My neighbor Dan Fiske, owner of the Yodelin restaurants in Leavenworth and Port Angeles, says that kokanee are his favorite fish. So, Dan and his 13-year son Caulder joined me for my first trip to Lake Chelan this year to see if we could catch some. I used the launch above the dam and drove the Smoker Craft up to an area below Rocky Point, keeping a close eye on the Gamin to start our search. Not long after we started trolling on the Minn Kota, one of the downrigger rods started bouncing, and Caulder reeled a 15-inch beauty. We then left the lower basin and ran up above the Yacht Club. Here we found the kokanee fishing fleet. There were at least a half-dozen boats scattered across the water from Green’s Landing to the area I call The Fences, as there are some long, white vinyl fences leading to homes on the lake. One passing angler mentioned that they had started here at first light and had caught five fish. We worked through this area and landed three small kokanee. Fishing for kokanee on Chelan will improve as more of them move down from the upper lake.