Little help from the AK contingency. New species/technique- saltwater sockeye

So the short story is this past few days I have been trolling in 60 to 70 ft of water as I made my way out to the halibut grounds.  Surprisingly I have gotten rod bending strikes out in the middle of nowhere about 20 to 30 ft down. 

The odd thing was at the time, they didn't seem like kings. I thought maybe halibut.  But the bait would come back completely unscathed.  Happened again twice on Sunday. 

But as I was coming into the launch, I tell up thinking my gear is tangled.  But up comes a sockeye!!! Lost it right at the boat but there is no mistake that is what it was.  Hanging off my trailer 3/0 red gamaktsu Octopus.  I think I am getting the strikes from red salmon on my trailing hook. 

So if you happen to limit out on halibut in fairy deep water, try trolling two bare red hooks behind a flasher slowly.  See if you can't hook up a red salmon.  This would be revolutionary in Cook Inlet and the value of not having to combat fish or dinette them in that chaos would be super high on my list.

So it'd be awesome if a few people gave it a try.  While revolutionary to Cook Inlet, they do catch them join the saltwater and Lake Washington with this method.  A LITTLE HELP!!!!!  How cool would it be to limit out on sockeye in the salt?? 

Love it! Sockeye in the salt is talked about like the white rino .... mythical beast, said to exist but never photographed!
How far back are you trailing your last hook? Maybe down side your trailing hook to a 1/0 or even #1.... just a thought.
Good luck!

Cant confirm but have heard of people doing the red hooks in Skilak during the Russian Run.

My trailing hook is typically free swinging one bait length back. On Sunday I was trolling a hoochies with a trailing hook.

I've tried it at skilak with a zillion reds hopping all around me. Enough that they'd hit the line but no luck yet hooking then.

Over the past few outings, I've had at least a half dozen take downs. Enough to make it worthwhille especially during the peak of the July run.

I'll add that it was always in 60ft or more water which is consistent with the anchor point test fishery where the Reds aren't  quite near shore yet.

What were you trolling for with a 3/0 gamy at 60 ft ? Just curious what exactly this rig should look like? Also, with the chance of sounding real dumb, you leave your trailing hook with bait free to dangle ?

What were you trolling for with a 3/0 gamy at 60 ft ? Just curious what exactly this rig should look like? Also, with the chance of sounding real dumb, you leave your trailing hook with bait free to dangle ?

Good questions.  I was trolling a red label herring.  The set up I like to use smells a Gami 5/0 to 7/0 hook on top that I run through the head in a way to make it spin.  I have been experimenting with trailer hook size but use anything from 3/0 to 5/0 typically.  When I am trolling, I only bury the front hook and the back hook is anywhere from an inch to 2 bait lengths behind dangling free.  If I am fishing both halibut and Salmon, I will keep the trailer very short and run it once through the body so it cannot come forward and tangle with the lead hook. I would say over half of the hook ups are on the back hook.  More amazing to me is that half of those hook ups are not "lined" as you would expect but inside the mouth.  I have to believe the fish are hitting the trailing back hook.

I have trolled two bare hooks out of Seward behind a flasher.  Caught all sorts of fish. Flounder, cod, pollock, greenling, salmon smelt.  But no reds yet.  Definitely going to give it a try this year!

Great information.  I have been playing around with the frog head clamp that gives rotation but not very happy with the results, although it does get that herring rotating.  On another note I could help but see the flasher you were using in Homer lady weekend do you like that for our waters ?

Great information.  I have been playing around with the frog head clamp that gives rotation but not very happy with the results, although it does get that herring rotating.  On another note I could help but see the flasher you were using in Homer lady weekend do you like that for our waters ?

I dunno.  I use it because it has been catching fish for me.  I also like the inline rotary flasher since I can attached the sinker directly to the flasher.  The more traditional flasher, you need at least 6 inches of line between the flasher and sinker.  That lengthens the total sinker to hook length and that can;t be longer than the rod.  So it shortens the flasher to hook length which I like to be longer than shorter....EXCEPT when using non action lures like a fly or hoochie.  Then you can't use the inline rotary flashers since it doesn't impart any action.  Use the more traditional ones and keep the leader length shorter like 2 ft AND use heavy line over 60lbs.  The stiffer leader helps impart more action.

Leaders, I use 40lbs minimum for kings.  60 to 80 is better,  Guides use 100lbs test.  I only use fluorocarbon.

What's the chance your flossing through a school of them

Zero.... In saltwater. It's hard enough in a river where they orient themselves almost single file in front of you at a pace of a thousand fish an hour. And ya can't snag in cook inlet. It's the non flossing non snagging aspect that's a draw for me.

Rudy try putting a small red bead on the line in front of the hook above the knot it works for Kokanee also tiny red white squid skirts are good sometimes

I also like the inline rotary flasher since I can attached the sinker directly to the flasher.  The more traditional flasher, you need at least 6 inches of line between the flasher and sinker.  That lengthens the total sinker to hook length and that can;t be longer than the rod.

You should take a look at the LongLiner to attach your weight. I use it and like it.

http://www.anglerinnovations.com/products/longliner

OK - so as much as the engineer and flyfisherman in me wants to tie up a krill fly on size one and see how that does, I hate to overcomplicate things and I can see the esthetic attraction of just bare-hooking the reds!  Nice challenge.  With the reds passing through seward and the silvers a ways out and passing in, maybe I'll jet down there Saturday and see if I can drag up a couple this way. 

OK - so as much as the engineer and flyfisherman in me wants to tie up a krill fly on size one and see how that does, I hate to overcomplicate things and I can see the esthetic attraction of just bare-hooking the reds!  Nice challenge.  With the reds passing through seward and the silvers a ways out and passing in, maybe I'll jet down there Saturday and see if I can drag up a couple this way.

Keep it small and ridiculously sparse is the advice I have been given.  Also when you get sonar hits, slow way down so it almost looks like you are mooching them with a little line angle versus ":trolling" them.  I was amazed.  I think its going to work ok.