Sockeye in Columbia

[EOBOY]

I have lived on the columbia since I was a little boy and never heard the word Sockeye use for a Salmon on the Columbia. Would someone enlighten me?

EOBOY

 

[Big3d]

It's a species of salmon "Pinks" as they are often called. I don't know but I think they spawn in our neighboring states, somebody else may be able to correct or elaborate on that. To the best of my knowledge sockeye is rarely if ever legal to keep.

 

[taconight2night]

Hmmmm, "pinks" are different than sockeye. Pink salmon are smaller, come in large schools, and are often called "humpies" due to a large hump they develop on their back. Sockeye salmon are referred to as "reds" due to the bright red color they develop near the spawning stage. They are a bit bigger than pink salmon and they also have a deep fire-engine like red to their meat. I haven't heard of them coming into the Columbia in any good numbers but I have seen them come out of the Rouge.

 

[Socaaron]

Sure everyone know sockeye! At least in one form...kokanee! But sockeye do travel the Columbia but no they don't show in the columbia in good numbers from a catch basis(I don't believe retention is legal but...gill nets)and they're often bound for out of state waters while there. Now that they've opened Billy Chinook to fish passage fish biologists are hoping for a that some of the 300,000 juveniles that followed their instinct to migrate to the ocean will make it back and establish a reproducing population there and in the Metolius(which the kokanee already go up to spawn). Sockeye aside from being the second smallest pacific salmonoid(pinks being the smallest, adult sockeye average 6-10lbs) are unique in that they require lakes for spawning grounds so they only (intentionally)appear in rivers that drain said bodies of water. The YTD count over Bonneville is currently just under 51,000 sockeye compared to 381,000 chinook

 

[rogerdodger]

sockeye are called "reds" in many places and their spawning normally includes a lake that they must pass through and spawn in streams flowing into the lake. the smolt then come down and spend some time in the lake before heading for the ocean...

 

[EOBOY]

Thanks for all the info Ihad no idea.

 

[JonT]

Sockeye and Pinks are not the same. Sockeye move up the Columbia into Canada to spawn. Pinks spawn close to saltwater. Lake-locked Sockeye are called Kokanee. They spawn in the same streams as sea-run Sockeye. At least half the Sockeye migrating this summer through the Columbia have died due to over-heating and disease. There is a small Sockeye run up the Deschutes, but it probably won't be around for long.

 

[fishsauce]

Sockeye have been gradually making a comeback on the Columbia in recent years. Retention is allowed in the Columbia, read the regs. There were over 600K that crossed Bonneville last year, with the majority in June through July. It is not uncommon to catch sockeye while salmon fishing fishing in those months.

 

[speycast73]

No Sockeye in the Deschutes. A few went up there recently to seek cooler temps but they too died. Last I read fish biologists counted 45.

 

[Aervax]

A name commonly applied to Sockeye within the Gorge is "blueback". Though they are smaller, they are super tasty. I like them better than Chinook. That is, except for springers. They are sublime.

 

[taconight2night]

I always though bluebacks were sea-run cutthroat hmmm

 

[Socaaron]

Blueback is a surely a name we call sea-run cutties but I can see why people would refer to sockeye at least locally as "blue backs" freshly caught sockeye(prespawning colors) do indeed have a steel blue coloring on the upper back. I have filleted many of these pretty buggers with just that color

 

[Aervax]

I guess it is possible to apply the name to both fish. To be more specific in the distinction between searun cutts and sockeye, Blueback Salmon, would be the complete name. Some of the canned sockeye use Blueback Salmon as part of their branding.

 

[speycast73]

I stand corrected! When I lived in bend they deemed that $100 million dollar fish project an epic fail. 4-5 years later we have a run of 100 fish. I think it is a fail. Anyhow was in brewster for the sockeye fishery when all things started going south. Read about the deschutes and fish biologists were saying that the few dead reds found were not deschutes fish. Let's hope not cause that would probably kill the run that they tried to replenish from days past.

 

[Snopro]

I think you've got to give it at least 20 years before deciding the sockeye experiment is a failure. If a 10th of the Kokes in LBC decided to take an ocean trip the Red return could be good. If I remember right it took some time to get the Okanogan and Wenatchee runs up also.

Anything that adds prey for the Bulls is a good thing.

O. nerka where art thou?

 

[speycast73]

Why? Okanagan, lake washington, baker lake....all brand new sockeye fisheries started ~2010 yielding 10s of thousands if not 100s of thousands of returns. When I was in bend there was bid controversies over this new technology and how expensive it was. I'm not sure 20 or even 100 years is going to do the trick. Sockeye return after ~ 2-3 years in guessing.

 

[speycast73]

Pardon the typos. I'm on my phone at work. I'm not sure and haven't looked into it in a while but I don't think that project was a success.