mysis shrimp population died out.”

Wickiup is one of the most technical of the kokanee lakes, but it is a good place for fishermen that don’t have downriggers.

“I wouldn’t fish any water deeper than 16 feet.” Jahn recommended a flat-line technique with 100 feet of line out. “Try to fish shallow. You can put a heavier dodger on and then a normal kokanee lure,” Jahn said.

The Kokanee Kid prefers an orange/gold combo at Wickiup, but he says chartreuse has been a good color there as well. He recommends an oversize hoochie skirt tied 8 inches back from the dodger. “The biggest mistake people make is setting the hoochie too far back.”

Try the 2¼-inch hoochie from R&K Spinners or an orange/gold or chartreuse/gold Super Mysis Bug.

Because the fish are running big at Wickiup, a lot of anglers lose them at the net. Kokanee are soft-mouthed and the hook easily rips out. A slow-action fiberglass rod is the most forgiving.

“Turn the boat toward the fish,” Jahn said, “and shorten the angle. Let them rip line. When a kokanee gets over 16 inches you can’t just reel them in. Guys will hook twenty and only land one,” Jahn laughed.

Catch one kokanee and lose 19 more at the net and you’ll either end up an addict or crazy. Maybe there’s not much difference.

— Gary Lewis is the host of Frontier Unlimited TV and author of John Nosler — Going Ballistic, Fishing Mount Hood Country, Hunting Oregon and other titles. Contact Gary at www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com.