Sooke2015
- Thread starter barrie
- Start date
Fished Whirl Bay today from 10 to 2, lots of action bouncing bottom at 120 ft out to 150 ft on purple haze flasher and purple haze needle fish hochie could only fish one side as my second downrigger pooped out on me. Biggest fish 11.5, couple at 9 and partner wanted to keep a smaller one at 4lbs. Released quite a few that size, the bigger ones caught just before tide change. All the other boats out there were also catching fish. Nice day on the water but got a little lumpy on the way back in to Esq.
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mhbradley
Well-Known Member
How long on the leader with those squirts?
We were hitting decent numbers and size of fish around there on bait, but they wouldn't touch my UV squirt.
mhbradley
Well-Known Member
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Fished Whirl Bay again today, not as productive as Wed but did manage two in the boat no size to them about 4 lbs. Stomachs were empty. Lots of boats, counted 25 boats fishing Whirl Bay area at one time saw a number of fish caught but didn't see anything large brought in. Nice calm day out there. Bite came on around noon. Fished from 10 to 2. Monday will try the flats...
18Lifetimer
Active Member
We fished Whirl Bay yesterday for about two and a half hours. Had 5 fish on between 8:30-10:30. Kept 3, 4-7lbs. Depth of water covered by the boat was 120-180'. Depth on downriggers where fish were caught was 120-150'. Fished anchovies with really long leaders (7' foot plus) just to experiment. Normally I only fish shorter leaders in the winter, but both seem to work well. Green/yellow flashers and teaser heads and UV flasher and teaser head worked best for us. For us, we saw that there was a bite around 9am, but otherwise pretty slow. It was frustrating bucking the tide as we caught all our fish going with the tide. We caught our biggest fish right off of Church rock in 180' of water. Like Chero said, beautiful day...just a duck pond, not a breath a air....haha. Wish we could have stayed for the noon bite that Chero mentioned...but had to get home to the Mrs.
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Kicker problems and Christmas intervening has kept me off the water for 7 weeks. Great day today to get out there again. Flat calm and porpoises around. About a dozen other boats out there. Fished 8:30 until 2:30pm. However, fishing was dead slow. One hit on an Andrew P soon which felt small before it came off and one shaker. Inauspicious start to 2015 but the good news is it can only get better!!!
(No one has posted on the this Sooke thread for a while, so maybe I have not missed much in past 2 months?)
(No one has posted on the this Sooke thread for a while, so maybe I have not missed much in past 2 months?)
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
No its been good Roland.... eastward
kayladog
Active Member
out with 20 other boats at Whirl Bay today, saw lots being caught but all looked small. Only managed 1 keeper and couple other hits. Couple boats at Cheanuh had their limits though.
Good thing at least no seals out that way. Would have gone off waterfront but Esquimalt ramp was full with trailers parked on the street. Amazingly busy on the water for January. Surprised there aren't more reports.
Good thing at least no seals out that way. Would have gone off waterfront but Esquimalt ramp was full with trailers parked on the street. Amazingly busy on the water for January. Surprised there aren't more reports.
Salmonblaster
Member
Got out for a couple of hours yesterday infront of the harbour. Calm seas.
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Weather wise was an absolutely amazing January day today!! Had to negotiate the inner Sooke basin crab traps in thick fog coming out of Sunny Shores, but at Whiffen spit it was all completely clear. Sun shone warm all day and flat calm. Almost like an August day out there and only needed a shirt by lunchtime!
We trolled East from Secretary with the last of the flood, past Beechy, all the way round Becher Bay, past Church rock into Whirl Bay. Tried many depths along that long route and did not have a single touch. Finally at lunch time got a hit on a mint tulip hootchie at 140’ in Whirl and brought a small 4lb fish to the boat. Got one other hit about an hour later which we missed and that was it for the day. Couple of other boats in Becher and about 4 in Whirl. Did not see any action.
Gotta love the weather though!
We trolled East from Secretary with the last of the flood, past Beechy, all the way round Becher Bay, past Church rock into Whirl Bay. Tried many depths along that long route and did not have a single touch. Finally at lunch time got a hit on a mint tulip hootchie at 140’ in Whirl and brought a small 4lb fish to the boat. Got one other hit about an hour later which we missed and that was it for the day. Couple of other boats in Becher and about 4 in Whirl. Did not see any action.
Gotta love the weather though!
Seagirt
Active Member
Dropped the meat at 330' off of Sooke, only dogfish. No current. Shoulda went East.
Trolled for salmon straight out of harbour mouth and caught a few small chinook. Had one on that may have been over 5lbs but it didn't make it to the boat...so it may as well have been 20lbs.
I was hoping to see some schools of herring and jig up a couple, but no such luck. Very little on the sounder in way of bait or larger single targets. But it was a great day out there.
Trolled for salmon straight out of harbour mouth and caught a few small chinook. Had one on that may have been over 5lbs but it didn't make it to the boat...so it may as well have been 20lbs.
I was hoping to see some schools of herring and jig up a couple, but no such luck. Very little on the sounder in way of bait or larger single targets. But it was a great day out there.
pelican
Member
Unlike Saturday, Whirl Bay was quiet all morning, but still a wonderful way to spend Family Day. My fishing buddy, she's like a sister, so leaving the family back home was okay right? We trolled back to Beecher Bay and gave each other the time-to-pack-up nod, just as a big ball showed on the sounder at 180-220 followed by a tip bob. It immediately swam around my friend's ball and only when I saw her 3 feet under the boat did I know it was a keeper #6. Caught on a squirt, with nothing in her stomach.
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Old Seadog
Active Member
Getting the boat ready for a new year....thinking about coming over for a week or so.
How is the Halibut fishing going so far, slow or just starting to pick up.
Can you give me the heads up.
Thanks
How is the Halibut fishing going so far, slow or just starting to pick up.
Can you give me the heads up.
Thanks
Seagirt
Active Member
Fished salmon between Secretary and Tin Shack midmorning until the slack. Very little action, released one small and one really small (~3lb and 2lb). Saw one or two nicer fish landed by other boats. Passed over a few bait balls.
Put down the hali gear for a few hours at the start of the flood. Nothing happened. So, this was really a non-report
Put down the hali gear for a few hours at the start of the flood. Nothing happened. So, this was really a non-report
