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Please note- This post is about Sockeye in Saltwater-nothing else. Please keep your uninformed and fractious opinions out of this discusssion especially if they have no cogent bearing on the subject matter. Anyway my best success has been with the standard Squirt-sized Hootchy 22" behind a full-sized Flasher-what colour Flasher I won't say. Colours? I've been pleased with the Glo 'Michaels Bait' that the Commies have been using, second best has been Pink anything (even surveyors tape) wrapped around a Black Gamakatsu 4/0 hook with a few strands of Glo filament thrown in for good measure. As many 'dummy flashers' as I can handle are on the wire, about 7 feet apart I should qualify this by saying that this rig has been used principally at the Fraser mouth. I tried it one time at Milbanke Sound there were Sockeye everywhere but nary a Bump I was later told that they were Stuart fish, said to be very close-mouthed, anyone have any info on those fish? WCVI is another story, Anchovy works well at times I know it's the biggest fish that smack 'em hard. Before you jump all over my case I'd like to say that I know Sockeye are Plankton feeders. Even so Big Jay Freeman, a well-known Guide out of Port Alberni, has had great success with Jigs, Craig Orr wrote this up in BC Sportfishing Mag a few years ago-none of these fish are snagged they are all 'takers'. Common wisdom says Sockeye should be fished 'small, slow, straight' I disagree with going straight for Salmon of any kind. It's been my experience that Sockeye hit on the turn just like any other Salmon, maybe they don't follow, follow, follow like a Coho but I get more fish by turning often than not. When they're schooled up at the Fraser mouth I don't troll with the Tide like I do for other Salmon though I just cover ground, having fished there for years I have some spots that form eddies that I particularly like. I'm interested to here how other Folks have been fishing for them. I hope they'll open up the Salt Fishery for Sockeye this year so I can get a legitimate shot at feeding fish.
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Carl, Do you know of anyone who chucks lures out near the estuary off the beach for Sockeye and/or Pinks (down near Steveston/Fraser Mouth)???
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Carl, Ya you pretty much outlines Sock fishin in the chuck. I pick up a few socks trolling along te West Van shoreline. I have had a few a chovies, but most hit a white hootchie in 15ft of water. i think they may school with the Coho. For the mouth of the Fraser. We run as many flashers as possible, pink or green is best. I find a stiffer leader{40lb. test} is better as it is stiffer and gives the lure a far greater snap/movement on a turn. As to the fish that hit chovies. There is always some caught in the end of July beginning of August at Lasquiti Island by moochers. Ian oh yeah, one of the guys I fish with in the chuck uses a strand of cerise pink wool about 3 inches long in place of a squirt or hootchie. Havent tried it yet but want to!
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Carl troll for sockeye in burrard inlet, troll live herring behind a tom-mac spoon. Mainly troll infront of belcarra park where everyone crabs off the dock. These sockeye can be fished all year round.
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speaking of burrard inlet, any salmonids ever make it up to Indian Arm? in the late 40's early 50's there was an interesting resort up there somehwere...I have no map in front of me as I type, and do not know very much about tribs/lakes etc up that way.
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Ken, there is lots of fish in Indiam arm. Mostly chums and pinks though. Right now there are springs at Buntzen Powerhouse. Good luck keepin the seals away from them though. That resort is the Wigwam Inn, now is used by people with BIG boats who go up and stay in there boats for a weekend getaway. Apparently the spring fishing was absolutley killer a while back as there was a good population of chovies.
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The resort is now owned by the vancouver yaught club.Ian what would you use at the power house for springs??
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CHOVIES in a green teaser head with a green flasher. It will only be good up there for another month then the Jellyfish start going around there and it is pointless to troll as they •••• up your gear. |
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Funny thing is that I've swum up there through the Jellies and had no probs-well I was kind of drunk but didn't get stung.
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Well, jellyfish are a nuisance. Over in the Saanich inlet, its so deep, that it actually grows our own kind of monstor jellyfish. They're abundant in the sumemr months, real red/orange, tentacles I've sene as long as 4-6ft, hehe friggin scary. More times than not, I'll pull in the downrigger line with red guck over it, and occasionally the line/tackle too. Cant be good for the fishing. Somehow I doubt they enjoy jellyfish. hehe, well thats fishign though. I'll take jellyfish anyday over seals! (who are also a problem hehe). Combined with the nickname 'dead sea', Saanich Inlet could well be one of the toughest fishign areas aroudn the coast.
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Chris,I have seen those huge jellyfish on Long Beach WCVI. I swear some of them had tentacles well over 20 ft. long (serious). They don't look like that big of a deal when they are all shrivelled up on the beach at low tide, all dried out, but watching the tide come in they rejuvenate and off they go. God I love nature and the ocean. Apparently, from my research, they are called *Medussa* jellyfish and are distributed throughout most of the Pacific.
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I believe it. Hehe, wherever they are, they're ugly! Thign is we never used to have em inS aanich Inlet say 10 years ago. Only used ot have moon jellyfish. These days, moon jellyfish (ones you see as clear 'gel' on beach), are scarce. 20ft, dont remember seeign one that long, 15 is biggest, but who knows what lurks down there. in the 600ft+ waters.... Now who wants to go swimming!?!!!!!! Chris
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