Sockeye Gear

[Red Monster]

What exact gear do folks like to use for sockeye? I'm off to Renny again in August and hope to have a chance at some socs. I know the basic how to's but was wondering about best hooks (what kind (octopus?) and what size) and what exact colour of red hoochie (there seems to be a million shades of pink and red) and what colour flasher (I saw a guy using a red "crushed ice" flasher that really seemed to work). I'm probably being way too technical, I know, but it can't hurt to ask.

Finding the fish is probably the real issue.

One trick I learned was taking the motor out of gear once in a while: I got lots of hits doing that, especially when I put the motor back into gear.

I already know about heavy leaders (28 to 32 inches) and lots of flashers.

Thanks in advance. [8D]

 

[Degree of Freedom]

For Alberni...mb182, or tandum single black hooks with nothing else, pink hotspot flashers.

 

[dog]

I think this thread was pretty good for Fraser Sox.

http://fishbcforum.com/index.php?showtopic=37627

 

[Red Monster]

Thanks for the response guys. Some excellent detail in that link, Dog.

I wonder what kind of year it will be for socks and pinks off Renny this year? I know it's a pink year, but I don't remember catching many at Renny two years ago.

 

[fisherman14]

um........ in alberni i like to use one of those purple sockeye hootchies that come 2 in a package. i out fish the rest of the boat 2-1. but i also use my white flasher that glows on one side and it's silver on the other. mp 15's are pretty good too. usually for a red hootchie, it's always an mp16. most ofter i see poeple catching fish on green flashers. us too. but i also believe in the dumby flashers off each cannon ball below your gear. thats just what we do. usually 30-80 feet down. i always go to 50 tho. i do fine.

 

[Pablo2079]

Backatit - The tandem black hooks sounds similar to what people have used in Lake Washington. They've used tandem bare red hooks with pretty good success. Some say it simulates krill....

 

[Sea Morgan]

I used tandem red hooks in Alberni last year, they didn't work as well as the black, but we still got hits.

 

[Red Monster]

I'm actually thinking of fishing some socks in Alberni for the first time this year. I've been sizing up a trip to Alberni for a few years now. Hope they show up this year. I also heard that folks have success fishing spoons for socks in Alberni, and I have those too: Nasty Boy, Halloween and another one. I just bought some MP16's and have already used a similar color that is not as translucent as the 16's.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

I have heard, but not tried myself, that the Halloween Coyote spoon is very effective for Alberni socks.

 

[fisherman14]

yea the spoons work well. halloween coyote spoon works great. we usually use the 3.5 size.

also i wouldn't be planning any trips anytime soon. i hear that the sockeye and coho will be shut down this year.

 

[Red Monster]

I hear ya, fisherman. It's looking quite bad lately. [xx(]

What sort of fish are produced out of the hatcheries for Alberni inlet? Are the socks wild or farm or both?

 

[fisherman14]

well there is a sockeye hatchery down the inlet at henderson lake. but the ones that return to great central lake and sproat lake are wild.
robertson creek hatchery witch is the hatchery for port alberni, prooduces chinooks, coho, and stealhead.

 

[KoneZone]

While I don’t fish for Sockeye here in Oregon I did talk to at least 50 satisfied fishermen at the International Boat Show in Vancouver last week. I was invited to attend with Nikka Fishing for the second strait year. They have been rigging my flashers, {KoneZone} in a string for down rigging with great success. After a dozen guys coming up and stating their luck I could see a pattern. They simply clip the four flasher unit above the ball and run your baits or lures 3-4 feet above that. You don't need to worry about tangles at all. The KoneZone runs through the water spinning on its own axis like a drill bit. There is very little resistance, {less than 1 standard Hockey Stick style flasher}. Strong currents and higher speeds will not be a problem either. I have heard some "don't like to, or need to troll fast" but this was recommended by a Charter Captain that fishes for Sockeye in B.C. The bottom line is that Nikka has been going through a phenomenal number of "Cal signature series KoneZone Daisy Chain rigs" and somebody in B.C. is buying up gobs’ and gobs’ of them. Thanks to everyone for you support. Mike / KoneZone.com / 503-348-9442

 

[fisherman14]

yea i heard they work good. but i've only heard of reports of poeple using them in alaska. so idon't know what to believe. i'll stick to the same dumby flasher system i use. i never tangle the lines with them. just spread them apart 10 feet. still use flashers with the hootchies. you have to. the only way they work.

 

[doubletake]

How can they shut down coho and sockeye in the inlet before they have a chance to see how strong the returns are with test fisheries and what not? It doesnt make much sense to shut it down 4-6 months before the fish are even expected to show up.

 

[Pablo2079]

Might be smart for them to have it shut down until they reach a min. number of fish in the rivers. Would especially make sense if the closure would apply to the FN fishing as well.

 

[Rum Buddies]

well I think they intend to err on the side of caution which I approve of, plus it lets anglers make other arrangments if they were planning on taking advantage of these fisheries.

Like Pablo said they can and may open it back up should they see respectible numbers.

 

[fisherman14]

all tru. i just heard the other day that the natives won't "FOOD FISH" if the sports guys don't fish for sockeye.
and you all know how that will go.............
idians don't care, they'll still fish. you know they will!