I live 5 minutes from the Fraser and I've put more hours lining sockeye than I'd care to admit. Bottom line is that I've hooked fish after fish on a bare hook, or a hook with only a tiny bead, or tiny piece of wool. And yes, lots of these were hooked on the inside of the mouth.

We actually used to fish floats and <5' leaders for the sock a number of years ago before the fishery peaked in popularity and we still hooked fish, although there is no doubt in my mind that 99.99% of htem were flossed, as are the majority of hte Springs that get caught bottom bouncing each year. Sockeye will bite, but not on a bare hook in poo brown water.