I went there first time bb Sunday, it was quite a traumatic experience waking up at 4am just to realize that even that was too late. Got there 7am and the place was a zoo, would appreciate if someone took any pics of the crowds as no one outside the meat fishing community would believe me.
On the fishing side, I had it all (or not), broke my new rod , had one birdsnest after another (everytime I sit down on the beach to untangle my line one guy shows up and takes my spot...), at least 5 hooks lost because of constant snagging, AND NO FISH!. People left and right are reeling in one after another, not me.
There must be other places to go I am sure, and no one would probably release that kind of information on the forum, but hey, someone may have a heart for beginners that can't cast straight for 5 hours standing shoulder to shoulder to seasoned hunters, maybe pm me, I would certainly appreciate.
Probably bad timing from my side, but this had nothing to do with recreation...I will go back though once I got the hang of it, until then I stick to bottom fishing for trout which isn't a bad fish either...
I will be glad to help you & show you around places and share some techniques. It may be too late for sockeyes now. Check your PM.
One word about practising your cast with a bait caster, I always tell a beginner fisherman to practise it in a park. Just take the hook off, and practise overhead cast. Start casting short distance. When you are used to the mechanism, then cast longer. Bring along a big hook to help unwind any bird-nest situation. FA is right, do your practice castings before you show up at the river. It is too frustrating to see every one into fish while you are into bird-nests.
I went today for an afternoon in a spot above Jones/Laidlaw and limited out with 2 socs plus a bonus red spring about 18 lbs. It seems to be a slower day though compared to the last couple of days. Perhaps the effect of the FN & commercial nettings on sunday is reflected up river today.