sockeye

[trouting]

I'm going camping/fishing at China Creek. Is it possible to catch sockeye over there on flies? Any suggestions on patterns and presentation/method ?

thankyou
jec

[Troutman Clay]

As far as sockeye go, I have never really had too much luck catching them on any other method than be flossing them, which is a vertical presentation that is stripped extremely fast across, in hope of threading the line through its mouth and hooking it on the side of its mouth. I've also caught a few by using big ugly looking patterns in attempt to piss them off quite frankly, into hitting a fly.

Sockeye are a very difficult fish to catch on a fly, but your frustrations can be well worth it if you manage to get one, there isnt a better table fish than sockeye in my opinion

[TieFlier]

You might have some luck if you can locate a school of fish. Sockeye in fresh water can be a real pain to hook without flossing, but in the salt they can be active feeders if you can find them. 1-2" shrimp or squid patterns in orange, red or pink would probably do you well. I don't know the China creek area too well, are you fishing from shore or on a boat?

[btree]

A buddy of mine has had luck on some of the lower mainland rivers with a small fly that has a red tail, sliver tinsel body and a sparse blue hackle. I have no idea what size, but I assume some where around a #10 hook. If it were me, I'd start with a pink handle bar (typical pink salmon fly) and then try different sizes and colours like what TieFlier suggests.

And I think Troutman meant a horizontal presentation not vertical, but any way...the idea is to get the line into the fish's mouth and then rip the hook into somewhere on it's head/face/mouth area. Not exactly ethical, but quite common place both on purpose and by accident. It's only really possible in rivers, but any way...

[stevil]

Has anybody tried a large red bucktail (imitate a jack) to trigger agressive males into biting? Not sure how early that sort of behavior will begin.... I know in the salt "Krippled K" spoons in bright red to 2.5" long are killer!

[TieFlier]

I have never tried that, i'll have to give it a shot one day.

[alyaz]

I hooked into one Sockeye on Saturday. I was fishing a bar in the Chilliwack to Hope stretch and basically using my Steelhead fly rod and sinking line. The fly that worked for me has been a good steelhead fly and is called a 'gummy rhyacophilia.' Like I said I only caught one fish while the meat fishermen all seemed to be getting their limits...