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[cutthroat22]

Unfortunately you cannot see the snags at Sapperton as it drops of fast either from the dock and the piers and is not a "bar". 

I have tried fishing sockeye now in Richmond, New West, and Annacis Island and am always skunked and end up fishing for pikeminnows...

Sapperton maybe has a better chance to produce as you have access to a little deeper water then you do on the normal bars around here and maybe the fish cruise along the edge?

[gigahoo]

I am in the same situation as Andrew and I don't believe any of the posts here have given satisfactory answers.    I was told by the experienced guys at my favourite tackle store that fishing the lower Fraser for Sockeye is very problematical.   That the flossing techniques that work above Mission don't work in the lower Fraser.  Fishing the salt water offshore was recommended, but Sunday was somewhat windy for a small boat.

My experience on Sunday at the mouth of the Fraser in my small boat seems to confirm this.     Despite sockeye jumping all around very few were caught, and it appears to me, strictly by snagging.    And a lot of people left empty handed.   The current seemed (out flow tide) too slow for flossing to work, though perhaps it can be done with a very light setup, but how is exactly what Andrew and I are asking advice about.

Clearly, a different technique is called for on the lower Fraser.  I'd be interested in a boat technique and a from-shore technique.

Just my two bits.

[liketofish]

Attach a  spin-n-glo at the end of long leader, attach a hook before the head of spin n glo. Does any one have expereinces of this for sockeye.

I have heard about this method in some slower flowing water of the upper bar, using spin-n-glo with a shorter leader under a float, but have any body tried this in tidal Fraser?

[Rodney]

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=24744.0

[vancook]

I am in the same situation as Andrew and I don't believe any of the posts here have given satisfactory answers.    I was told by the experienced guys at my favourite tackle store that fishing the lower Fraser for Sockeye is very problematical.   That the flossing techniques that work above Mission don't work in the lower Fraser.  Fishing the salt water offshore was recommended, but Sunday was somewhat windy for a small boat.

My experience on Sunday at the mouth of the Fraser in my small boat seems to confirm this.     Despite sockeye jumping all around very few were caught, and it appears to me, strictly by snagging.    And a lot of people left empty handed.   The current seemed (out flow tide) too slow for flossing to work, though perhaps it can be done with a very light setup, but how is exactly what Andrew and I are asking advice about.

Clearly, a different technique is called for on the lower Fraser.  I'd be interested in a boat technique and a from-shore technique.

Just my two bits.

alot of guys in the chuck are trolling for socks using a flasher and a pink hoochie...if you're near steveston I recommend going into Nikka fishing and marine, they should be able to help you out with a good salt water approach

[gigahoo]

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=24744.0

This is a good link.  Thanks Rodney.


 

[gigahoo]

Only an idea so far, but seems promising as a new way to catch sockeye in the delta area.


To address the problem of slow current in the lower fraser near the mouth, I have the idea of inserting a round lead weight inside of a golf ball size rubber ball, and using the ball as a weight, to be used with standard flossing techniques.

The rubber ball weight will reduce the buoyancy of the lead metal core and together will is bullky size, this should insure that the current will move it along, thus standard flossing methods should work.

I will try it this weekend if I have a chance to get out.  If any one else tries it, let us know!

[funpig]

From what I saw on Monday after work, the preferred shore technique in the Lower Fraser is 2 or 3 oz of lead weight on the end of your line, a hook 3 or 4 feet up from the weight and a second hook another 3 or 4 feet further up from the first hook (Are you allowed more than one hook on the line?).  A bit of wool tied to each hook.  They cast it out and rip/reel it in (they called it "jigging").  Alot of guys were using this method;  a few others were tossing spoons.  I watched for about 30 minutes.  There were a few jumpers within their casting distance, but no fish were hooked.

[Fish Assassin]

Tossed spoons and spinners at the Lower Fraser this morning. Sockeyes started jumping all over the place at high slack. Called it quits after an hour and headed to the Steveston Wharf. Quite a few people out and still buying sockeyes off the boats. Saw one lady who purchased 40 sockeyes !

[gigahoo]

From what I saw on Monday after work, the preferred shore technique in the Lower Fraser is 2 or 3 oz of lead weight on the end of your line, a hook 3 or 4 feet up from the weight and a second hook another 3 or 4 feet further up from the first hook (Are you allowed more than one hook on the line?).  A bit of wool tied to each hook.  They cast it out and rip/reel it in (they called it "jigging").  Alot of guys were using this method;  a few others were tossing spoons.  I watched for about 30 minutes.  There were a few jumpers within their casting distance, but no fish were hooked.

I saw one caught by this technique on Sunday...not sure how many hooks, but it does not look very productive overall.

In principal I don't see why the flossing methods shouldn't work on the Fraser, if one could adjust for the slow current.   So another idea I'm consider is adding a short piece of old floating fly line to the leader to keep the leader just off the bottom.    I assume large hooks must be a necessity to increase one's chances.   

I should disclose that I don't have much experience with this kind of fishing.   So my comments should be taken as speculative.

[vancook]

From what I saw on Monday after work, the preferred shore technique in the Lower Fraser is 2 or 3 oz of lead weight on the end of your line, a hook 3 or 4 feet up from the weight and a second hook another 3 or 4 feet further up from the first hook (Are you allowed more than one hook on the line?).  A bit of wool tied to each hook.  They cast it out and rip/reel it in (they called it "jigging").  Alot of guys were using this method;  a few others were tossing spoons.  I watched for about 30 minutes.  There were a few jumpers within their casting distance, but no fish were hooked.

that sounds like intentional snagging to me, which is illegal.

[DragonSpeed]

I saw one caught by this technique on Sunday...not sure how many hooks, but it does not look very productive overall.

In principal I don't see why the flossing methods shouldn't work on the Fraser, if one could adjust for the slow current.   So another idea I'm consider is adding a short piece of old floating fly line to the leader to keep the leader just off the bottom.    I assume large hooks must be a necessity to increase one's chances.   

I should disclose that I don't have much experience with this kind of fishing.   So my comments should be taken as speculative.

Topography of the river bottom isnt' conducive to bouncing.  Your weight will get stuck the big rocks on the bottom.  You need a river bottom with lots of smooth "medium sized" rocks and a fast enough current to keep your weight ticking along.

[tworivers]

Topography of the river bottom isnt' conducive to bouncing.  Your weight will get stuck the big rocks on the bottom.  You need a river bottom with lots of smooth "medium sized" rocks and a fast enough current to keep your weight ticking along.

What kind of water depths are you guys talking here??

[scales]

Topography of the river bottom isnt' conducive to bouncing.  Your weight will get stuck the big rocks on the bottom.  You need a river bottom with lots of smooth "medium sized" rocks and a fast enough current to keep your weight ticking along.

This is true, however there are a few places you can bounce in the lower Fraser and catch your limits.  Many years back I heard of such a place and decided to try it, yes I did bounce a 2 oz ball in the lower river effectively.  Sockeye results were poor for me but saw a few caught and did hear people limiting out.  I wont disclosed the location as this place should be kept a secret to the selective few who discovered the place.  Information that might be of use would be outgoing tides near the lowest tidal cycles, big run size and timing....just a 2 hour window at this.  Another method we used in the lower Fraser was trolling up river from Steveston on flood tides with a small flasher and a hot pink hoochie, this works as I've caught my socks.    

[funpig]

that sounds like intentional snagging to me, which is illegal.

One of the older guys who was doing this was very candid;  he said that once the sockeye enter the river, they don't bite and and the only way to catch them is to floss or snag them.

On the other hand, I went back yesterday and saw two other guys fishing.  One of the funniest things I ever saw.  They were using one spinning rod which one guy held downside up (spinning reel on top and winding in reverse to bring line in).  The mainline was tied to a 18 inch stick and a 2 foot leader with a hook and a piece of wool was tied to the stick.  The second guy would take the stick in one hand and about 60 feet of the mainline coiled in the other hand and fling the whole rig out as far as he can.  The first guy would just hold the rod and let the stick float down the river.  At the end of the drift, he would reel in the rig and they would do it again.  They told me that they caught two sockeyes in the last week  using this method.

One other guy using a spoon said he managed to catch 3 on the outgoing tide in the morning, when the sockeye were resting close to shore.  But most of the guys I talked to said they have had no luck in catching a sockeye from shore in the Lower Fraser.