Fly Fishing for Sockeye Salmon in Alaska

So, you want to go fly fishing for sockeye salmon, do you? Well isn't it true that sockeye salmon don’t go after flies? Not so fast. While it may be true that sockeyes are the least likely to attack a fly, they definitely can be caught on flies. The debate rages on about whether or not you should go fly fishing for sockeye salmon. The answer is yes. There is also a secondary debate about whether the sockeye take a fly as a source of food or if they strike in irritation just to move the object out of the way. I don’t know when that one will be answered definitively but in the mean time, just be ready for the soft bump because that is all you’ll feel. It will not be an aggressive take and they are quick to spit the fly out so be ready to set the hook.

When fly fishing for sockeye salmon in Alaska, you’ll find that the heaviest concentration of sockeye salmon is in the Bristol Bay fishery where millions of these fish return each year, but the most popular fishing spot for sockeye salmon is the fly fishing only Russian River. At this point, you’re probably picturing in your mind a few anglers with 9 foot, 6 – 8 weight fly rods casting their flies to waiting salmon. Well, that is not exactly accurate. While it may be fly fishing only, the majority of the anglers are equipped with medium to heavy spinning rods with 15 to 20 lb test lines, a sparsely tied Coho fly tied on at the end and some lead weight about 18 inches up from the fly. If you plan to fly fish for sockeye salmon on the Russian River during the sockeye run and you have never done so before, be prepared for a phenomenon called combat fishing. Combat fishing is just as it sounds. There are literally hundreds of anglers lined up within 5 to 8 feet of one another all casting in unison and dead drifting their offerings to waiting sockeye salmon. If you are going to attempt this, take my advice and sit and observe this process before trying your hand at it. You will quickly learn the rhythm, the process, and combat fishing rules of etiquette…such as if someone lands a fish, never take that anglers spot. Big no no. This is a must see while fly fishing for sockeye salmon in Alaska and ranks right up there with seeing the fish jumping a few miles up stream at the Russian River falls.

There are not as many flies used for sockeyes so this section will be quick. One common mistake made here is in making the fly too full or too large. Sockeyes are different than their cousins in that they seem to feed on smaller objects and thus seem to take flies that are smaller and tied more sparsely than others. As mentioned before, a very popular fly is the Coho fly in a size 6 - 8. Other popular flies are the Boss (in chartreuse) and the Gold Comet (in natural ginger or a silver or orange color) which both incorporate bead-style eyes into their design. These should all be sparsely tied in size 6 – 8. I’ve also read about and talked to guys who use the Polar Shrimp and Everglow fly patterns with success as well.

You will dead drift these flies the same as with most of the other flies. Keep your casts short so you can control your line, keeping it tight, so you can feel the slightest hesitation in the line. The biggest difference here is that you will need to present the fly at exactly the same depth that the sockeye are holding at. They will not move up or down in the channel to intercept a fly but they may move laterally up to one foot. Fly fishing for sockeye salmon is a great challenge with a great reward waiting if you master this technique.