Baker lake sockeye

[Scheindogg]

My dad refuses to tie his boat all the way to baker lake this summer (doesn't have a truck just a small SUV and he's very stubborn).
Can anyone tell me if its even the slightest bit possible to catch some sockeye from shore? I have waders so obviously I could walk down to chest level so I'm starting in a little deeper water.
I've read up on the tackle to buy but idk if it's even possible to cast it far enough to work without a boat.

Any advice would help. Thank you!

[JoshH]

You will be 1000 % more successful fishing the skagit once it opens from shore for sockeye. They actually run up the river pretty close to the shore.

[sickbayer]

Josh is right fish the river.

[Scheindogg]

Oh well duh haha I didn't even think of that. Have you fished that spot before? Is it pretty simple tackle?
I've drift fished the cowlitz from shore before for salmon/steelhead using 10lb leader with a slinky style weight, and just a bead before the hook, would it be setup similar to this or completely different? Also any particular spots on the ska got I should know about?
That's for the info and reply

[Jakefish]

This thread has all the answers: //www.northwestfishingreports.com/ ... 15&t=21825" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
When plunking from shore, you are going to want to use between 3 and 8 ounces of weight, and I run a 4 foot leader. Follow the rest of the setup in this thread, use live sandshrimp and some variation of krill scent with your favorite spin-n-glo. It may be possible to get them drift or float fishing with sand shrimp, but I think you would go through even more bait.

[JoshH]

If there are a lot of people on the bar you are fishing, and there usually are, go heavy enough with the weight so that you are not drifting into the guys line that is next to you.

[Hunter757]

Scheindogg, I would take your dad on a road trip up to Baker lake with out the boat. Just take the day and go for a drive and pack a lunch to eat on shore once you arrive. Go and check out all the boat launches and campgrounds on the lake from the bottom to the top. Maybe he will see it is not that big of a deal as one would think as long as you on the the west side. Good luck and hope you get the chance to catch some sockeye this year!!

[Scheindogg]

So is drift fishing from shore like I do for salmon on the cowlitz not work for sockeye on the skagit?
And hunter, I mistyped I meant my dad doesn't want to drive that far with his boat not tie his boat up. He doesn't think his SUV is equipped to tow the boat further than a couple miles to lake sammamish

[Hunter757]

I understood what you were saying, he thinks his SUV will not make the trip and does not want to brake anything on his rig. I understand that. I have a few questions, what is the suv and how heavy is your boat or how long and what motors are on it. This will tell me if his concerns are valid or not. If you have a 12 ft aluminum boat and he is hauling it with a Subaru or Saturn then I would say he is right, now if had a Ford or chevy that came factory with a 5000 lb hitch then I would say he is good to go. Now the trip is to put at ease that the road traveled is not steep winding and downhill 8% grades. For the most part it is flat and even the road up to the lake is not bad at all, driving this and him seeing that might change his mind and put at ease any worries he may have.

Dad's worry that is what we do, and we surly don't want to destroy the car we drive to work everyday just to have some fun on the lake. Taking the trip and have some shore lunch and taking in the serine views might change his mind. Good luck!! The 4th is coming fast great weekend for a day trip.

[Scheindogg]

Oh ok got it sorry haha. I have a 3 year old myself and I know about the worrying Bahahaha.
So his SUV is a Mercury Mariner. The hitch on his mariner he installed himself so that is his main worry. (Even tho I think he's set up s hitch himself before that worked just fine). The boat is 12ft Sorenson I'm not exactly sure the material of the boat though and I'm not sure the type of motor on it.

[JoshH]

So is drift fishing from shore like I do for salmon on the cowlitz not work for sockeye on the skagit?
And hunter, I mistyped I meant my dad doesn't want to drive that far with his boat not tie his boat up. He doesn't think his SUV is equipped to tow the boat further than a couple miles to lake sammamish

It will work, the only problem would be is that the big easy access bars are almost always shoulder to shoulder. Drifting in the middle of 50 plunkers won't make you a lot of friends If you can find an access spot that gives you the space, or find you have room away from those plunking you will be fine.

[Scheindogg]

Thanks Josh, so for plunking are you talking the 8oz weight with the spin n glo type of setup?
I definitely know not to try to drift next to a bunch of plunkers, that wouldn't go well, but if I do find a spot with enough room to drift, would the 10lb leader with a bead and hook or hook with eggs work or would it be something completely different?

[Jakefish]

I'd stick with sandshrimp, even if you are drifting.

[Hunter757]

Oh ok got it sorry haha. I have a 3 year old myself and I know about the worrying Bahahaha.
So his SUV is a Mercury Mariner. The hitch on his mariner he installed himself so that is his main worry. (Even tho I think he's set up s hitch himself before that worked just fine). The boat is 12ft Sorenson I'm not exactly sure the material of the boat though and I'm not sure the type of motor on it.

Take a father and son trip, that set up you will be fine. That boat is lite enough even a car could pull it and after he see's there are no big hills to pull he will realize all will be fine. Good luck with what every way you decided to go I hope you have a great time. Tight lines.

[Scheindogg]

Ok thanks for all the info Hunter I'll definitely see if I can bring him up there, and try to convince him it'll be all right!

Hey Jakefish so ive never used sandshrimp before. I heard it was illegal a while ago idk if that's still true. But where could I get it and how could I rig it to the line/hook? Thanks

[Jakefish]

Holiday sports in Burlington usually has them, as do a couple gas stations in Mt Vernon (they put out signs on the street that say they have sand shrimp). You want to make sure they are still alive (if they smell bad, it probably means the ones on the bottom are dead), and the small ones work best (but make sure they aren't ridiculously tiny and too small to rig up). Pinky size is a good size. The link I posted earlier had directions about how to rig them, but I think I remember seeing a helpful video on youtube as well. It depends if you are running one or two hooks, but you want to end with the shrimp strung out straight and facing downstream (facing down when you are holding the leader).

Also keep in mind that, just like kokanee, sockeye have soft mouths, so go very light on your drag when playing the fish and don't set the hook too hard - you'll just yank it right out of their mouth.

[Scheindogg]

Awesome thanks for all the info!!

[riverhunter]

I would not drift fish. This fish are moving fast and not holding in the river like other salmon would do. One moment they are and the next moment gone. Your best option ( in my opinion the only option for skagit river sockeye) is plunking because your line is in the water a lot longer when plunking thwn it is drifting. While others hookup you will be casting and retrieving and might lose your opportunity to present your bait in front of one of these fish before they are gone. Most guys are basically waiting for a school to pass by and hope the fish hits the lure.

[Scheindogg]

In that case river hunter:
If I'm using my 9ft Med weight Daiwa spinning combo and I want to plunk. How should I rig that because I've never plunked before.
I already have my setup spoiled with 30lb hi via braid. Should I be getting 20lb floro for he leader? How much weight will I need? Is my size 1 gamakatsu hook a good size for this type of fishing?
Thanks

[Jakefish]

I use tandem size 1 hooks on 15 lb ultragreen to a wire spreader. You can also just use a 3 way swivel and about 12-18 inches of dropper on a 5 or 6 ounce pyramid weight. That rod/reel and line is more than sufficient.