There is a strangely satisfying feeling that comes from fine-tuning your gear, planning out dozens of setups ahead of time, and being very careful with every detail before using it all. But now that we’ve gone over the setup in more detail over the last few blogs, it’s time to go fishing! There are different ways to set up your sockeye rig, but these work well for all skill levels and almost all situations. Tweak as needed, and always pay attention to your results so that you can improve over time. After all, if we’re gonna do this we might as well get good at it!.
The first thing to realize when targeting sockeye is that they aren’t actually biting your lure or hook. When we plan our presentation, we’re not trying to look like a natural food or bait source. Instead, we’re trying to put our leader across the current so that it has a very good chance of “flossing” a sockeye. This is counterintuitive to many anglers, especially experienced ones that are accustomed to fishing for feeding fish. It’s unlike any other sport in the world to fish for sockeye in a big glacial river with strong current, so forget everything you know about presentation and start over!
The first thing to decide is exactly where to stand. There is usually a “prime” spot on every gravel bar where the slope is just right or where the sockeye are pushed into a very narrow lane, making them easier to spot and predict. But more important than what length of the bank to stand is what depth to stand at. When sockeye fishing, one of the most common mistakes people make is trying to wade out too far. It seems like every group of fishermen has at least 1 “creeper” as I call them. Sticking out too far into the water makes it harder to catch sockeye because they like to stay close to the shore. This makes it harder for you to catch them and for everyone fishing upstream of you as well. Are you a creeper? Stay as far back as you can and still use your flip to get to the sockeye lane. Your feet should be pointed downstream so that the current is pushing at your calves. This is the most comfortable and effective stance for the repetitive flipping motion that sockeye fishing demands.
Next, you need to pull out the right amount of line to put your leader in the sockeye lane. Keep in mind that you won’t be casting. Instead, you’ll be flipping your rig into the current in front of you over and over. That seems like the right amount of line to start with: hold your rod straight up and pull out enough line so that your weight hangs about one foot below the butt of your rod. Most of the time, this much line will do the trick and still be comfortable for most people to do the flip correctly. This is especially important for smaller, shorter, younger, or first-time anglers.
You need to use your rod to flip the weight and leader out into the current in front of you. The safest way to do this is over the shoulder of the stream going downstream and in a circle over the top. Never attempt to whip the line out in front of you like you would in normal fly fishing. Your rod has a 3/8 to 1 oz. weight on it, so whipping it by your head is a real bad idea. All the dangerous end tackle will stay away from you if you use the rod to circle the weight and line over the top. Most of the time, you want your flip to be either straight across from the current or just slightly upstream of it. One of the most important things that will determine how well you do is the angle of the flip. Pay close attention to this angle because small changes can make a big difference. The more flips you get under your belt, the more accurate and efficient you’ll become. Accuracy is important, and your rate (flips/minute) is also important. Practice makes perfect.
Once the leader hits the water, you should keep the tip of your rod low and as close to the water as you can without going under. Make sure the tip of your rod points in the direction of the flow and stays just ahead of the line. In reality, this only slightly pulls the weight toward the shore; it doesn’t lift it off the bottom. If the weight doesn’t move across the bottom as you slowly sweep the rod toward the bank, you need to either add more weight or slow down the motion. The sweeping motion does a couple very important things: 1. It cuts down on the number of times your weight gets stuck between rocks on the bottom, and 2. it causes your leader to stretch out rather than drag directly behind your weight. These changes make your leader cover a bigger area in the water, which makes it more likely that your line will get caught between the lips of a moving sockeye as it moves upstream.
Some people have strong opinions about how to finish your sweep, and the rules aren’t very clear about how much pull you can give. Some fishermen don’t use a pull at all at the end of the sweep, while others use a big yank that looks like a snagging motion. Problem is that purposeful snagging isn’t allowed, but a little pull can help and make your hook ups more likely. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. At the end, when the weight reaches the end of the drift and my rod tip is pointing straight downstream, I like to speed up my sweep. The pull through puts the hook on a flossed-in sockeye that you haven’t seen yet and lets you use that momentum to power the next flip. There are a lot of times when you hook up at the end even though you never felt a strike.
Sockeye salmon, which are sometimes called “red salmon” because they turn bright red when they spawn, are a popular game fish that people fish for in Alaska and British Columbia. But unlike other salmon species, sockeye don’t attack lures and bait as hard. Anglers have been arguing for a long time about whether sockeye actually bite lures or are just caught in the mouth. We’ll look at the proof and answer the question, “Do sockeye salmon really bite?” in this article.
The Argument Against Sockeye Biting
Many experienced sockeye anglers argue that these fish do not voluntarily and aggressively take lures in their mouth like other salmonids such as trout steelhead or even chinook and coho salmon. Rather they seem to feed primarily on zooplankton and crustaceans and thus do not develop a chase and kill mentality. Thus, unlike the other salmon, they are not irritated by flashy green, orange, and silver lures. Many experienced red fisherman insist that these fish bite rarely, if at all.
In one fishing forum discussion with over 20 responses, only one person claimed to have caught a sockeye that inhaled a lure, while the majority said they believed their fish were lined and not biting. Even fishing guides in Alaska assert that sockeye are mostly snagged in the mouth rather than biting lures.
The most compelling evidence is that anglers report very consistent success using just bare hooks or hooks with yarn allowing the moving boat to sweep the gear through a pod of fish. The fact these extremely subtle offerings seem to hook up just as frequently as brightly colored lures suggests the fish are not striking out of instinct, but rather just getting snagged as gear bumps their mouth.
The Case for Sockeye Biting Lures
But some sockeye anglers with a lot of experience say these salmon do bite, though not as hard as other species. Sockeye salmon naturally eat baitfish, so when lures look like baitfish, they will strike out of hunger or instinct, especially as they get closer to the spawning grounds later in their migration. Anglers who believe sockeye bite note:
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Often, the color of the lure affects how well it works, which means that the fish choose to hit certain colors more.
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Fish are usually hooked inside the mouth, not fouled externally, suggesting they take the lure voluntarily.
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Sockeye will sometimes aggressively hit casting lures or flies when schooling near river mouths.
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Downriggers allow anglers to get lures right in the fish’s face, making it hard for them to resist striking.
So while they may not smash a lure like a trout, some anglers maintain that sockeye do make the choice to ingest lures, at least under the right conditions.
After looking at the evidence, it seems prudent to conclude that sockeye salmon sometimes do bite lures, but not with the same aggressive instinct to chase and kill as many other sport fish. Under the right circumstances, such as when schooling near spawning grounds or if the gear is presented right in their face, sockeye likely will ingest lures, probably out of a feeding response. But much of the time these fish are fouled in the mouth rather than voluntarily biting.
The truth is likely in the middle. Skilled anglers using techniques that trigger strikes – slow trolling with scents at just the right depth and speed – can probably entice sockeye to bite. Less experienced fishermen may mostly foul or line fish. With their more passive feeding behavior focused on small crustaceans, sockeye will never be as eager to bite hardware as other sport fish, but they can be caught on lures, not just snagged.
So while you should not expect them to strike like a pike, keep using bright colored lures and troll them right in front of their noses, and you might just get a sockeye to bite this season! With a bit of skill and persistence, you can prove these elusive salmon will eat artificial lures.
How To CATCH Columbia River SOCKEYE Salmon (BANK FISHING!)
FAQ
Are sockeye salmon aggressive?
How to get sockeye to bite?
How to hook a sockeye?
Is sockeye salmon fishy?
How to catch sockeye salmon?
In case of interest in lighter tackle, two-handed classes of 5-6 class and switches may be optimal for fishing. The main types of bait for catching sockeye salmon, correspond, as well as for other species of Pacific salmon.
Is fresh salmon safe to eat?
Yes, salmon is a source of omega 3, the fatty acid is responsible for acting in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, making the heart strong and healthy. Just be careful to analyze the supplier to make sure it doesn’t have any contamination.
Do sockeye bite in saltwater?
For many years it was thought that Sockeye do not bite in saltwater and that they were uncatchable. We now know this is not the case and that Sockeye bite very well in saltwater. There are some little tricks that can make the difference between a successful day on the water versus a successful day watching other people catching them.
Are sockeye salmon good?
One of the best-tasting salmon of the Pacific Northwest. Even with the fish that have traveled hundreds of miles up the Columbia River, the Sockeye caught near Brewster cut very fine. The are a great fish for baking or smoking. Enjoy summer’s bounty and catch some sockeye!