Sockeye Opening

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Pablo2079

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I was just on the DFO site and noticed that they are opening the Sockeye in most tidal areas tomorrow (7/23) with a limit of 4. Area 16 and the upper Johnstone Strait areas are closed.

Anybody have some suggestions on how to fish for these?

I've never tried for them in the saltwater, but I've heard that a small pink squid with most of the tentacles torn off, a blue hook, a large red or chrome flasher trolled slow is the way to go after them.... usually about 60 to 100 feet deep and they don't hang close to shore.... Is this the case?
 
You answered your own question.

Only things to add is staight troll patterns are usually better than zig zags. Leader lengths are short at 24" - 30" and try to fish four rods or a couple of dummy flashers off your rigger if you only fish two. If you hook a fish, keep fishing as you often get multiple hookups with these schooling fish!!

Green flashers work just as well as red.
 
You answered your own question.

Only things to add is staight troll patterns are usually better than zig zags. Leader lengths are short at 24" - 30" and try to fish four rods or a couple of dummy flashers off your rigger if you only fish two. If you hook a fish, keep fishing as you often get multiple hookups with these schooling fish!!

Green flashers work just as well as red.
 
Blood and bone and also green and white hootchies work well ...mix up your flashers red or green ...and dead slow troll ....GL
 
Blood and bone and also green and white hootchies work well ...mix up your flashers red or green ...and dead slow troll ....GL
 
May not work down there but I limited everyday but the first in port last week by 7:30am Thanks to some great advice from IronNoggin and a super nice guide that was staying at china creek. #1 for hits was a coyote spoon in halloween 3 or 3.5 inch but try to find one good luck. #2 was nasty boy 3 or 3.5 inch. #3 party girl coyote spoon 3 or 3.5 inch. #4 didn't try but heard alot of fish being caught on them was watermelon 3 or 3.5 inch. Tied 27 inches behind the flasher but every boat may be sightly different. I was trolling at 1.2 to 2.1 mph Found most hookups were on the turns. I looked like a drunk driver but it helped me catch fish. Aquarium pre tied sqirts and bubble gum worked fantastic. One of the guys was catching them on 2-1 ot black hooks tied like hoochie setup 27 inches behind his flasher???? Tell me the logic I saw it with my own eyes.

My set up was to put one dummy flasher per side right above the cannon ball 6 feet out from the down rigger wire.Drop 12 feet then put on your release clips 10 pulls to a 48" clip. Then drop 12 feet put on another release clip mine were 24" so i then did 12 pulls dropped one to 70 and one to 90 and walla fish. But the inlet was warming up. You may want to try a little shallower????

Hope this helps someone catch fish and thanks to those that helped me and my family have the best fishing adventure possible.

Happy Hookin CHEERS M.E.
 
May not work down there but I limited everyday but the first in port last week by 7:30am Thanks to some great advice from IronNoggin and a super nice guide that was staying at china creek. #1 for hits was a coyote spoon in halloween 3 or 3.5 inch but try to find one good luck. #2 was nasty boy 3 or 3.5 inch. #3 party girl coyote spoon 3 or 3.5 inch. #4 didn't try but heard alot of fish being caught on them was watermelon 3 or 3.5 inch. Tied 27 inches behind the flasher but every boat may be sightly different. I was trolling at 1.2 to 2.1 mph Found most hookups were on the turns. I looked like a drunk driver but it helped me catch fish. Aquarium pre tied sqirts and bubble gum worked fantastic. One of the guys was catching them on 2-1 ot black hooks tied like hoochie setup 27 inches behind his flasher???? Tell me the logic I saw it with my own eyes.

My set up was to put one dummy flasher per side right above the cannon ball 6 feet out from the down rigger wire.Drop 12 feet then put on your release clips 10 pulls to a 48" clip. Then drop 12 feet put on another release clip mine were 24" so i then did 12 pulls dropped one to 70 and one to 90 and walla fish. But the inlet was warming up. You may want to try a little shallower????

Hope this helps someone catch fish and thanks to those that helped me and my family have the best fishing adventure possible.

Happy Hookin CHEERS M.E.
 
One thing I forgot to mention on one side hoochie on top and spoon on the bottom but the reverse on the other side. I used glow green and green plaid as dummy flashers. My spoons were on flasers with blue on them and I used plaid flashers for the hootchies. I know that alot of guys just used red or orange flashers and they work to. Also yes I did kick my motor into neutral from time to time and was always slightly varing my speed tried to always keep the downrigger wires at less then 45 degrees using 12lbs cannon balls. Cheers M.E.
 
One thing I forgot to mention on one side hoochie on top and spoon on the bottom but the reverse on the other side. I used glow green and green plaid as dummy flashers. My spoons were on flasers with blue on them and I used plaid flashers for the hootchies. I know that alot of guys just used red or orange flashers and they work to. Also yes I did kick my motor into neutral from time to time and was always slightly varing my speed tried to always keep the downrigger wires at less then 45 degrees using 12lbs cannon balls. Cheers M.E.
 
MyEscape -

Was it on the inside or outside of the turns when you'd get the majority of your hits?

Thanks for the info...
 
MyEscape -

Was it on the inside or outside of the turns when you'd get the majority of your hits?

Thanks for the info...
 
My best lure and technique this year at China Creek was a short section of drinking straw slipped over a 2/0 hook. Burger King outfished McDonalds, but some neon orange, pink and green were the best. Like My Escape, I looked like a drunk driver out there, zig zag and work the throttle and gears.
 
My best lure and technique this year at China Creek was a short section of drinking straw slipped over a 2/0 hook. Burger King outfished McDonalds, but some neon orange, pink and green were the best. Like My Escape, I looked like a drunk driver out there, zig zag and work the throttle and gears.
 
The hookups were 50% inside and 50% outside. One of the other things I found was I set my release clips tight very seldom did they trip the clip and when I got a fish on I didn't change any thing just kept trolling and while I fought one all of a sudden the other rods would start hooking up. Something else I found was if you have a choice of rods to pick first don't always go to the one that jerking the most because most of the bigger ones I caught the rod just pulsed.
Sharp Hooks Catch Fish CHEERS M.E.
 
The hookups were 50% inside and 50% outside. One of the other things I found was I set my release clips tight very seldom did they trip the clip and when I got a fish on I didn't change any thing just kept trolling and while I fought one all of a sudden the other rods would start hooking up. Something else I found was if you have a choice of rods to pick first don't always go to the one that jerking the most because most of the bigger ones I caught the rod just pulsed.
Sharp Hooks Catch Fish CHEERS M.E.
 
I have been reading all your posts on this ....do you see any patterns...I've been fishing Alberni pretty steady for the last three weeks with all the gear you folks have been using....when the bite is on, almost (almost) anything will do...
* the more flashers in the water the better
I fish with one ghost on bottom and two rods stacked on top making a total of six flashers altogether.
* length of leader and length from clip to flasher is determined by how your boat can slow troll. I've been catching fish at a dead slow while the boat beside me was almost water skiing and catching too...(longer set ups.)
yesterday we had two double headers and two tripples..keep your rods fishing as they are not predatory fish, they bite when stimulated and go on and off the bite all day (not determined by tides either)

I'm soo glad and greatful to see posts from happy anglers...Campbell River should be so lucky right now...pretty depressing on the inside


boc
 
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