Agreed with Kelly.... Small hooks are key as well, larger hooks will eye hook and badly damage more fish. Also with all the shakers around minimizing damage is important. These little shakers (Coho and Chinook) have, in theory, survived the critical early mortality period after ocean entry. They are now heading out to sea and have a good chance of making it back to contribute to the fishery. They are valuable and should be treated with the same respect as an adult fish that needs to be released.
2018 Sooke Reports
- Thread starter SFBC
- Start date
Agreed with Kelly.... Small hooks are key as well, larger hooks will eye hook and badly damage more fish. Also with all the shakers around minimizing damage is important. These little shakers (Coho and Chinook) have, in theory, survived the critical early mortality period after ocean entry. They are now heading out to sea and have a good chance of making it back to contribute to the fishery. They are valuable and should be treated with the same respect as an adult fish that needs to be released.
Thank you!
Stizzla
Crew Member
You bet. You will land significantly more fish. It’s never been my problem.
My #1 problem is not going out enough. My #2 problem is finding fish.
I’m cheating next year and have just booked a day with profisher next August!
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Wow, that is deep you were fishing at the end of the session there. I have never seen anyone post they were fishing that deep before. The deepest I have fished is 180' a few years ago and we got a couple of very nice coho back then. Like you I have often seen echoes in the 200'-300' range in September but have never tried to go that deep partly because I only had a a 200' cable on one side LOL (now 300') and partly because I always thought blow back on a 12lb cannonball would thwart any efforts to get down that far except maybe going with the current? Really need 15lb or 20lb balls to attempt fishing that deep. Perhaps you had the heavy cannon balls?
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Agreed big time. Most folks use hooks which are way too big. I use single trebles but they are #2 or #4 (2x strong), so pretty damn small. Don't know why folks need 2/0 and bigger!?
Stizzla
Crew Member
Nice job! How big are you finding the coho?
Tom Mac
Well-Known Member
No big ones today, all around 5 lbs. The feeder chinook should be hitting the table in about 10 mins, marinated and baked in the Bradly with alder pucks. Did let a giant coho go early in September that was pushing 20 lbs, biggest one I have ever landed. Lots of Coho out there right now, have found they are in pockets, you will go for long time with nothing then all rods go off. Last Friday, skipped work after lunch, went out for about 4 hours landed 15 plus fish but no marked ones.
Fished Coho Saturday. 400-500 ft of water. Most action was 35-55 ft. Kept 3 hatch and released a pile of wild. Lots of action with a few double headers.
Coho killers, wee G's and glow white/green hootchies all caught equal fish.
Hatch were all 6-7lb and wilds were 8-10+lb. Couple more weeks for them to fatten up and to be able to keep a wild.
I disagree about not using big hooks.
I use a 4/0 single (not tandem) on hootchies and 3/0 single on spoons.
A bigger hook goes cleanly through the corner of mouth and retains the fish well. Easy to release with the gaff.
Smaller hooks get buried further in mouth in my opinion doing more damage and making release harder and more damaging. Trebles of any size are way too damaging for a catch and release fishery.
Probably a subject for a different thread.
Coho killers, wee G's and glow white/green hootchies all caught equal fish.
Hatch were all 6-7lb and wilds were 8-10+lb. Couple more weeks for them to fatten up and to be able to keep a wild.
I disagree about not using big hooks.
I use a 4/0 single (not tandem) on hootchies and 3/0 single on spoons.
A bigger hook goes cleanly through the corner of mouth and retains the fish well. Easy to release with the gaff.
Smaller hooks get buried further in mouth in my opinion doing more damage and making release harder and more damaging. Trebles of any size are way too damaging for a catch and release fishery.
Probably a subject for a different thread.
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Beautiful day off the head. Dead calm. Fished around the 380' off the Trap Shack. Caught 3 hatch, and a sockeye. Let about 10 wild go back. Equal action on a green/silver coho killer (72') and anchovy (82'). We ran out of anchovy so we stuffed a whole herring in the anchovy holder and were rewarded with a 16# spring.
Had a great show with the killer whales, humpback and porpoises. I clearly remembered why I moved from the prairies.
Had a great show with the killer whales, humpback and porpoises. I clearly remembered why I moved from the prairies.
T
The Jackel
Guest
Hopefully it will be open to fishing then
Stizzla
Crew Member
Yeah, it’ll be fineHopefully it will be open to fishing then
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
Went out of Pedder Bay for a change in scenery yesterday morning first thing.Ran out past the Race to 450 ft. of water and dropped the gear.Ran anchovie on one side and experimented with the other side.Not much going on on the sounder which surprised me from the recent reports so trolled towards shore gradually until we got our first taker in about 250 ft. of water.Weeded through a bunch of wilds in the 7-8 lb. range until we finally got a decent hatch job about 6 lbs. or so.Then the bite went off again and zig-zaged back and forth in 250 -450 ft. of water until we found ourselves straight off the Race and then the fun began.Got into a nice school of beautiful large and unfortunately wild coho,most in the 10-12 lb. range but one big hook nosed buck that I would say went over 15 lbs. that just went mental coming out of the water half a dozen times.Being out of anchovies we were running different hoochies and spoons and the killer of the day,which accounted for over half the fish and also caught us a nice 12 lb. lingcod passing by a pinincle was a
tiny 2.5 inch Michael Bait MB182 which I normally use for trolling chums.The fish were also deeper than I normally fish coho in the 100-140 ft. range.Also picked up two small feeder springs around 5-6 lbs but with hooking at least 15 coho we could only manage 1 hatch job the whole day.Overall a great trip and the weather was just stellar as well.
tiny 2.5 inch Michael Bait MB182 which I normally use for trolling chums.The fish were also deeper than I normally fish coho in the 100-140 ft. range.Also picked up two small feeder springs around 5-6 lbs but with hooking at least 15 coho we could only manage 1 hatch job the whole day.Overall a great trip and the weather was just stellar as well.
silver spring
Well-Known Member
Fished Tuesday with Rockfish! What a gorgeous warm t-shirt day with no wind. Started off around 9qm using the tail end of our chovies. Some of them were previously used and frozen and found some that had been forgotten in the freezer for a couple of years. Needless to say, they were not that productive and the hits were very sporatic! Release 3 wilds at the boat and some long line releases until the chovies were done. We put on white glow hootchies in the afernoon and hit a couple f schools and the action was fast and furious. We had a number of double headers with a lot of acrobatic jumpers. We hooked some wilds that were in the mid-teens that put up good fights. We kept a couple of hatcheries and lot of few hatches by the boat while were identifying them! Also we had a bonus humpback whale show twice that day!
Lots of Coho around this morning. Kept 3 hatch, released 10 wild and lost another 6 or so. Best action was in closer like yesterday...230-270 ft of water off the bluffs. Tried out farther and hit the odd one but had more action and doubles closer to shore. 60 & 70 ft worked for us.
RogersonCrusoe
Well-Known Member
Took my old mentor out for a 3 hour "team building" afternoon/evening. Hit into a couple hatch and a couple wilds but the action was not "on fire" (looks like I should have stayed shallower). Did get a gorgeous 10-12lb chinook just as we were packing up, which was the icing on the cake.
Highlight: JUST as my mentor prepares to relieve himself off the side of the boat I warn him that as soon as he starts we will get a fish. Belt undone and pants undone BAM! fish on his side. Never have I laughed so hard in my life. He lost the fish, and told me I wasn't allowed to take a picture of him fighting a fish with pants around his knees
Location: Straight out from entrance of Beecher Bay 450-500 ft of water in depths from 39-92ft on the rigger 45-55 degrees downrigger angle
Combo: Purple Haze Flasher / Bloody Nose teaser and
Derby Winner Flasher / Purple Haze teaser
Saw two orcas and a couple of porpoises too - so I hardly call it a bad evening
Highlight: JUST as my mentor prepares to relieve himself off the side of the boat I warn him that as soon as he starts we will get a fish. Belt undone and pants undone BAM! fish on his side. Never have I laughed so hard in my life. He lost the fish, and told me I wasn't allowed to take a picture of him fighting a fish with pants around his knees
Location: Straight out from entrance of Beecher Bay 450-500 ft of water in depths from 39-92ft on the rigger 45-55 degrees downrigger angle
Combo: Purple Haze Flasher / Bloody Nose teaser and
Derby Winner Flasher / Purple Haze teaser
Saw two orcas and a couple of porpoises too - so I hardly call it a bad evening
habberdasher
Well-Known Member
I have a mental picture of my father in law also playing a fish with his pants down as I recall he landed it.
Tsquared what happens October 1 ? I had hoped that the regulations were changing but after checking I guess not We were out Wednesday and got one hatch and lots of fun with a couple of wild teenagers.
Tsquared what happens October 1 ? I had hoped that the regulations were changing but after checking I guess not We were out Wednesday and got one hatch and lots of fun with a couple of wild teenagers.
Tom Mac
Well-Known Member
Took my old mentor out for a 3 hour "team building" afternoon/evening. Hit into a couple hatch and a couple wilds but the action was not "on fire" (looks like I should have stayed shallower). Did get a gorgeous 10-12lb chinook just as we were packing up, which was the icing on the cake.
Highlight: JUST as my mentor prepares to relieve himself off the side of the boat I warn him that as soon as he starts we will get a fish. Belt undone and pants undone BAM! fish on his side. Never have I laughed so hard in my life. He lost the fish, and told me I wasn't allowed to take a picture of him fighting a fish with pants around his knees
Location: Straight out from entrance of Beecher Bay 450-500 ft of water in depths from 39-92ft on the rigger 45-55 degrees downrigger angle
Combo: Purple Haze Flasher / Bloody Nose teaser and
Derby Winner Flasher / Purple Haze teaser
Saw two orcas and a couple of porpoises too - so I hardly call it a bad evening
Don't tell anyone, that Derby Winner Flasher is the ticket! got most of my chinook this year on it and the Bloody Nose teaser. Never fought a fish with my pants down but did bring one in once with a rubber boot on one foot and a sock on the other.
