2017 Sooke Reports

[Seagirt]

Nice looking fish!
Healthy?

It seemed healthy enough except for possible haemeraging in the stomach. No noticeable stomach contents but there was some yellow matter in the digestive tract. Seemed skinny compared to a chinook that length but that may be a normal trait for that species, or at least this domesticated strain. It fought similar to a fish half its size. Lots of fat still surrounding the pyloric caeca and fatty between the myomeres. I ate one piece, might donate the rest to DFO, depending on if it is useful to them (I touched base with the Atlantic salmon hotline). It tasted ok but I made sure to drown it in marinade and add some smoke to the BBQ so I can't really compare it to the normal species.

 

[fishhook]

I fished at Otter from 5pm to 8 pm today. This time my oldest son 11years old helped on the boat. We got a little shaker at the beginning and then nothing for a while. Then at 8pm when I was cleaning up the boat my son yelled: 'Dad, fish on!' I love my kids! We got it in the boat. Was a 12lbs red female spring caught on an anchovy 75' deep on the downrigger.

 

[profisher]

Started at Otter yesterday morning and ended up doing a long one way west troll until I arrived at the light. Only a 4 pound feeder on the troll up and the bait munched a couple of times. Arrived at the light and came right in tight to the reef and hooked up right away into a nice fish....ended up spitting the hooks. Landed a 10 pound spring on the next pass. A bit later anther 10-12 pound fish got off beside the boat. All this on the ebb. I expected a decent bite on the change as there were a few fish there. Notta, nothing happened so I trolled up towards Point No Point hoping to find either some springs there or some coho. Not much going on except some small undersize feeders. Flat calm day again but the smoke sure rolled in thick, especially on the Washington peninsula.

 

[Rockfish]

Opps - no idea how to turn the photo around.
Had some late season Chinook fun yesterday. First picked up a gold teener out front. Then picked up a small chrome resident feeder (7or 8 pounds) on outer Secretary Reef. What was interesting was we were in the process of dropping the 20lb ball an additional 30 feet when we looked up and noticed that the rhythmic pulse of the rod tip as the reel played out line changed to a more erratic action. Have had lots hit while bringing balls up over the years but not many while the ball is on a fast drop.

The most fun was another larger gold teener. We noticed a large active bait ball well out off Possession and we were not the only one. The boat right in front of us took a course to brush by the inside edge of the bait ball and we decided to try the outside edge. A large active bait ball is like crack to an addict so other boats were headed for it from the outside. We quickly calculated that two of us were not going to be able to occupy the same space on the outside of the ball and were very likely going to arrive there at the same time. So even though we were the “stand on vessel” we decided to drop our speed and turn a little to follow the guy going past it on the inside edge. We were the only one to hook up down 60 feet as we arrived on the edge of the ball. I seldom play fish anymore especially when combat fishing with a lot of boats, so Silver Spring got to play another one. It had already made two ‘wear it down runs’ as I cleared gear when a very large Sea Lion appeared out behind the Chinook which was dancing on the surface so I yelled “get it in” and my buddy forced it to the boat where I quickly scooped it into the net. With my bad back I never lift the larger Salmon into the boat and just hold them in the closed bag till my partner can lift it in. Luckily it was flat calm and I was looking down at it when I noticed the Sea Lion coming up fast right under the net so with the help of a little adrenaline I threw the net and fish into the boat and the large sea lion came up and rolled ten feet out beside the boat. It is nice when the fishermen win one with the seals and sea lions for a change. The whole incident reminded me of the famous Utube video of the sea lion that comes up and grabs the salmon and net in the air and rips the net out of the netters hands.

We appreciated that the other boat in front of us new enough to just brush the edge of the bait ball rather than break it up by driving right through the middle of it like you see the odd inexperienced guys do. All Chinook caught on Chovies.

 

[Big Green Machine]

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

Definitely still some fish around. Fished Otter from about 2 pm till 5:45 then down towards trailer park. Was into 3 springs. Released one about 10 lbs on a red/purple/pink flash fly, lost one on a giant 8" spoon and killed a nice fat piggy that ate an anchovy. Wind blew up to about 20 knots towards the end of the day. Saw a few nice fish taken by other boats as well.

 

[Ocean Jade]

Tues afternoon off poss pt

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

Only fished for a few hours today. A bit by Otter and then from there trolled back along trailers to the harbor. Just a couple wild coho today. No springs. Blowing a gale in the afternoon. Kept seeing **** loads of fish on the sounder between the first and second rocks but nothing biting anything. Thought they maybe coho so put on a couple coho killers in different colors and got the first one pretty quick after the change over to those spoons. Then on the next tack through i foul hooked another coho through the back. Line popped off the rigger and by time I grabbed the rod the fish was a far ways back. Current was rippin and wind was givin'r so i stopped the boat and cranked the fish in. Then I see the other rod bump a few times like it's a fish but I was dealing with the foul hooked fish. So when I released it I grabbed the other rod and brought it in. Felt like I was hooked to something but it wasn't fighting. Got it to the boat and it was a little diving bird hooked throught the wing. Either it went to eat my spoon or it lust had bad luck and swam in front of the spoon. ******. Poor little fella..

Speaking of birds, also saw a guy on another boat at Otter battling trying to bring in a Seagull that ate his bait while it was on the surface. Wind was blowing like crazy so the guy had a tough time bringing it in to unhook it. Looked like they got it freed up though.

No fish on the tack from Otter back to the Harbor.

 

[Englishman]

Only fished for a few hours today. A bit by Otter and then from there trolled back along trailers to the harbor. Just a couple wild coho today. No springs. Blowing a gale in the afternoon. Kept seeing **** loads of fish on the sounder between the first and second rocks but nothing biting anything. Thought they maybe coho so put on a couple coho killers in different colors and got the first one pretty quick after the change over to those spoons. Then on the next tack through i foul hooked another coho through the back. Line popped off the rigger and by time I grabbed the rod the fish was a far ways back. Current was rippin and wind was givin'r so i stopped the boat and cranked the fish in. Then I see the other rod bump a few times like it's a fish but I was dealing with the foul hooked fish. So when I released it I grabbed the other rod and brought it in. Felt like I was hooked to something but it wasn't fighting. Got it to the boat and it was a little diving bird hooked throught the wing. Either it went to eat my spoon or it lust had bad luck and swam in front of the spoon. ******. Poor little fella..

Speaking of birds, also saw a guy on another boat at Otter battling trying to bring in a Seagull that ate his bait while it was on the surface. Wind was blowing like crazy so the guy had a tough time bringing it in to unhook it. Looked like they got it freed up though.

No fish on the tack from Otter back to the Harbor.

Sadly, I too once drowned one of those diving birds off Beechey. I never saw the rod move and by the time I brought it up it was too late. He took my anchovy at about 80' and was beak hooked.
And I too have had to fight a seagull down from 50 feet to release it. If you are not paying attention and you have a reasonable set back from the boat they are quick to grab an anchovy before it has been lowered!!

 

[CIVANO]

beware unhooking a seagull. They go for your eyes!

 

[casper5280]

Had a buddy that hooked a seagull and pulled it in to the boat to set it free and the thing started freaking out as he was removing the hook and the hook caught in the back of his hand. Lol. He was freaking out and the bird flapping around funniest thing I've seen fishing

 

[fishspoon]

Had a loonie bird on a spoon off Gordons beach once. Lucky, barbless hook went off easily, bird went away nicely. Very odd..indeed ....just at 55!

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

Me and my buddy had a seagull grab his anchovy also a few years ago. Treble up front and trailer single set up. Two hooks on the treble through the front of the wing near the bigger bone and trailer just through the thin part of the wing. What a cluster F that was. We had the bird in the boat but man they are SO strong. I was holding the birds one wing and head while my buddy got the hooks out. The birds neck/head was so strong it was hard for me to hold it still. The whole while the bird screaming like it was being killed and trying to snap at me with his beak. I had a feeling my buddy just wanted to kill it to get the hooks out without injuring ourselves but there's no way we would do that. Took some time but in the end we got the hooks out and he was freed, minus a few feathers and his pride probably lol.

 

[SpringVelocity]

It is slow were talking about birds now. Be out in morning. Have a report when I get back. With this rain should send lots of things moving in next day or so.

 

[brands51]

Fished through the rain this morning. Ended up going 2/3 on springs, my partner and I each released a bright silver one around 12lbs while hunting for something a little bigger!

 

[Opendome]

Beauty! Around where and what depth were you fishing?

 

[Tips Up]

Got 1 and lost 1 this morning.

21lb. Dark and ugly.

Tips

 

[Tsquared]

Tried Sheringham in the yak this AM but no go. Not many boats out...
T2

 

[eaglemaniac]

Smoke that sucker. eman

 

[brands51]

Got 1 and lost 1 this morning.

21lb. Dark and ugly.

Tips

There's a sooke river fish!? (Possibly) nice work though.

Beauty! Around where and what depth were you fishing?

All our action came around the sooke harbour mouth 60-80 feet on riggers.