Hells Gate

Tackle & technique

Sockeye salmon

Sockeye feed on plankton and rarely chase lures, so saltwater catches come where fish crowd into terminal areas near hatchery creeks and lagoons in late June and July. In Alaska most saltwater sockeye are snagged where that is legal in salt water, while boat anglers troll a small flasher ahead of a bare red hook, a small fly or cut herring. In Washington, Fraser and Skagit sockeye pass through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and San Juan Islands in July and August, with short retention openings.

Chinook salmon

Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.

Coho salmon

Coho feed in the top 30 to 50 feet along tide rips, kelp edges and bait schools, and often hit within a few feet of the surface. Troll faster than for Chinook, 2 to 4 mph, with a small flasher and hoochie, bucktail fly or herring, or cast spinners and flies from beaches near stream mouths as fish stage in late summer. The hour around a tide change is often the best window.