2018 Sooke Reports

[N2013]

Couple days in Whirl turned up some fish. Some bigger fish around yesterday, but smaller ones today. Some fish are starting to be found higher in the column. Best action on green hootchie. It’s worth dragging bottom but also trying middle depths.

 

[Kinetic]

Got a 40 and change in today's snotty weather in Sooke.

 

[Tsquared]

Got a 40 and change in today's snotty weather in Sooke.View attachment 37525

You earned that fish Kinetic! That was nasty out there. Saw 1 boat anchored up off my place bouncing around in the slop, good on you!
T2

 

[Kinetic]

Thanks Tsquared, I actually had to take gravol as it was a snotty couple of hours.
Anyways picked up a chicken today but my buddy picked up one around 40 aswell.
Beautiful day out!

 

[Englishman]

Went out this morning and trolled from 8:30am until 10:30am. When we checked BWD at 7:00am he still had 10K ESE as the maximum. When we came back in he had put up some 15K slots up. No wonder the chop got worse and worse and made it impossible to keep our feet! When we started getting spray over the side we decided to call it a day!! Just one shaker to show for our efforts. Looks like the easterly and ESE winds continues most of the week, so will stay on the beach until it gets more pleasant!!

 

[Old Seadog]

Was out the other day and got this off Otter Point. Also a couple of undersized fish.

 

[Englishman]

Fished from 8:30am until 2:00pm today. Went down to Otter and trolled up and down the 120-150’ contours for 3 hours and only managed one small hatchery fish on a glo squirt. No other hits. At first we had the place to ourselves but 4 boats joined later, including Spencer charters. Spencer said he had two fish but I do not know what size. We finished by trolling all the way back to the harbour mostly at 110-130’ but did not have a single hit. Beautiful day on the water so we caught a great suntan!! LOL

 

[calmsea]

I hope you start thinking about how to reduce your catch rate by 35% English because you are exploiting the stocks to the brink of extinction!

 

[Englishman]

I hope you start thinking about how to reduce your catch rate by 35% English because you are exploiting the stocks to the brink of extinction!

LOL Good one Calmsea!!

Yep fishing off Sooke has certainly been a bit sparse for winter fish this year; certainly much poorer than it was say 4 or 5 years ago. All three or four fish we have caught since December have been hatchery fish as well. Not a good sign!

But as the saying goes " A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work"!!

 

[Mudshark]

Is the sooke ocean dead?

 

[Rockfish]

Is the sooke ocean dead?

I don't know about dead, but this time of year we have the max 67 slot for Chinook and considering that Chinook is all that is around, myself and I suspect many others can't even be bothered to put the boat in the marina to spend time and money on those little salmon. Waiting for the larger slot when we can at lease keep a Chinook in the teens.

 

[Englishman]

Short report today. Fished 8:00am until 1:30pm harbour mouth, bluffs, and around Secretary island. Anchovy, herring and glo hootchies. Depths 95’-150’. Hits = 0; shakers = 0, birds on water = 0.

Wind= 0 until 10am. Then ESE 5K or so. 8 or so boats out there. Fish catches we observed = 0.

Local guy at Sunny Shores said we were third skunking of three spoken to today.

So, to answer Mushark’s question. Yes, probably at the moment!! Maybe June some fish will show?

 

[profisher]

Its not dead Roland. I saw and heard of fish caught at your favorite place not to fish and a little further west as well. We ended up with these 2..12 and 8 pounds.

 

[Englishman]

Its not dead Roland. I saw and heard of fish caught at your favorite place not to fish and a little further west as well. We ended up with these 2..12 and 8 pounds.

Nice fish sir! Another score for the pro's leaving regular guys in the dust again!! LOL
We did try my "favourite place not to fish last week" just for a change from out front. It is tolerable at this time of the year as only 6 boats instead of 60!! Still never got a hit there though. Maybe should have gone further west, since my (limited!) success rate is better west than at my "favourite place not to fish"!!
At this time of year I am not sure if it is best to fish "shallow and in tight" or out at the 130-150' mark right on the bottom. Suffice to say, neither is working for us right now, so will be staying on the beach till June.

 

[Jama]

Nice fish sir! Another score for the pro's leaving regular guys in the dust again!! LOL
We did try my "favourite place not to fish last week" just for a change from out front. It is tolerable at this time of the year as only 6 boats instead of 60!! Still never got a hit there though. Maybe should have gone further west, since my (limited!) success rate is better west than at my "favourite place not to fish"!!
At this time of year I am not sure if it is best to fish "shallow and in tight" or out at the 130-150' mark right on the bottom. Suffice to say, neither is working for us right now, so will be staying on the beach till June.

Caught 3 last weekend there down 175 in 150 water 5-10lbs

 

[terrin]

Caught 3 last weekend there down 175 in 150 water 5-10lbs

Hope it was Sandy Bottom. Lol

 

[Original]

Fished in and around Pedder Bay had 2 good hits landed one the other same size got off at the side of the boat. Saw a similar one caught beside us.

 

[Chero]

Fished in and around Pedder Bay had 2 good hits landed one the other same size got off at the side of the boat. Saw a similar one caught beside us.

Nice fish Donnie

 

[Stizzla]

Fished in and around Pedder Bay had 2 good hits landed one the other same size got off at the side of the boat. Saw a similar one caught beside us.

Bring some of that luck (skill) to my boat on Monday!

 

[N2013]

Some biggies starting to show. Not a lot of action, but when the bite is on, it has been producing some nice fish. On sat, picked up a nice 16 hatch and released a wild that was around 30 off the Head. Summer depths starting to produce.