I too have an under water camera, I think I picked it up about 15 years ago and I can say for sure that flossing is not what happens with Lake Washington Sockeye, but there are many misconceptions on the set up.

Sockeye will follow the hooks, not the dodger, in fact I've never seen one attack the dodger. Up to five or six will come up behind the hook and at times each will take a turn at tasting it, they will swim up, take the hook in their mouth, hold it for split second and then spit it out and you will never know it happened without the camera.

The reason for the short leader is because at the very slow speed used for these fish the dodger doesn't move much, this results in little movement of the hooks. The only reason they get hooked is because the hook moves and pokes them, then comes the head shake and hook set. With a long leader just as many fish took the hook into their mouths, but the hook never moved, or if it did it was too little and too late, with a short leader the hook moves much more, resulting in the hook set.

Sometimes we watch the camera and hold the rod, as the fish just starts to take the hook into its mouth you pull, this improves the hook up rate.


I have not used the camera on lake Sammamish Kings, but I use the same bare hook rig and they seem to be hooked in the mouth.

Most salmon will bump into the camera and show no concern for it, but steelhead will stay clear, at least I've never been able to get one to come after a bait with a camera close enough to see what happens.