I was wondering if there is any place around here that you can bank it for sockeye salmon. I know that the Fraser river has a good run of sockeye but i was hopeing that there was some river in washington that has a fishable run. If so what do you use? jigs drift gear? Thanks, any imput is appreciated!

:p

skagit near the Baker River mouth may have a season this year ... check the regs.

Thanks for the tip. Anymore are apreciated, ESPICALLY on what to use or driving directions on how to get there!

I've heared that the Sol Duc gets sockeye. Many other creeks get them out on the OP but they're closed. Much the same with the creeks and rivers that flow into Lakes Washington and Sammash.

Is there a place to bank fish for sol duc sockeye? I read the seattle newspaper report and it sounds like the fish are small scrappers that could be taken on a short pole.

What sort of tackle do you use? Spin N Glo w/Hoochy like on the baker/skagit river? Yarn and corky like on the fraser? What colors? Red? Green? Pink?

I would really be bored to have to be stuck at home with nothing better to do than fantasize about catching fish while surfing the various bulletin boards.

Rockhopper, Check Salmon, Trout, Steelheader mag a few issues back. There's an article on jig fishing that also relates to the Sockeye in the Sol Duc river. Most of the Sockeye in that river are headed for Lake Creek that flows out of Lake Pleasant.
If you spend a little time, you'll find plenty of bank access on the Duc.

Charr-

I can't really do much exploring cause my hipboots are lug soled.... Also, the only places below lake pleasant I've ever been to are the whitcomb dimmel launch, maxfield, & the quillayute rd. bridge. I've poked around a bit on the internet and read that river kayakers/rafters take out/launch at salmon drive, is this a public access area?
I'll be sure to check the back issues of STS.

Here are some recent excerpts from the Holiday Market newsletter:

"...the opening of the Skagit River in Concrete for Sockeye. It is legal to retain two Sockeye from the Dalles Bridge in Concrete up to the mouth of the Baker River. People are also allowed to fish in the Baker River from the mouth, up to the Highway 20 Bridge.

So far, the best fishing reports have favored an early morning bite. Most of the fishermen are fishing at the confluence of the Baker and Skagit, right in Concrete. Plunking with sandshrimp and winged bobbers is the most common tactic.

The Baker River- Skagit River sockeye fishery opened July 1st with reports of good concentrations/schools of sockeye and excellent fishing during the early morning bite period on opening day and the following morning.

Subsequent fishing has been inconsistent, with early morning providing the optimum bite. Large schools of sockeye continue to show, but with low, clear water, fish have been skittish. Most anglers have been using smaller Spin ‘N Gloes in green, pink or red with sand shrimp along with a 3 oz. pyramid weight and spreader bar for plunking. Some fisherman have reported success using jigs with a casting and drift or slow retrieve technique while a few anglers are utilizing jigs below a float or casting #2 Dick Nites in 50/50.

The sockeye season continues through July 31st from the Dalles Bridge upstream to the Baker and in the Baker to the Highway 20 Bridge. Sockeye to 8 pounds have been reported this week. In addition to sand shrimp, jigs and spoons are being used to “line” sockeye. "

Holiday Market, in Burlington (Mt. Vernon?) is a great shop, well worth stopping by whenever yer in the area.

Hope this helps

Good Luck N Tight Lines

Sincerely,
Roger

ps -- for driving directions you could try maps.yahoo.com or the "venerable" mapquest.com...

Sandshrimp are also a very good bet for 'Duc sockeye, which are pretty small fish, but fun to catch on light tackle and good eats.

Stop by Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks to grab your shrimp and Bob would likely point you towards a few productive options.

Salmon Drive is public access, but you're not going to find anything deeper than about 1 foot in that area this time of year

Saw one caught today out of Sekiu in the salt on a [ulg cut herring. Not bank access, unless you can cast six miles, but that was an odd one.

Andy

If anyone is fishing the Hoh or the Skagit any reports wouls be nice!!

Hey Bob, I rarely ever purchase sand shrimp. My pop always gets a pound or two of prawns, if I just cut 'em down to size will it be just as good a bait? Was thinking of using them with size 8 spin n glo. I'll have to refigure out how to rig my prawns, I once stumbled upon an EXCELLENT method whereby the prawn was hooked in such a fashion that it spun in the water.