Sockeye

This page is the place to find all the tips and tricks to fish for sockeye in freshwater.  These techniques are great for locations like Lake Pateros (Brewster Pool), Well Dam, Lake Wenatchee, Lake Washington, Baker Lake and more.

At a time when it seems like one piece of bad news after another for most salmon and steelhead, sockeye are a bright ray of hope.  In the last 5 or 6 years we’ve seen several sockeye fisheries come back to life, and the words “record run” ringing in our ears.

Many people consider sockeye to be one of the best tasting salmon with its fatty bright red meat.

Sockeye spawn in river systems connected to lakes, since the young sockeye spend their first year living in lakes.  And it is in these lakes that it is the most popular places to fish for them.  Places like Lake Wenatchee, Lake Washington and Baker Lake are well known locations.  Hopefully in a few years we will be able to add Lake Cle Elum and Lake Cushman to that list.

There are also a few spots on the mighty Columbia where due to dams, where the fish slow down and we are able to use our regular lake approach to target these fish.  Perhaps the best well known spot is Brewster Pool inside Lake Pateros.  Other locations are spots like just downstream from Wells Dam.

Some people even target them in smaller rivers, like the Skagit.

If you are new to fishing for sockeye, then please start with the basics.  That page contains the basic sockeye fishing rigs to use, as well as trolling instructions.

• 2018 Washington Salmon Return Forecast
• 2019 Washington Salmon Forecasts
• Baker Lake Report – July 2015
• Baker Lake Sockeye Adventure
• Baker Lake Sockeye By The Numbers
• Baker Lake Sockeye Fishing Report July 2016
• Bare Hook Sockeye Rig
• Best Guide To Sidedrift For Salmon
• Beware The Moon Jelly!
• Creating a Custom Fish Skeleton Sticker Dodger
• Creating A Custom Ladderback Dodger
• Creating a Custom Moonshine Dodger
• Creating a Custom Pink Splatter Glow Dodger
• Creating a Custom Red Racer Dodger
• Hoochie Fishing Tip – Trailing Hook
• How To Rig A Hoochie
• How To Tie the NSR Sockeye Rig
• How To Tie the Rasticle Sockeye Rig
• Improve Your Fishing with The 5 Best Fishing Books
• Lake Wenatchee Sockeye 2016
• Lake Wenatchee Sockeye Fishing Report July 2016
• Lake Wenatchee Sockeye Report – Early August 2015
• Making a Custom Wedding Ring Lure
• Return to Baker Lake 2018
• Sockeye at Lake Wenatchee 2015
• Sockeye Fishing Basics
• Sockeye Fun At Baker Lake 2016
• Sockeye Hoochie Rig
• Sockeye Map – Baker Lake
• Sockeye Map – Lake Pateros (Brewster Pool)
• Sockeye Map – Lake Wenatchee
• Sockeye Map – Wells Dam
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Ball Flasher
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Bend That Dodger
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Dodger Enhancement
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Dry Cure Grocery Store Shrimp
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Gold and Silver Blades
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Mainline Spinner
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Peak-a-boo UV flash
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Rudder Flasher
• Stupid Sockeye Tricks – Scent on Dodger
• The Best Guide To Fish For Sockeye In Lakes
• The Best Kokanee Dodger Storage
• Washington Sockeye Update – Late July 2019
• Washington Sockeye Update – Mid July 2019
• Washington Sockeye Update – Early August 2018
• Washington Sockeye Update – Early July 2016
• Washington Sockeye Update – Early July 2017
• Washington Sockeye Update – Early July 2019
• Washington Sockeye Update – June 2016
• Washington Sockeye Update – Late July 2016
• Washington Sockeye Update – Late July 2017
• Washington Sockeye Update – Late June 2017
• Washington Sockeye Update – Mid July 2018