Kokanee Black Rods

The Okuma Kokanee Black is a trolling and jigging rod series purpose-designed for kokanee salmon, land-locked sockeye, in western US lakes (Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains). Kokanee fishing involves long-line trolling with small flasher-and-lure setups, often at depth, requiring rods that are light enough to detect soft strikes yet have backbone sufficient to pull fish up from 30–100ft. The series also appears in setups for kokanee on downriggers, leadcore, and occasionally jig fishing. Kokanee Black blanks are fiberglass construction, notable in a market that trends toward graphite, because fiberglass provides the smooth load and parabolic flex that kokanee fishermen want for absorbing head shakes and protecting light leaders.

Sea Guide stainless steel frames with titanium oxide inserts handle the sustained friction of running mono or light braid. Fuji reel seats are standard. Carbon fiber grips are fitted across the series. Moderate action throughout is appropriate for trolling applications where tip loading on the strike is desired. Both spinning and casting models are included. Eight models across 6'6" to 9'0", L and ML power. The 6'6" ML casting model (KBJ-C-661ML) is the one MF-action model and appears jigging-oriented; the remainder are M-action trolling models.

Spinning models (KB-S prefix) run L power at 7'6" and 8'0" for light-line long-line setups; casting models (KB-C prefix) run L and ML at 7'6", 8'0", and 9'0". The 9'0" ML caster is the longest model for maximising arc distance on long-line trolling rigs.