T
The Fish Assassin
Guest
Ya, time to tie some leaders!!
Take only what you need.
Take only what you need.
W
WillyD
Guest
Enjoy the fishing.You never know if there will be a opening next year. I am heading out tomorrow with 50 hockey players. 18 boats on a annual Parksville Eagles hockey trip.Can anyone guess how many empty beer cans by sunday.Canoe pass will be busy.
banger17
Well-Known Member
Eager to hear the up to date reports from the first few days of sockeye fishing in the inlet... this will determine where we fish on the june 20th weekend. any idea on what the conditions are like in the inlet, and as to whether or not it will be prime for the sockeye to hold up or scoot right through? i mean river flow, temperatures, etc?
How deep do usually fish for sockeye. Do you fish shallower earlier and go deeper. I heard that the fish only bite for a couple hours first thing in the morning. Or can you catch sockeye all day?
Do you fish 4 rods all with flashers and dummy flashers on the DR? wow seems like alot of gear.
Do you fish 4 rods all with flashers and dummy flashers on the DR? wow seems like alot of gear.
Charlie
Well-Known Member
Even though I really don't target sockeye, I am doing some homework on them, as it appears I might this year. I ran across this article, maybe it will answer some questions for you!
"Sockeye Fishing Techniques for the Alberni Inlet" - by Marilyn Murphy
Technique: Fish as many rods as you can, as close together as possible, but without getting tangled up. And troll is long straight tacks. Use a sounder to locate the depth and locations of the main schools. Then position your gear ABOVE the fish, as much as 20 feet or more. The fish that break away from the school and follow your gear are the ones we are after. Usually after one or two strikes, keep trolling, don't stop completely to play your fish, keep trolling slowly because more than likely the rest of the gear may load up with the following fish. We usually troll our gear using downriggers (a must) fishing 35-95 feet deep; the preferred depth may change year to year depending on the depth of the thermocline.
Where: If you were to look at a chart of the Alberni Inlet you will notice a series of narrows, the fish generally stack up and hold on either side of the narrows, about quarter channel to the shoreline. When deciding where to fish, let your eyes to the work. Start at the top of the inlet, run down (south) and look for groups of boats with action. The sockeye are attracted to "groups" of gear, so don't be discouraged by large groups of vessels fishing, this is a good thing.
Gear: The well known pink hootchie is your best way to go, there are various version of the same from manufactured to homemade using surveyor's tape. Here are my favourites:
Lure: MP16, MP44 (MP stands for "mini-plankton, and the number is the colour code). There are a many colours that are similar to, which are equally as effective. Local shops will have the "hot ticket".
Hook: Just as important as the lure is the hook you choose, single is by far the best. Sockeye twist and spin, so using trebles often works against you. The idea is to get a good solid hook set (let the virtues of a very sharp hook do this, since physically setting the hooks on sockeye result in pulling gear out of their soft mouths.) A single tied Gamagatsu or Eagle Claw LASER SHARP or ACCUPOINT hook is recommended, and many prefer red or black over Chrome. Tandem hooks work too, but these often get tangled up in your net and are not entirely necessary unless the bite is slow and you want to make every strike count.
Leader: It is very important to choose a dense enough leader that will transmit the action of the flasher to the lure, although 25-30 pound seems over test, this is ideal for getting the desired performance to the lure. We prefer an ultragreen or clear line. (Not brown or Chameleon)
Flasher: Hot Spot or Oki Flasher are the ones to use, in colours red or chartreuse, but usually red. Avoid the imitation flashers, their swivels are usually poor quality, I prefer the Hot Spot Commercial version which has Ball bearing swivels on both ends. Nothing worse than trolling around for half and hour to check your gear and find they are all tangled up in a spinned cluster of what now has to be re tied and re rigged. If you have flashers with regular barrel swivels, cut them off and attach good ball bearing swivels at both ends using large split rings.
When: Over the years its pretty much proven that the big action is early in the morning before the full sun comes over the hills of the Alberni Inlet and hits the water. These are tall hills so there are hours of morning action before this may happen. Usually once the wind picks up and we start side tracking, we become ineffective. If the weather says calm, some days the bite just goes on and on.
Sounds exciting? Well it is, so have fun!
Best Fishes,
Marilyn Murphy
Murphy's Sportfishing Guide Service
B
Brisco
Guest
China Creek, get up before sunrise. Bubble gum hootchie strip every secound leg. Red or green hotspot flasher, leader 40lb test 27-28 inches long. Troll 40-60 ft deep at 2.1 - 2.3 m.p.h. with the current. A couple of dummy flashers are good 10 are better. You become the school and they will follow . Stay the course, when I was there the first time the locals had me fishing 120 ft. deep with spoons. I was an idiot, they even leave different lures on the rods when they come in.P. M. me if you need more info.
you can fish for sockeyes all day unless there is a thick school of sockeyes around. Fishing gets slower in late morning. If you want a quick limit of sockeyes, fish at crack of dawn.
In old days, if I didn't catch a spring salmon, I go to a productive sockeye fishing spot, caught a limit of sockeyes at 11 am or noon before heading home.
In old days, if I didn't catch a spring salmon, I go to a productive sockeye fishing spot, caught a limit of sockeyes at 11 am or noon before heading home.
M
mason.jar
Guest
Speaking of bubble gum colored MP's, I was told to buy them when ever I see them, as many shops have told me that they will be hard to find this year. I use them to make a cool lure out of a 1.5 or 3.0 clear based Apex lure with a black siwash hook. I cut down the MP length ways to get three to four legs and attach it to the crane swivel that is attached to the siwash hook. I use that stretch spider thread and just wind it on securely. I fish the rig approximately 42 to 48 inches behind a flasher, either purple haze or jellyfish. If you have a hard time finding an Apex in clear look for the UV clears and peel the sticker off if it has one. I have also caught springs with this rig as well. Mason
[www.savebcsalmon.ca]
[www.savebcsalmon.ca]
From Mat ( Iron Noggin ) who lives in Port alberni.
Don
At the risk of being redundant, and as I was working on this anyway...
There are really three runs worth mentioning when it comes to the Inlet, sockeye, springs and coho. Each require a different approach, and varying gear techniques to be amongst the Top Rods.
Sockeye:
SeanM and a Morning's FUN (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
(IMG:http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Tracks/SeanM_Sox.jpg)
These smaller salmon are generally described as the best tablefare of the lot. Average in the Inlet runs ~ 6-8 pounds, but each year we also see a few topping ten and twelve! They occasionally start as early as now (3 years ago, a buddy and I hit 27 on the 26th of May while out speculating!), but the last couple of years, they haven't really turned on until mid-June. Last year it seemed even later than that to me. This year, the sockeye have been creeping in for a little while now, just not all that conducise to biting. This is a reflection of environmental conditions - when the Inlet is cold, and the river is running highish and cool, the sox will literally bolt right into and up the flow. Makes for difficult targets, as they do not pause on the way in. When the water heats in the inlet, and the river drops a tad and warms (as happens each year) the sockeye become reluctant to enter the freshwater. This has the effect of backing and schooling them up in ever increasing numbers, and that, exactly, is what in turn makes them much more susceptible to The Bite.
Most days, the action is very early, expecially at the beginning of the season. First light = first bite definitely holds true. One of our local sayings is that if you're still out there when the Lady Rose steams by (9:00ish), you've missed out. So, be prepared to ge early!! (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
At first light, the sockeye can be right on the surface. Later in the season it is not at all unusual to see large schools finning right on top! A word to the wise, don't run right over them, for they will surely sound! As the sun creeps higher, the fish generally drop down in depth. Usually this also means the bite slows, but not always - we've had some tremendous fisheries at noon!
Sockeye LOVE flash and glitter! The more of that you have down below, the greater your odds of success. I've managed to turn entire schools and had them follow the boat for miles, simply by running a LOT of flash down there!
Two methods of approach:
Standard:
It was the commercial troll fleet that came up with the method originally to target on these fish, always previously considered to be non-biters. Shortly after their success, sporties got in on the game, and the Inlet fishery was off and running.
Most folks deploy standard salmon rods/reels. Terminals are various colourations of flashers: red base / silver blade, green base / silver blade being the most predominant. With experiementation, we found those that have a green or clear base, silver foil, with a leading blue/green edge on one side to be extremely effective. Behind this the typical choice is one of the MP (mini-plankton) hootchies in bubblegum and various shades of pink and red. Leader length is dependant on boat speed of course, but the average is ~ 27 inches. Run your first set off the ball at ~ 20 - 25 feet out, drop 15 feet, repeat with the next. Some, recognising the sox love of flash, add a 3rd rod another 15 feet above that. Then drop the ball down to just below where the fish are marking on your sounder. Repeat on the other side, and stagger (ie: one side at 45 feet, the other at 32). this covers the water column well, and will result in more hook-ups. Sockeye like it a tad slower than most, so set the boat speed ~ 1.8 knots, sometimes a tad slower, sometimes a tad faster. Don't be at all afraid of making numerous twists and turns! The fish then tell you if they want if faster or slower than what you're moving the boat speed at.
UltraLight:
A few years back, a handfull of us started experiementing with ways to make these little guys more fun. To that end, we experimented with literally dozens of small, light spoons, run off trout rods (standard spinning gear w/ 10-12 lb test). Eventually we determined that the then-in-production Krippled K's were THE diet of choice, and would pull the fish faster than most others. Since then, the KK's have been discontinued, and we have had to find aquireable replacements. The last couple of years, Coyote spoons 2 & 3/4" in Party Gal, Party Boy, Halloween and Cop Car have worked well, as well as a few of the Gypsy spoons (by Gibbs) in the same size and basic colours (reds, pinks, Army Truck, Cop Car and glitter). If you can find anythything in that size range that shows PEARL one side, GET IT OUT THERE!!! (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
In this application, you need what we refer to as "False Flashers" to bring the sox into the gear. These are simply the same flashers as noted above, on an 8-10 foot tether of mono, clipped directly to the wire, and bearing no terminal. You'll need 4 of these, and 6 is better.
Clip the first false flasher to the ball, drop but 2 feet. You want the flasher rotating, a mere few inches below the surface. Clip the downrigger release 2 - 2 1/2 feet above the point where the flasher is connected. Run the spoon ~ 5 - 8 feet out behind the revolving flasher, then drop 12-15 feet. Repeat with the next set of false flasher and spoon combo, drop again, and repeat (we quite often run 6 rods with this method). If you're not running the 3rd rod on each side, it is still a good idea to add in the 3rd flasher - remember, these fish LIKE the flash!. Once set up, again drop just below where the fish are marking, rig the other side and stagger the depths, and HANG ON!
This method tiurns these little guys into Tigers! Reel screamin' runs, soundings, and aerial displays any coho would be proud of! A REEL hoot! Two cautions: Run decent quality reels with good drags. That (and the occasional broken rod) are our biggest casualties! And, steer clear of other boats! While the fight is greatly enhanced, the buggers will almost always zone in on the boat next to you given half a chance, and wrap around their gear, losing both fish and terminal!
So, that's sockeye 101 for the Inlet. There's a lot of areas that produce, including Cous Creek, Lone tree, The China Wall, Arden creek, McTush and Nahmint Bays, and 10 mile that all work well. For the more adventuresome, Pocahontas and Points below also work right well, as can places out in the Sound. Last year, we got in on some real fun mixed fisheries, sockeye and spring combos at Pill Point, by running sox gear up top, and spring gear below. Don't be afraid to experiement, it often pays off!
Final hint: Sox also happen to very much like X-10 (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
Now if you can give me a moment, I'll see if I can do any justice to the spring fishery next...
Cheers,
Nog
Don
At the risk of being redundant, and as I was working on this anyway...
There are really three runs worth mentioning when it comes to the Inlet, sockeye, springs and coho. Each require a different approach, and varying gear techniques to be amongst the Top Rods.
Sockeye:
SeanM and a Morning's FUN (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
(IMG:http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Tracks/SeanM_Sox.jpg)
These smaller salmon are generally described as the best tablefare of the lot. Average in the Inlet runs ~ 6-8 pounds, but each year we also see a few topping ten and twelve! They occasionally start as early as now (3 years ago, a buddy and I hit 27 on the 26th of May while out speculating!), but the last couple of years, they haven't really turned on until mid-June. Last year it seemed even later than that to me. This year, the sockeye have been creeping in for a little while now, just not all that conducise to biting. This is a reflection of environmental conditions - when the Inlet is cold, and the river is running highish and cool, the sox will literally bolt right into and up the flow. Makes for difficult targets, as they do not pause on the way in. When the water heats in the inlet, and the river drops a tad and warms (as happens each year) the sockeye become reluctant to enter the freshwater. This has the effect of backing and schooling them up in ever increasing numbers, and that, exactly, is what in turn makes them much more susceptible to The Bite.
Most days, the action is very early, expecially at the beginning of the season. First light = first bite definitely holds true. One of our local sayings is that if you're still out there when the Lady Rose steams by (9:00ish), you've missed out. So, be prepared to ge early!! (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
At first light, the sockeye can be right on the surface. Later in the season it is not at all unusual to see large schools finning right on top! A word to the wise, don't run right over them, for they will surely sound! As the sun creeps higher, the fish generally drop down in depth. Usually this also means the bite slows, but not always - we've had some tremendous fisheries at noon!
Sockeye LOVE flash and glitter! The more of that you have down below, the greater your odds of success. I've managed to turn entire schools and had them follow the boat for miles, simply by running a LOT of flash down there!
Two methods of approach:
Standard:
It was the commercial troll fleet that came up with the method originally to target on these fish, always previously considered to be non-biters. Shortly after their success, sporties got in on the game, and the Inlet fishery was off and running.
Most folks deploy standard salmon rods/reels. Terminals are various colourations of flashers: red base / silver blade, green base / silver blade being the most predominant. With experiementation, we found those that have a green or clear base, silver foil, with a leading blue/green edge on one side to be extremely effective. Behind this the typical choice is one of the MP (mini-plankton) hootchies in bubblegum and various shades of pink and red. Leader length is dependant on boat speed of course, but the average is ~ 27 inches. Run your first set off the ball at ~ 20 - 25 feet out, drop 15 feet, repeat with the next. Some, recognising the sox love of flash, add a 3rd rod another 15 feet above that. Then drop the ball down to just below where the fish are marking on your sounder. Repeat on the other side, and stagger (ie: one side at 45 feet, the other at 32). this covers the water column well, and will result in more hook-ups. Sockeye like it a tad slower than most, so set the boat speed ~ 1.8 knots, sometimes a tad slower, sometimes a tad faster. Don't be at all afraid of making numerous twists and turns! The fish then tell you if they want if faster or slower than what you're moving the boat speed at.
UltraLight:
A few years back, a handfull of us started experiementing with ways to make these little guys more fun. To that end, we experimented with literally dozens of small, light spoons, run off trout rods (standard spinning gear w/ 10-12 lb test). Eventually we determined that the then-in-production Krippled K's were THE diet of choice, and would pull the fish faster than most others. Since then, the KK's have been discontinued, and we have had to find aquireable replacements. The last couple of years, Coyote spoons 2 & 3/4" in Party Gal, Party Boy, Halloween and Cop Car have worked well, as well as a few of the Gypsy spoons (by Gibbs) in the same size and basic colours (reds, pinks, Army Truck, Cop Car and glitter). If you can find anythything in that size range that shows PEARL one side, GET IT OUT THERE!!! (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
In this application, you need what we refer to as "False Flashers" to bring the sox into the gear. These are simply the same flashers as noted above, on an 8-10 foot tether of mono, clipped directly to the wire, and bearing no terminal. You'll need 4 of these, and 6 is better.
Clip the first false flasher to the ball, drop but 2 feet. You want the flasher rotating, a mere few inches below the surface. Clip the downrigger release 2 - 2 1/2 feet above the point where the flasher is connected. Run the spoon ~ 5 - 8 feet out behind the revolving flasher, then drop 12-15 feet. Repeat with the next set of false flasher and spoon combo, drop again, and repeat (we quite often run 6 rods with this method). If you're not running the 3rd rod on each side, it is still a good idea to add in the 3rd flasher - remember, these fish LIKE the flash!. Once set up, again drop just below where the fish are marking, rig the other side and stagger the depths, and HANG ON!
This method tiurns these little guys into Tigers! Reel screamin' runs, soundings, and aerial displays any coho would be proud of! A REEL hoot! Two cautions: Run decent quality reels with good drags. That (and the occasional broken rod) are our biggest casualties! And, steer clear of other boats! While the fight is greatly enhanced, the buggers will almost always zone in on the boat next to you given half a chance, and wrap around their gear, losing both fish and terminal!
So, that's sockeye 101 for the Inlet. There's a lot of areas that produce, including Cous Creek, Lone tree, The China Wall, Arden creek, McTush and Nahmint Bays, and 10 mile that all work well. For the more adventuresome, Pocahontas and Points below also work right well, as can places out in the Sound. Last year, we got in on some real fun mixed fisheries, sockeye and spring combos at Pill Point, by running sox gear up top, and spring gear below. Don't be afraid to experiement, it often pays off!
Final hint: Sox also happen to very much like X-10 (IMG:http://fishbcforum.com/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
Now if you can give me a moment, I'll see if I can do any justice to the spring fishery next...
Cheers,
Nog
so nog, your light tackle description sounds like the perfect setup for wakeflying. do you know of anyone up there trying this in the early am???
and to clarify a point for the fish assassin:
Bartering is a medium in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of money.
and to clarify a point for the fish assassin:
Bartering is a medium in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of money.
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Nope, but I do think it might work. Use something similar to what you're thinking for coho offshore at times, and on a larger scale for tuna waaaay out there. We see lots of sox finning in the pre-dawn and into daylight when there are big numbers in - just might be worth a shot... Let us know if you give it a go...
And yeah Don, I'm here...LOL! [}
]Dunno where you dug that oldie up, but most still applies - or soon will that is. Might even get the chance to give it a whirl again myself...
Cheers,
Nog
Charlie
Well-Known Member
TUNA...? I can do that!quote:Originally posted by IronNoggin
Nope, but I do think it might work. Use something similar to what you're thinking for coho offshore at times, and on a larger scale for tuna waaaay out there. We see lots of sox finning in the pre-dawn and into daylight when there are big numbers in - just might be worth a shot... Let us know if you give it a go...
And yeah Don, I'm here...LOL! [}
Dunno where you dug that oldie up, but most still applies - or soon will that is. Might even get the chance to give it a whirl again myself...
Cheers,
Nog
Paul Burak
Member
What size hooks do you guys use for sockey
