2022 Sooke Reports

[profisher]

Late summer Chinook fishing is shaping up as usual with more fish being lost than landed. Most are hitting sluggishly and once off the rigger they are either gone or come full blast up and toward the boat..then get off. I even tried just leaving the rod alone and hammering the throttle to force the hook deep and then have them pop off the rigger as they resist the pull from the boat. While it did make them pop it from the rigger and then scream the reel...it still slipped off shortly after. We ended up with the 4 we needed with a double near the end of the day but still had 8 not stay hooked up. Seen this many times before in late summer....male fish with no intent on swallowing the offering...just smacking it out of aggression and spitting it out. Never been able to find a way to improve the odds...would be interesting to have an underwater camera this time of year and observe how they strike.

 

[Fish Wistler]

Late summer Chinook fishing is shaping up as usual with more fish being lost than landed. Most are hitting sluggishly and once off the rigger they are either gone or come full blast up and toward the boat..then get off. I even tried just leaving the rod alone and hammering the throttle to force the hook deep and then have them pop off the rigger as they resist the pull from the boat. While it did make them pop it from the rigger and then scream the reel...it still slipped off shortly after. We ended up with the 4 we needed with a double near the end of the day but still had 8 not stay hooked up. Seen this many times before in late summer....male fish with no intent on swallowing the offering...just smacking it out of aggression and spitting it out. Never been able to find a way to improve the odds...would be interesting to have an underwater camera this time of year and observe how they strike.

My Aunty Barb never loses a fish...I'll ask her what the trick is.

 

[gone fishin]

My Aunty Barb never loses a fish...I'll ask her what the trick is.

When and where was Aunty Barb last fishing and are you sure she goes barbless!

 

[Englishman]

Late summer Chinook fishing is shaping up as usual with more fish being lost than landed. Most are hitting sluggishly and once off the rigger they are either gone or come full blast up and toward the boat..then get off. I even tried just leaving the rod alone and hammering the throttle to force the hook deep and then have them pop off the rigger as they resist the pull from the boat. While it did make them pop it from the rigger and then scream the reel...it still slipped off shortly after. We ended up with the 4 we needed with a double near the end of the day but still had 8 not stay hooked up. Seen this many times before in late summer....male fish with no intent on swallowing the offering...just smacking it out of aggression and spitting it out. Never been able to find a way to improve the odds...would be interesting to have an underwater camera this time of year and observe how they strike.

That is weird Profisher. While we did not get as many hits as you (we never do!! LOL) as I reported just yesterday the two hits we had on the little herring were solid and the hook was nicely in the throat in both cases. And these were both males. Not sure of the sex of the two that hit the dodger/hootchie combo but in both cases they required pliers to unhook while held in the net. The second one on the hootchie had no intention (or ability?) to spit it out as the rod was just pounding!). I have no explanation for the different experiences but as the pro I expect you do!

 

[Fish Wistler]

When and where was Aunty Barb last fishing and are you sure she goes barbless!

I don't fish with Aunty Barb since the "incident" so I cannot confirm or deny her tactics.

 

[2xeagle16]

Late summer Chinook fishing is shaping up as usual with more fish being lost than landed. Most are hitting sluggishly and once off the rigger they are either gone or come full blast up and toward the boat..then get off. I even tried just leaving the rod alone and hammering the throttle to force the hook deep and then have them pop off the rigger as they resist the pull from the boat. While it did make them pop it from the rigger and then scream the reel...it still slipped off shortly after. We ended up with the 4 we needed with a double near the end of the day but still had 8 not stay hooked up. Seen this many times before in late summer....male fish with no intent on swallowing the offering...just smacking it out of aggression and spitting it out. Never been able to find a way to improve the odds...would be interesting to have an underwater camera this time of year and observe how they strike.

Irish wolf has already done this, interesting to see the fish comes at the bait from a front angle and just misses the bait,, then circles around and attacks the bait from behind...........https://youtu.be/z0tEMCLL6Ys

 

[Irishwolf]

Irish wolf has already done this, interesting to see the fish comes at the bait from a front angle and just misses the bait,, then circles around and attacks the bait from behind...........https://youtu.be/z0tEMCLL6Ys

I was running a single treble on that video and the fish took it deep. Hooked into the first gill raker. Had another male fish a few days earlier do the same thing. Hooked into the 2nd gill raker. That being said, I was out at Beecher in a buddy's boat the week after and experienced the same issue as @profisher described. Short hits that wouldn't stick. Lost 3 nice springs at the back of the boat because of this.

For context, that video was taken off the water front at Macaulay point a couple of weeks ago. Can't see the area making a difference on bite characteristics, but maybe it does?

I'll be off Beecher area this weekend in my buddies boat again. I'll try and get some underwater footage and report back.

In the meantime, here's a more user friendly link to that video:

 

[Ruben]

I was running a single treble on that video and the fish took it deep. Hooked into the first gill raker. Had another male fish a few days earlier do the same thing. Hooked into the 2nd gill raker. That being said, I was out at Beecher in a buddy's boat the week after and experienced the same issue as @profisher described. Short hits that wouldn't stick. Lost 3 nice springs at the back of the boat because of this.

For context, that video was taken off the water front at Macaulay point a couple of weeks ago. Can't see the area making a difference on bite characteristics, but maybe it does?

I'll be off Beecher area this weekend in my buddies boat again. I'll try and get some underwater footage and report back.

In the meantime, here's a more user friendly link to that video:

What camera are you using. This footage could actually get me through the winter. More the better. Keep her coming! Nice job!

 

[Cut Plug]

What camera are you using. This footage could actually get me through the winter. More the better. Keep her coming! Nice job!

Awesome video. Thank you for sharing that.

And solo too. Nicely done!

 

[Irishwolf]

What camera are you using. This footage could actually get me through the winter. More the better. Keep her coming! Nice job!

Thanks! I have some other footage of fish checking the bait out that I’ll post in the coming weeks, but that’s been the first hit. Hope to get more….

The camera is called a waterwolf and sits inline with your line. You can see it in the video when the fish is close to the boat. Looks like a black cylinder about the size of an empty toilet roll.

This camera is pretty good but it only has a 2 hour battery life and shoots in 720p. Apparently they have a new one that is 1080p and 4 hours of battery but not sure it’s available yet. GoPro also makes one called the gofish. It’s 1080 and has some kind of night vision. Has better battery life but is pricy. Still, I may upgrade soon…

Cheers

 

[vicsurfer]

Fished Aldridge tonight from 4 until 7. Started out with non-stop small spring action. They were all clipped 3 lbers. Had a pin popper near Lamb island that didn't stick and that was it.

 

[Kinetic]

Fished the Bedfords, Beechy Head and the Trap today from 6 - noon and it was slow for us.
Caught a dozen shakers, longline released a couple fish that were probably coho, missed a good pin popper and kept a 6lb bbq Spring.
Hopefully fishing is better tomorrow.

 

[Tsquared]

Fished the trap and the Head from 6 until noon for a similar report as Kinetics.

 

[spoiler]

Late summer Chinook fishing is shaping up as usual with more fish being lost than landed. Most are hitting sluggishly and once off the rigger they are either gone or come full blast up and toward the boat..then get off. I even tried just leaving the rod alone and hammering the throttle to force the hook deep and then have them pop off the rigger as they resist the pull from the boat. While it did make them pop it from the rigger and then scream the reel...it still slipped off shortly after. We ended up with the 4 we needed with a double near the end of the day but still had 8 not stay hooked up. Seen this many times before in late summer....male fish with no intent on swallowing the offering...just smacking it out of aggression and spitting it out. Never been able to find a way to improve the odds...would be interesting to have an underwater camera this time of year and observe how they strike.

triple trebles, the whirling wings of death!

 

[Fish Wistler]

Do we know when wild Coho open up in 20-5?

 

[WaldoDingy]

Do we know when wild Coho open up in 20-5?

I'm on the DFO mailing list. They sent me this:

Effective 00:01 hours October 1 until 23:59 hours December 31, 2022 in that portion of Subarea 20-1 (seaward of a line between a square white boundary sign at Owen Point, the Port San Juan Light and Whistle Buoy, and San Juan Point); and Subareas 20-3 to 20-7, you may retain four (4) Coho per day, of which only one (1) may be unmarked (excluding those portions of Subareas 20-1 and 20-5 that are closed to salmon fishing effective 00:01 hours August 1 to 23:59 hours October 31, 2022. Please see DFO website and/or Fishery Notice(s) for details of measures to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales).

 

[Mozart]

Do we know when wild Coho open up in 20-5?

Oct 1st

 

[Whole in the Water]

Fished Possession from 10-4. Got many shakers but also 3 springs all on spoons about 10, 14 & 16 all white ones. Hopefully get a big one tomorrow for the SVIAC derby!

 

[fish brain]

Went out in the wind for the evening bite with my son and his GF, who had never caught a salmon.
Hit the water about five pm, the wind was blowing hard, but it wasn't too rough, so I decided to head for the Trap Shack. I was hoping that the wind would die down after six, but it just picked up even more.
We tried out there for over an hour before heading back into Beecher Bay. Out there, other than shakers, we managed one 47 cm fish that I normally would have sent back. But as I mentioned earlier it was Soph's first salmon, so into the box it went, and we missed one good hit out there also. By then it was getting un fishable, so we headed back to Beecher.
Back in the bay we had a pin popper that broke off above the flasher when Luke set the hook. The only thing I can think of, is that the line somehow got wrapped around the Duolock when he was checking his line in the wind, as there was no tell tale curlieque like you get when a knot fails.

 

[Local Hali Hunter]

Went out in the wind for the evening bite with my son and his GF, who had never caught a salmon.
Hit the water about five pm, the wind was blowing hard, but it wasn't too rough, so I decided to head for the Trap Shack. I was hoping that the wind would die down after six, but it just picked up even more.
We tried out there for over an hour before heading back into Beecher Bay. Out there, other than shakers, we managed one 47 cm fish that I normally would have sent back. But as I mentioned earlier it was Soph's first salmon, so into the box it went, and we missed one good hit out there also. By then it was getting un fishable, so we headed back to Beecher.
Back in the bay we had a pin popper that broke off above the flasher when Luke set the hook. The only thing I can think of, is that the line somehow got wrapped around the Duolock when he was checking his line in the wind, as there was no tell tale curlieque like you get when a knot fails.

Just wondering if you can tell me what is a Duolock? My only guess, is it a clip?