The Fishin' Magician: Catching sockeye

Sockeye fishing is going great guns in the Brewster Pool on upper Columbia River. As many as 100 boats can be found here, trolling along the channel well below the Okanogan River mouth and right up to where the river enters the Columbia. Anglers that get on the water at the crack of dawn are best assured of limit catches of sockeye. The bite gradually slows and by 10 a.m. is very spotty. The evening bite can be slow, too.

I fished the pool recently and had best success trolling a size 0 chrome dodger with a reflective inset, a leader of 15 to 18 inches and a Macks Lure Cha Cha Squidder Sockeye rig. We caught most of our fish at 20 feet on the riggers. At one point my fishing buddy Rollie Schmitten noticed fish splashing just off shore. The water drops off sharply at the upper end of the channel and I was able to keep the boat in 30 feet of water and get in tight.

We caught fish in here when the bite was all but over in the main channel. I suggest trolling at a speed that just gives you headway against the current and running upstream seems to be more effective.