Working in SE Alaska for several months with the Fiash ans Game Department, here's a couple posts from another forum:
Everyone keeps telling me the Sockeyes won't bite when they are spawning.... turns out they were wrong. With the lake too windy and rough to fish most days I have been fishing the creek downstream of the weir. 2 days ago I paddled up the side creek to check my trail cam and saw a school of Sockeyes up there spawning, couldn't catch them but did get some nice trout. Went back yesterday, started at the mouth and quickly caught a good Dolly Varden, then a couple casts later hooked something bigger. Saw it was a silver Sockeye when it jumped and was hooked in the tail; finally got it to the net after it dragged the canoe around for a while. Went back and fileted it for some meals this week, had some last night and will be good for my days off.
Started fishing again and the trout wouldn't bite, the previous day they seemed to be near the spawning salmon. Found a school and started casting and foul hooked a colored up male, this time in the belly.
Continued my way upstream and got to where I caught most of the trout the day before, a huge Dolly over 20" followed my lure in and was swiping at it right under the canoe and I wanted it. Made a cast where it was headed and had a solid bite, though it was him but no... a Sockeye hooked in the mouth, what a fight on my light rod and 6 pound test. The only female salmon.
Caught them on my next 2 casts and then lost one, and the most of the school spooked downstream.
Moved upstream another 30 feet and first cast caught one more male and decided that was enough.
The creek isn't very wide but about 6 feet deep in places.
Here's some of the Dolly Varden, figured out the technique for them in the slow moving water, cast the spoon and let it sink and they bite then or as I start to reel. Oddly enough the same tactic worked for the salmon, and the same lure which has been the best by far, a copper Phoebe.
The first day I was trying bright lures because I thought that's waht salmon liked, but the trout really liked the double bladed pink Panther Martin.
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I ended up getting 3 more Sockeyes to bite the next day. The biologist wanted me to go back and see if I could count how many were up that small creek spawning because they won't get counted if they don't swim through the weir. I saw 39, counting as I slowly paddled, but there were definitely more as the water was really murky. Caught a decent Cutthroat by the mouth of the side channel and kept casting because something bigger kept rising, and I eventually got it to bite, a big male Sockeye that I had on for a couple minutes then it threw the hook on the second jump. Then went upstream casting and saw nothing and no bites, finally getting to the spawners and counting. Finished and needed to take a leak so I went on shore, brought my rod for a few casts and the salmon wouldn't bite but caught a nice male Dolly Varden
Started working downstream, caught a small Dolly and then tried a Keitech Swing Impact on a lead head jig, slowly working it on the bottom like bass fishing... and caught a nice female Sockeye. Didn't bother with the net and unhooked her in the water to go spawn.
Kept working downstream but nothing wanted to bite and I was headed back to camp, but decided to try a few casts at the mouth again. Caught a Cutthroat and kept getting bites and saw a couple rises, then had a big fish chase down the copper Phoebe near the surface and I had another male Sockeye on and it jumped right away. Again had it on a couple minutes until the second jump and they hook flew out again. Tried a few more casts getting light bites then finally hooked one, a small salmon about 16-17" that was spitting milt in the canoe, my first Pink salmon that squirmed out of my hand as I held it over the water for a pic.
Yesterday on my day off I went back to the Chilkoot River to catch a couple meals, forgot the salmon filets and all my lures back at camp... except for the copper Phoebe that was on my rod. That's all I needed and had my best outing yet with 26 Dollies landed in 3 hours with several that got away. Also, the last trout was my best yet and first one over 20", a big male starting to grow a kype. Only kept one, a filet for each dinner.