One interesting anecdote observed from 2024 sampling by Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) staff was an above-average abundance of age-3 kokanee for the second consecutive year. Historically in Dworshak, most age-2 kokanee spawn and die in the fall, making age-3 kokanee a rare occurrence. Occasionally however, age-2 kokanee will experience slow enough growth to average out at 8 inches, resulting in a portion that will wait until the next year to spawn. In 2022 and 2023, this phenomenon happened, resulting in an above-average abundance of age-3 fish.

For 2025, we expect fewer age-2 and 3 kokanee than what occurred in 2023 and 2024, but we expect them to be larger. Surveys in 2024 showed a below-average age-1 abundance (Figure 2), meaning there will likely be a below-average abundance of age-2 kokanee this year. Additionally, we expect fewer age-3 kokanee this year because most age-2 kokanee likely spawned last year due to their 10-inch average size. The good news however, is that with a lower abundance there will be less competition for food, resulting in high growth potential for these age classes. Historically in these types of conditions, age-2 kokanee reached lengths of 11-12 inches and anglers are already reporting catches at this size in 2025, with a few exceeding 13 inches.