Kokee trout season opens June 20, no lottery this year
Kōkee trout fishing will open June 20 without the lottery, with daily access, a seven-fish limit and most action still centered on Puu Lua Reservoir.
Kōkee’s rainbow trout season will open June 20 without the lottery that has shaped past years, giving anglers direct access through Sept. 30 under a daily schedule from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said a valid Hawaii freshwater game fishing license is required, but no park entrance fee will be charged for fishing at the Kōkee Public Fishing Area.
The fishery spans certain streams, reservoirs and ditches inside Kōkee State Park on Kauai, but the practical center of the season is Puu Lua Reservoir. More than 95% of the catch now comes from the reservoir, a shift tied to the end of stream stocking some years ago. Anglers can still fish the streams and ditch systems inside the area, but success there has been poor for years, while the reservoir continues to receive stocking and offers the best odds.
This year’s opening follows a January stocking effort that put 30,000 trout yearlings into the system, with the fish arriving in Līhue in three shipments on Jan. 9, 12 and 13 aboard Hawaiian Airlines. That stocking matters because it gives the opening a stronger base than the stream-side fishing suggests. In 2025, the reservoir drew 3,305 recorded angler visits and produced 16,462 fish caught, a clear sign that opening day and the early weeks can pull steady traffic to Kōkee. The seasonal draw is even more visible when compared with 2024, when DLNR recorded 2,994 visits and 15,401 fish caught at Puu Lua Reservoir after 25,700 young trout were stocked.
The bag limit will remain seven trout per license holder per day, keeping the season straightforward for families and day-trippers planning a run up to the mountain park. With no lottery this year and the reservoir still carrying most of the catch, anglers who want the best chance at fish will be focused on Puu Lua rather than the streams and ditches that once played a larger role in the season.
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