I have fished the Kenai, the Russian, the Talachulitna, and the Goodnews for sockeye. In the Kenai combat line, you can't see the fish in the water, but I brought 4 to the bank, all hooked squarely in the mouth. I have no doubt that the people yarding in lots of fish are using lining techniques, but I got my four with a straight drift fishing approach. However, I may have been inadvertantly lining them, we'll never know.

In the others, you can see the fish pods. The way you fish them is to swing the fly in front of the fish, at their level. I have watch these fish move forward and sideways towards the fly, and seen the white inside their mouth as they flared the gills to take the fly. This has been as close as from about 15 feet away, so there is no question in my mind that sockeye will actively take a fly.

Then there's lake Washington, where we troll dodgers and Gamikatsu hooks. The fish actively strike these.

So, in my mind, it's pretty clear that they will bite.