I was wondering if any one has tried using a sockeye setup in salt water for kings or silvers?
I am thinking the bare hook setup is suppose to imitate shrimp. Salmon eat shrimp out in the salt don't they? Theoretically, it should work shouldn't it?

I am going to try it out this weekend.

Arms not recovered from all those sockeye?
Spent too much money trickin' out your new truck?

Your gonna try to catch a king with a bare hook?
If you can't afford a couple new hootchies I'll send ya' a $1.00

Good luck man!!!

Years ago when I work as a deckhand commerical fishing, we used to paint our hooks red with finger nail polish for sockeye. Red hooks were hard to find, little alone an extra expense. I always wanted to know how Sockeye could even distinguish red at depths greater than 30'. The answer is: the shape of hook actually represents krill. Krill can grow quite large further North.

So in theory you are correct... But remember as a fish grows, it's habits change too. When a King or Silver first hits the salt, it's diet consists primarly of Euphausids, Amphipods, and Copepods for the first year or so. Kings will switch to fish (bait) first followed by Silvers and Chum. Where as Sockeye and Pinks will primarily continue to feed on the above (one of the reasons why the flesh is so red). It is interesting to note that Silvers will feed on zooplanton almost exclusively until the last few months of their lives... The switch will generally occur in late Spring as the blooms of zooplanton dimenish. During these last few months, Silvers can gain as much as 1-3 per month!

Also, most of the fish heading south are "in transit" and are not feeding. They strike out of instinct or aggression. I'd leave the bare hooks home. Stick to baits and lures that make a lot of noise (Pink or orange Wiggle Warts or Hot Shots).

Silvers may hit those bare hooks... I dunno- never tried it. Might try pink or orange Gammie.

In the Winter, we Area 13 boys fly fish for 14"-20" Silvers on light fly rods using a size 14-16 amphipod pattern. Occasionally we nail a 2#-4# Blackmouth.

Downriggin'

We fished kings with the bare hook in lake Wa. worked good. Unsure about in the salt.

Caught a massive hooknose silver last fall in lake Washington on a bare hook setup. Haven't tried the salt thuogh.

I have heard that bare hooks work well for kings but also to use wiggleworts and hot shots. I think it really is just what you feel comfortable with. What size wiggleworts/hotshots should you use?

I like the big and ugly Mags....

Downriggin'

Up in BC they use teeny, tiny little red hoochies for sockeye. You might keep an eye out for them. I saw them for sale at Ted's Sporting Goods in Lynnwood one year.

Right on,

that explains the two native
silvers I caught in Lk. Washington!

Thanks,

Ken

When did you catch native silvers in Lake WA?

Easy, I was talking to the WDFW and they said that just like in the Sound, there are some salmon that don't leave Lake W. I think that they are called Kokanee though. I was also talking to him about a rumor of sturgeon in Lake W. He said that there are some really huge ones, in fact, he said he saw some go through the Locks himself that must have beem over 200 lbs. Not sure how you would target them though. Can you imagine hooking into one of them with your 25 lb test salmon rod?

I can remember a long time ago, over 15 years, a news story of a gigantic fish (200+ lbs) washing up on shore in lake WA. If I remember correctly, it was a sturgeon. It was reported to have gotten trapped in the lake when they built the locks.

I could be wrong about this. Does any one else remember a story like that?

Kokanee are land-locked Sockeye not Coho/Silver.

I realized what I said about the Kokes. I think that Kennyray was either mistaken or pulling some leg.

The sturgeon information is for real. Don't know where they would be at this time though. Have you done a search on it?