atroutfisherman
8/8/2015 6:39:00 AMWay to go Don! You definitely have mastered Sockeye Fishing! Good report.
manukabay
8/9/2015 10:02:00 AMThanks so much for sharing the information Don. One question, These attractor strings you run off the downrigger balls, what do they consist of?
DonTalbotFishing
8/9/2015 1:07:00 PMI use a series of salmon Wobblers from Brad's. You can use Kokanee dodgers strung next to each other as well. I connect them end to end with split rings that are rated for 50lbs. Read August addition of Northwest Sportsman's Magazine page 174 for the exact set up that I use at Lake Wenatchee. Have fun hooking and catching more fish!!! Thanks for the question!!
manukabay
8/9/2015 6:34:00 PMThanks Don. I found it. So from the pictures, it looks like just 3 Brad's wobblers off the downrigger ball, totaling what, a foot and a half or so? The stacker is about a foot above it, and I'm guessing the 4 feet referenced is from the downrigger cable to the front of the dodger. Am I interpreting that correctly?
I have to admit, I'm surprised. That doesn't seem like a whole lot of attractor, just those three little wobblers. I was envisioning a big string of spinner spoons or something. And the dodger & hooks are quite a bit farther back away from the attractor than I expected too. And the 90-95 feet is surprising too, that seems really deep. But i'm not going to argue with success, time to shed my old preconceived notions.
You don't use any kind of an elastic snubber in your leader for sockeye? Or maybe it's only needed with braid?
I've never been to Wenatchee but I want to give it a shot, maybe this week. Thanks so much for sharing your setup, I'm going to try it if I make it over there. I'm in North Idaho.
I have to admit, I'm surprised. That doesn't seem like a whole lot of attractor, just those three little wobblers. I was envisioning a big string of spinner spoons or something. And the dodger & hooks are quite a bit farther back away from the attractor than I expected too. And the 90-95 feet is surprising too, that seems really deep. But i'm not going to argue with success, time to shed my old preconceived notions.
You don't use any kind of an elastic snubber in your leader for sockeye? Or maybe it's only needed with braid?
I've never been to Wenatchee but I want to give it a shot, maybe this week. Thanks so much for sharing your setup, I'm going to try it if I make it over there. I'm in North Idaho.
DonTalbotFishing
8/9/2015 9:14:00 PMThe snubber is not needed since the introduction of light action Kokanee and Sockeye Rods. I use a TICA 9' 6" 6 to 15lb fast action salmon/steelhead rod. The fish can fight all they want and the hooks rarely rip out. Enjoy all the new stuff to try out on your trip this week. Tuesday is by far the best day of the week, warm, wind is around 5mph and slightly overcast. I will see you on the Lake Tuesday through Thursday. Enjoy your fishing adventure at Lake Wenatchee for sockeye..........
Fish Dawg
8/12/2015 11:03:00 PMThanks for the tips, Don!
My crew put them all to good use last Saturday and came in with 12 sox for 4 of us. Not bad considering there were guide boats out that could not find limits for their guests. The rigs with attractor set-ups definitely outfished the cable without so soon we rigged up attractors for every ball. Also got 9 of our 12 fish at 90' to 95' after the AM bite waned. Looking forward to busting out this tactic in other favorite sockeye haunts to see how it works there. Went back to Sportsman's on Monday and bought six more Brad's wobblers given the results we got on Saturday.
You Da Man!!
Dawg
My crew put them all to good use last Saturday and came in with 12 sox for 4 of us. Not bad considering there were guide boats out that could not find limits for their guests. The rigs with attractor set-ups definitely outfished the cable without so soon we rigged up attractors for every ball. Also got 9 of our 12 fish at 90' to 95' after the AM bite waned. Looking forward to busting out this tactic in other favorite sockeye haunts to see how it works there. Went back to Sportsman's on Monday and bought six more Brad's wobblers given the results we got on Saturday.
You Da Man!!
Dawg
natenez
8/15/2015 4:20:00 PMDon, thanks for the tips. Great article in NW Sportsman too. Q for you - where do you get those beads, and are they fluorescent red?
DonTalbotFishing
8/17/2015 12:55:00 PMThanks for the feedback... I got the faceted red beads at the local craft store in Wenatchee Hobby Lobby. The bead color was a major component to my fishing success. The fish will tell you what they want. I found this year that flat dark red painted beads out performed everything else. I think we can test for years and find better combinations as we go. Enjoy playing with slight variations of color. The Sockeye really like ruby red beads in all color shades. Flat paint was better this year... The year is over and we landed 16 fish on our last day. What a great season even though it was cut short.