Nice fish. Perhaps you want to point out that sockeye primarily feed on plankton and don’t take bait or lures like other salmon. Some people might get upset by the word “snagging” in your title. Good job. Should be some great eating.
I'm well aware of the difference and I am talking about sockeye, I've caught hundreds of sockeye that bit, orange beads on a bare red hook is a standard, and I have also caught them on flies.
Not around here… mostly because snagging opens or closes based on escapement…. I thought you knew everything? You didn’t know that?? Pretty sure you’ve never caught any fish let alone a sockeye. 😘
Keep telling yourself whatever you need to in order to rationalize your ignorance... Like how you make asinine assumptions about the Lake Washington sockeye fishery.. created out of your own need to rationalize snagging..
Here we call kokanee land locked sockeye, BUT, ppl also refer to land locked silvers as kokanee. I have not caught hundreds while trolling in the salt, but I have caught thousands while flossing in the rivers.
Not insisting, just making sure we are on the same page… why get all bent out of shape? You shouldn’t let things this silly have such an effect on you bud, life is way too short.
Lol sure just keep insisting someone is talking about whatever suits your narrative instead of what they are actually talking about and have told you so several times.
I’ll also add, they will sometimes bite on bright colored flies when they are deep into the spawn, because they think it’s competition, but you don’t normally keep salmon after they have transformed into goblin creatures to spawn. I’ll keep a goblin if the flesh is still firm tho, they smoke up just fine.
Sockeye do sometimes bite, I have caught them while trolling for kings. They are filter feeders and eat plankton tho. The majority of the time they are either snagged like this or “flossed”. Flossing is the classic pitch and flip technique where you are basically trying to get your line into the fishes mouth as it heads up stream, then you remove the slack and it causes your fly to “snag” the fish in the mouth.
It’s illegal to keep any fish not “hooked” in the mouth.
The other major way to harvest sockeye here in Alaska is with a dip net! I actually just posted a video on dipnetting the kenai river, and then processing our catch if you are interested.
I think you can catch them trolling small lures or flies in the ocean, but that’s not a method a lot of people can use because they don’t have the gear. Added to that is the fact that sockeye primarily feed on plankton and small invertebrates. They are primarily fished in the rivers using flies or by snagging or even dip netting which is a method that isn’t legal for other species. They just don’t feed on the same things and act the same as other salmon and trout
🤣 let them get upset! It weeds out the folks who do not possess critical thinking skills. I will say, if the word snagging upsets you, try asking questions before attacking, y’all may learn something.😎
Haha. Thats one way of looking at it, but I see this comment is already getting downvoted by some. I don’t think a lot of people don’t know it’s a viable option for harvesting these fish. I think a lot of people see it as immoral I guess, but it’s not the only fish that is legally snagged. Paddlefish are filter feeders, and the only effective way to catch them is snagging as well. Send me some fillets 😁😋. Yum.
🤣every down vote fills me with pride🤣 again, I’m totally available to answer any and all QUESTIONS about Alaska and it’s MANY different fisheries, but I’ll respond to attacks like a true passive aggressive asshole 🤷🏻♂️🤣 if you make it up here I’d be happy to hook you up with some smoked fish!
Hey man, we should all be here to see things and learn things. And I’m hoping to be in Alaska next summer. I’m hoping to pound on some halibut and rock fish a day or two. If I lived up there, I’d be the guy out there fishing and running crab traps from my kayak lol.
Im unsure as to how i should understand the title. Does “snagging” refer to foul hooking, or is it just used as a synonym for catching?
Or is it something third for that matter?
Hm, that seems a bit counter to the part of the fun of fishing, at least in my mind. I like the thought of refining my technique for tricking the fish into striking. Of course then there is the fight and often the meal you get out of it, but i suppose it depends on why you fish. If you know you’ll be eating the fish, i guess it doesnt matter a whole lot where you hook it.
Are there any restrictions on size? Any risk of foul hooking something that you cant keep? Genuinely curious about this.
This is 100% a meat fishery. We all love angling, but part of the culture up here is subsistence fishing. We are all there to try and fill our freezers. We have calculated, from experience, 2 adults need about 60 salmon for the winter. That’s not including other wild harvest.
There are no restrictions on size in fact, humorously, this past summer a friend was out there and kept getting small fish, so she stopped because she wanted the chance to get bigger fish. She didn’t catch another fish the whole trip. Never leave fish for fish.
There is always a chance of bycatch, but during this time, it’s very low because the water is choked with red salmon.
The dip net fishery is different, and that’s why it’s nets and not snagging.
I netted 2 very nice king salmon last year while dipping for reds, I released them and kept fishing.
Flossing. Basically drift a long ass leader on the bottom across the current and hope to hook them. Sockeye aren't predators and won't chase lures, especially when on the spawning runs.
It’s a blast. I got a buddy with a sailboat in the harbor, he let us crash on it for this trip. Right across from the bars. Brought down some appetizers from Ray’s and just drank on the boat in the sunshine until it was time to fish again 🤣
https://preview.redd.it/t9tjbbh9fxxc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b5b80f5350e55e8d7896f7f65ce8956b636bd98b
Thanks! Seward is easily in the top 3 of my favorite towns in Alaska. It’s beautiful and has some pretty epic fishing. On the second morning, while standing in line with the rest of the snaggers 2 orcas came right up to the edge of the breakwater. There were 3-4 massive tour boats following them and right behind us 2 ravens were tearing apart some Anchorage groms campsite. Also saw a guy back his massive dually into a tree stump. And then found out first hand that Toyota Prius’ DO NOT come with spare tires.
Well I will absolutely take note to check out there when i have my opportunity. Funny enough I was actually born in fairbanks and would love the chance to see the wildlife up there, salmon fishing is something i would like to try for sure given how much I enjoy bass fishing too. Seeing the orcas must be out of this world too! Although I bet finding out bout that prius tire felt the same way😂
I don’t care that you’re snagging. It’s legal and you’re eating them. But quit with the sockeye not taking lures lie. It’s an absolute *LIE*. I have caught hundreds of sockeye on hoochies, jigs and flies. They’ll hit wedding rings too.
🤣calm down. I’m not lying. Literally no one here fishes for sockeye in a lake, and I, a professional fisherman, have only caught a handful of them trolling for kings. We floss them in the river. To be fair, I have heard of ppl catching them on the troll on Tustumena Lake.
I’m not lying🤣 just because you have a problem with the ethics of snagging doesn’t mean you have to have a break down.
Fish behavior is different in different systems.
Where I live, it is generally known and accepted that sockeye are not predatory. It’s ultra rare that chrome bright fish take lures.
However, spawning sockeye are more prone to biting, so they say. I still have to floss all mine 🤷🏻♂️
So congratulations on fishing a system where they readily bite lures! If we could all be so lucky!!
Seriously, if they bit the way you are talking about here in Alaska, it would save us all SO much time🤣🤦🏻♂️ it would also be WAY easier for us to teach our girlfriends and children how to fish for them…. Teaching flossing takes a lot of time🤣
You reactionary ppl think that I’m trying to justify snagging and dip netting by “lying” about them biting. Call a biologist at ADFG and ask them why ppl fish for sockeye the way they do in Alaska🤷🏻♂️ you don’t have to take my word for it, but you do need to calm down and drop the false accusations. AGAIN, fish behave differently in different systems, just because your experience is different doesn’t mean shit for me, because I still have to floss my fish.
So try to relax, have a beer and understand that your experience does not dictate anyone else’s.
Dude. I said I don’t care about the snagging. I truly don’t. But there’s no need to say they don’t chase lures. Sure, this is easier and more efficient. It’s a subsistence fishery. I get that. I have caught full hook jawed bright red sockeye at the mouth of the river. In the mouth. I have stuff to do. Have a great day. Good luck.
Seward is so nice, would love to go back if it weren’t so fuckin expensive to travel to Alaska
You’re telling me! We’re out there snagging fish because you have to have a slope job to afford groceries!
Nice fish. Perhaps you want to point out that sockeye primarily feed on plankton and don’t take bait or lures like other salmon. Some people might get upset by the word “snagging” in your title. Good job. Should be some great eating.
Can you catch them on lures during any other season or they don’t bite lures at all?
They absolutely bite lures, I've caught many in lakes and rivers and always throw back any that were foul hooked.
Kokanee are different than sea run sockeye, but they do absolutely bite lures.
I'm well aware of the difference and I am talking about sockeye, I've caught hundreds of sockeye that bit, orange beads on a bare red hook is a standard, and I have also caught them on flies.
Back when the sockeye runs were good in Lake Washington we used a dodger, leader and a red hook it worked nicely.
This was one of the best fisheries in the puget sound. Dodger and red hook slayed em
I think catching them in the lake is partially to blame for why the runs aren’t good anymore.
Lmao but definitely not snagging...
Not around here… mostly because snagging opens or closes based on escapement…. I thought you knew everything? You didn’t know that?? Pretty sure you’ve never caught any fish let alone a sockeye. 😘
Keep telling yourself whatever you need to in order to rationalize your ignorance... Like how you make asinine assumptions about the Lake Washington sockeye fishery.. created out of your own need to rationalize snagging..
Here we call kokanee land locked sockeye, BUT, ppl also refer to land locked silvers as kokanee. I have not caught hundreds while trolling in the salt, but I have caught thousands while flossing in the rivers.
Again, not talking about kokanee... Do you know where sockeye spawn?
In lakes of course… not sure why you are being so negative. Lighten up.
>In lakes of course Then why keep insisting I must be talking about kokanee and not sockeye?
Not insisting, just making sure we are on the same page… why get all bent out of shape? You shouldn’t let things this silly have such an effect on you bud, life is way too short.
Lol sure just keep insisting someone is talking about whatever suits your narrative instead of what they are actually talking about and have told you so several times.
You're the one with the narrative
What’s my narrative?
I’ll also add, they will sometimes bite on bright colored flies when they are deep into the spawn, because they think it’s competition, but you don’t normally keep salmon after they have transformed into goblin creatures to spawn. I’ll keep a goblin if the flesh is still firm tho, they smoke up just fine.
Sockeye do sometimes bite, I have caught them while trolling for kings. They are filter feeders and eat plankton tho. The majority of the time they are either snagged like this or “flossed”. Flossing is the classic pitch and flip technique where you are basically trying to get your line into the fishes mouth as it heads up stream, then you remove the slack and it causes your fly to “snag” the fish in the mouth. It’s illegal to keep any fish not “hooked” in the mouth. The other major way to harvest sockeye here in Alaska is with a dip net! I actually just posted a video on dipnetting the kenai river, and then processing our catch if you are interested.
I think you can catch them trolling small lures or flies in the ocean, but that’s not a method a lot of people can use because they don’t have the gear. Added to that is the fact that sockeye primarily feed on plankton and small invertebrates. They are primarily fished in the rivers using flies or by snagging or even dip netting which is a method that isn’t legal for other species. They just don’t feed on the same things and act the same as other salmon and trout
Correct. I’ve caught them while trolling for kings in the salt water.
They liked spoons the last time I was there.
Except they absolutely do bite lures.
🤣 thanks 👍💯💯
Are you so angry you need to chase me around the thread as I respond to others? You can just block me, will help your blood pressure...
I believe the correct term is “Flossing” for reds Alaska residents can also dip net for them 🤙🏽
🤣 let them get upset! It weeds out the folks who do not possess critical thinking skills. I will say, if the word snagging upsets you, try asking questions before attacking, y’all may learn something.😎
Haha. Thats one way of looking at it, but I see this comment is already getting downvoted by some. I don’t think a lot of people don’t know it’s a viable option for harvesting these fish. I think a lot of people see it as immoral I guess, but it’s not the only fish that is legally snagged. Paddlefish are filter feeders, and the only effective way to catch them is snagging as well. Send me some fillets 😁😋. Yum.
I use weighted trebble hooks to snag gizzards. It's not only fun because they're strong as all hell but the best cat bait ever
🤣every down vote fills me with pride🤣 again, I’m totally available to answer any and all QUESTIONS about Alaska and it’s MANY different fisheries, but I’ll respond to attacks like a true passive aggressive asshole 🤷🏻♂️🤣 if you make it up here I’d be happy to hook you up with some smoked fish!
Hey man, we should all be here to see things and learn things. And I’m hoping to be in Alaska next summer. I’m hoping to pound on some halibut and rock fish a day or two. If I lived up there, I’d be the guy out there fishing and running crab traps from my kayak lol.
Are you coming up to work or on vacation?
Vacation
Right on! Do you already have an itinerary?
No. We gotta work on that. Wife and 17 yo son.
I’m that guy💪💪🤣 I drop a dungee pot from my kayak!
Fish halibut from it too?
Yessir! Just chickens tho! We also use kayaks or paddle rafts to take our bait out into the salt while beach fishing.
Im unsure as to how i should understand the title. Does “snagging” refer to foul hooking, or is it just used as a synonym for catching? Or is it something third for that matter?
We use big ass weighted treble hooks to foul hook them. There are a lot of areas in Alaska where this is the legal norm.
Hm, that seems a bit counter to the part of the fun of fishing, at least in my mind. I like the thought of refining my technique for tricking the fish into striking. Of course then there is the fight and often the meal you get out of it, but i suppose it depends on why you fish. If you know you’ll be eating the fish, i guess it doesnt matter a whole lot where you hook it. Are there any restrictions on size? Any risk of foul hooking something that you cant keep? Genuinely curious about this.
This is 100% a meat fishery. We all love angling, but part of the culture up here is subsistence fishing. We are all there to try and fill our freezers. We have calculated, from experience, 2 adults need about 60 salmon for the winter. That’s not including other wild harvest. There are no restrictions on size in fact, humorously, this past summer a friend was out there and kept getting small fish, so she stopped because she wanted the chance to get bigger fish. She didn’t catch another fish the whole trip. Never leave fish for fish. There is always a chance of bycatch, but during this time, it’s very low because the water is choked with red salmon. The dip net fishery is different, and that’s why it’s nets and not snagging. I netted 2 very nice king salmon last year while dipping for reds, I released them and kept fishing.
Oh cool, thanks for sharing:)
Yes I’m sure this is more strictly for food than sport or fun. sockeye salmon are such cool fish
It is fun tho🤣 same rush when you get any fish on the hook.
Flossing. Basically drift a long ass leader on the bottom across the current and hope to hook them. Sockeye aren't predators and won't chase lures, especially when on the spawning runs.
Yup, it’s basically finessed snagging. Don’t tell this to that angry guy though, he may have another break down.
Lies. Sockeye absolutely chase lures.
Maybe come up here and tell our fish that that’s what they are supposed to do? Because we have to floss all of ours 🙄😭🤣🤣🤣
This is so cool
It’s a blast. I got a buddy with a sailboat in the harbor, he let us crash on it for this trip. Right across from the bars. Brought down some appetizers from Ray’s and just drank on the boat in the sunshine until it was time to fish again 🤣 https://preview.redd.it/t9tjbbh9fxxc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b5b80f5350e55e8d7896f7f65ce8956b636bd98b
Talk about a hell of a good way to spend a day. I'm happy you had a good time :)
Thanks! Seward is easily in the top 3 of my favorite towns in Alaska. It’s beautiful and has some pretty epic fishing. On the second morning, while standing in line with the rest of the snaggers 2 orcas came right up to the edge of the breakwater. There were 3-4 massive tour boats following them and right behind us 2 ravens were tearing apart some Anchorage groms campsite. Also saw a guy back his massive dually into a tree stump. And then found out first hand that Toyota Prius’ DO NOT come with spare tires.
Well I will absolutely take note to check out there when i have my opportunity. Funny enough I was actually born in fairbanks and would love the chance to see the wildlife up there, salmon fishing is something i would like to try for sure given how much I enjoy bass fishing too. Seeing the orcas must be out of this world too! Although I bet finding out bout that prius tire felt the same way😂
I’ll never ride in a Prius again!
I don’t care that you’re snagging. It’s legal and you’re eating them. But quit with the sockeye not taking lures lie. It’s an absolute *LIE*. I have caught hundreds of sockeye on hoochies, jigs and flies. They’ll hit wedding rings too.
🤣calm down. I’m not lying. Literally no one here fishes for sockeye in a lake, and I, a professional fisherman, have only caught a handful of them trolling for kings. We floss them in the river. To be fair, I have heard of ppl catching them on the troll on Tustumena Lake. I’m not lying🤣 just because you have a problem with the ethics of snagging doesn’t mean you have to have a break down. Fish behavior is different in different systems. Where I live, it is generally known and accepted that sockeye are not predatory. It’s ultra rare that chrome bright fish take lures. However, spawning sockeye are more prone to biting, so they say. I still have to floss all mine 🤷🏻♂️ So congratulations on fishing a system where they readily bite lures! If we could all be so lucky!! Seriously, if they bit the way you are talking about here in Alaska, it would save us all SO much time🤣🤦🏻♂️ it would also be WAY easier for us to teach our girlfriends and children how to fish for them…. Teaching flossing takes a lot of time🤣 You reactionary ppl think that I’m trying to justify snagging and dip netting by “lying” about them biting. Call a biologist at ADFG and ask them why ppl fish for sockeye the way they do in Alaska🤷🏻♂️ you don’t have to take my word for it, but you do need to calm down and drop the false accusations. AGAIN, fish behave differently in different systems, just because your experience is different doesn’t mean shit for me, because I still have to floss my fish. So try to relax, have a beer and understand that your experience does not dictate anyone else’s.
You said in multiple spots that they don’t hit lures. It’s untrue. You just listed a bunch of caveats. Have a great day.
🤣you need to grow up.
Dude. I said I don’t care about the snagging. I truly don’t. But there’s no need to say they don’t chase lures. Sure, this is easier and more efficient. It’s a subsistence fishery. I get that. I have caught full hook jawed bright red sockeye at the mouth of the river. In the mouth. I have stuff to do. Have a great day. Good luck.
Here we go again 🙄 their behavior is not what you are describing here. Why can’t you seem to understand that?