Sockeye or red, they can come in millions....
| Although easily recognized by their bright orange flesh on your dinner plate, sockeye prove difficult to distinguish in the sea, they resemble coho salmon. Sockeye are 5-12 pounds at maturity, sockeye are the bright red fish starring in countless documentaries of crystal clear rivers brimming with fish. Typically four years old, sockeye often travel long distances to reach the spawning grounds. In the past, sockeye were almost not caught by sports fishermen. This because they use to feed only on plankton. Fortunately for anglers, some 20 years ago sockeye behaviour altered and they began hitting red lures. In the intervening years, they have begun to take other lures, pink or orange. But sockeye is still a difficult salmon to catch on the fly rod, although in Alaska a fly fisherman sometimes can catch a dozen a day at their spawning grounds. This is like fishing in an aquarium. The famous Babine River is also known as the River of Blood due to the numerous sockeye that enter that river. |
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