Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fly Fishing Cafe => Topic started by: slurpie on August 18, 2011, 09:23:53 AM
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Has anyone tried flyfishing on the fraser for socks with any degree of success? People say socks dont bite and hence bottom bouncing seems to be the "only" reliable method to target them.
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Flyfishing for sockeye can be very successful. A heavy sink tip makes a wonderful flossing machine if you choose to use it that way. Of course you will be overrun by bottom bouncers, especially now with the high water conditions.
Visibility in the Fraser is almost zero and socks don't bite under those conditions. In the Harrison or even the Vedder you can target sockeye on the fly but they are catch and release only.
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Yes, I've fly caught my share of socks on the vedder where they are holed up and schooled. Lots of fun. Fish caught on the strip back. But I would rather try to fish for socks in the slower reaches of the Fraser where the bbers don't fish and target biting fish. Any insights?
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It's going to be very tricky in the fraser just because the visibility is so poor.
You might have some success if you can find some slack water running along the seam where another (clearer) river dumps into the fraser.
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yes last sock season i fly fished for them on the fraser and caught 8 in a couple hours (catch and release). I used a very heavy sink tip and a fly with dumbell eyes and a short leader about 3 feet. Just find a shallower bar with less people, i found the best place on the fly for socks was about 300 yards down from the bridge in hope and we were the only ones on that whole strech. Just cast straight infront of you to where theres fish rising throw a big mend or 2 up river then swing into the shallow clamer water. oh and yes sockeye do bite in the fraser i caught a couple on the retrieve.
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I was catching craploads of sockeye on the spey last year. I was hoping to do the same this year also but with the river so high there is many spots this year to get room enough
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Don't forget there was 30+ million sockeye moving up last year - kind of increases the chances of hooking up wether by floss or "bite"
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Has anyone tried flyfishing on the fraser for socks with any degree of success? People say socks dont bite and hence bottom bouncing seems to be the "only" reliable method to target them.
So thats where they dissappear to from the dryer..... ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Any particular 'go to' flies?
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Used a small (size 8) natural rolled muddler with silver body and a silver bead head to pretty good effect so far - killer for Pinks too ;)
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My best fly was a chartruese clouser but then again the Fraser had alot of clarity last year
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Thanks boys... Ah, the Rolled Muddler... Is there anything it can't do?
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"Ah, the Rolled Muddler... Is there anything it can't do?" .......... not really! I tend to 'faff' around with them (bits of yellow / green / blue, etc, blended in as an under wing for a flash of colour).
Sometimes use a large headed muddler design to float with a sink tip - that works well too - bounces around in the current well
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My best fly was a chartruese clouser but then again the Fraser had alot of clarity last year
I was trying with one on the Harrison today, but did not produce anything but Pike Minnow. The Pink Clouser produced a pink of course.
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We were pis&@$& them off with big Moal leaches on the upper Pitt, man they hate that fly,The Muddler has reserved parking in the fly boxes, that is one fly that has more than proven itself.
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I'll second the rolled muddler. It's a very reliable fly and I've had great success with it.
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I fished the Harrison yeaterday f/ a boat & the vis was piss-poor. I had to work hard to hook 3 Pinks in a million casts. Chart. Clouser worked, although if they could see, many flies would have. When tying, I had the wrong hook, wrong colour thread, & Polar Bear Hair instead of Bucktail (I was too lazy/cheap to go buy more materials). Now the Clouser gets a spot in my box. Thanks, again. I could neither confirm nor deny I saw any Sox jumping--tons of Pinks, though. Also lots of flossers across the Fraser hootin' & hoolerin'. I wish they'd shut that fishery down or restrict the gear to 2' leader & size 1 hook!
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I fished the Harrison yeaterday f/ a boat & the vis was piss-poor. I had to work hard to hook 3 Pinks in a million casts. Chart. Clouser worked, although if they could see, many flies would have. When tying, I had the wrong hook, wrong colour thread, & Polar Bear Hair instead of Bucktail (I was too lazy/cheap to go buy more materials). Now the Clouser gets a spot in my box. Thanks, again. I could neither confirm nor deny I saw any Sox jumping--tons of Pinks, though. Also lots of flossers across the Fraser hootin' & hoolerin'. I wish they'd shut that fishery down or restrict the gear to 2' leader & size 1 hook!
Most of those fish you see are Sockeye, the native nets are full of them, which is why it was so hard to get those pinks. I have been fishing the Harrison for the last few days and the pinks are few and far between still. Give it a few more weeks.
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I was @ the confluence & there were tons of Pinks & they are very distinctive the way they look/jump + the Socks are generally bigger... I did see some big splashes & missed what the fish looked like... Upon leaving I noticed some clean water upstream f/ the #7 bridge. Chehalis water I presume. C & R there, but maybe better fishing?
Tight Loops,
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Some guys do that in the Fraser because it is like chocolate milk, not that I'm condoning it. In cleaner streams they bite. I'm sure y'all know that & have caught them in the Vedder or Thompson before. The day I went was from a boat in the Harrison & although dirty, I did entice 3 Pinks to bite my fly, no Sox, however. I wasn't flossing, I can tell you that.