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[StillAqua]

Sporties on the troll used to catch sockeye salmon in Sprout Lake near Port Alberni. They called them "Red Trout" but they weren't supposed to keep them because they were swimming around the lake ripening up to spawn. Anyway, they weren't feeding in the lake obviously but they would still strike a spoon, fly or flashtail out of aggression. So they will "take a fly" so to speak if they are in quiet water. Doubt they would swimming up fast water though.

[ricer]

I don't know wether they bite or not because I haven't tried but if clarity is the issue, the fraser is as clear as i have seen it and besides, pinks seem to bite no matter water clarity and their stomach contents are empty as well.  Socks definately bite in the salt just outside the mouth of the river as trollers and yet the fish we catch out there have nothing in their stomachs either so even out there it must be aggression or opportunity.  Could it not be possible that in the river they may act the same way?  The fish often will stage out in the mouth for a while moving in and out with the tide waiting for who know's what (cooler temp, fresh rain, west winds) to trigger them to move up.

I guess it is possible we are all simply flossing pinks as well but it sure feels like they hammer the fly even while the swing is over and the fly is sitting there.  But it seems we would catch more so they must be biting and obviously with the amounts that are moving it must only be certain ones that decide to bite.  Maybe socks are the same only more selective.  When i start foul hooking pinks on the fly i often bend the very end of my fly and then every fish is caught in the mouth.

when are we going to get some underwater cams to solve this great mystery!  I think most are flossed (pinks and socks) and many bite out of instinct.  I like sitting on the fence for this one!
 

[nosey]

Pinks are different, they will bite, I've seen them chasing the flies out of the dirty water into the clean, caught lots on lures too, a lot of pinks are flossed though just because of their numbers, like comparing apples to oranges, just because a fish has the hook on the inside of it's mouth doesn't mean it wasn't flossed alls that it means is the hook missed the outside of the lip as it was being drug through.

[marmot]

I think most are flossed (pinks and socks) and many bite out of instinct.  I like sitting on the fence for this one!
 

pinks are very aggressive biters.  I've seen them chase down flies actively... plus, fishing the fly a couple of inches beneath the surface pretty much solves that "mystery".  Also, pinks actively hit spoons...pretty tough to floss with a spoon running a couple of feet beneath the surface and most of your line out of the water.

Try to get a sockeye in that clear water on a floating line with short leader and see what happens... the water in many spots where they can be found is plenty shallow enough to do that effectively, if only they were biting.

[RalphH]

none of the 5 species of pacific salmon feed once they have entered fresh water and in most cases they cease to feed some days or weeks before they leave saltwater. None of them strike from a feeding response once they are in the river. The fish taken in the sport and commercial troll fisheries out in the Banana and in English  Bay do bite despite the fact they are not feeding. There is also a sport fishery in Lake Washington just down south. Its done trolling from boats with flashers and even chrome propellers. Typically lure is a red octopus hook. Those fish bite as well. 

A few years back FV guide Rod Toth claimed he caught sockeye on jigs when the Fraser was unusually clear one summer. I have heard sockeye are caught on bar gear with sin and glos in the Skeena and there have been claims this has happened this year on the Fraser.

If you can catch pinks and cutthroat on flies in the murky Fraser above the Harrison why not sockeye?

[tim3500]

I have caught soks back trolling plugs on the Harrison quite frequently and in sprott lake they take a fly for sure cause I have done it and on the Babine lake I have also caught socks on a flasher and 2 small beeds trolling so why not I have seen Rod Toth use his jigs with sucsess a fly should have no problems doing its job just have to put the time in and figure it out

[maverick]

I have only fly fished for sockeye on the Skeena, spey fished actually. You do catch allot of fish on the swing and the line goes tight quickly which would suggest they hit the fly instead of you having lined them. I have also caught several fish at the end of the swing as the fly dangles below you in the seam. The take is a peck peck then tight which in my mind is absolutely a strike. So I would say sockeye definitely hit a fly.

[DanTfisherman]

I believe catching Sockeye on the fly would be a tough feat in the Fraser.
The Fraser is running at a pretty decent clip and the fish are on the move.
They are not really looking to scope things out and bite at them, even in aggression.

I have caught sockeye in some slow water on the Pitt.
They tend to pool up in these waters, rest, get aggressive with each other, and compete with each other for the best water to hold in.
In these conditions, I was having fish bite a stripped fly.

On the occasion when I was fishing, my intended target were bull trout and not sockeye.
Just in case any were wondering if the plan was to target Sockeye on the Pitt.

Dano

[Kype]

Well - despite Sockeye apparently not taking flies in the Fraser - we managed several from the hope area.  All fell to a bright green and white Clouser Minnow fished in slower water close in on a sinktip line.  ALL fish pulled hard on the fly line and ALL were hooked fair and square in the scissors - just as well from the fights and aerial acrobatics!  We missed lots more which were really fast aggressive pulls - too quick for us!!

So it can be done - have faith in your flies!

Not saying it is easy and likely less 'productive' than eggs - but the fish didn't have hooks in their chins