2022 Sooke Reports

[Doug]

Fished out of Sooke today from 720 to 945. There were only two of us fishing with two rods. Started out with two nice un-clipped fish and then continued on with clipped fish. Never caught so many clipped fish as today. Ended up with two un-clipped and 6 clipped. 80 ft on the DR with squirts. Even got three nice size crabs to take home.

My fillets still have the adipose fin or removed adipose fin section (healed over) attached to the tail fillet side. When check by DFO they were very impressed.

I was happy with our catch today because the boat I was fishing on owner, has sold the boat and it goes to the new owner Tue.

 

[Englishman]

Lines in the water, one hootchie at 80’ and one at 50’, at 8:00am. About 8:15am got our first hit on the 80’ lure and boated a good 8lb unclipped.

Half an hour later got a double header on both the deep and shallow lures, but only got one in which was a beauty 8lb hatchery fish.

For the next two hours we had periods of lulls, followed by sporadic hits apparently out of nowhere, including two more double headers. Sadly and inexplicably we lost the next 7 or 8 fish, including both these doubles. Hook inspection showed no issues, so it was a puzzle. It was interesting that the hit often came on the shallow (50’) lure first and then when we slowed a bit to play the fish the 80’ lure would go off as well.

Finally, we did get two more hatchery fish in succession, but these were smaller at 4.5 lbs. The East wind had come up and it was getting a bit bumpy. So we decided our next unclipped would be our last fish.

One more lost fish, and then at 11:15 am we had yet another double header. We got both those into the boat and remarkably they were a 9lb unclipped and a 7lb hatchery.

After that, it would have been an anticlimax, wading through more fish to find two more hatchery, so we called it a day and drove back to hot Sunny Shores.

Both hootchies were behind dodgers, as before; the 80’ hootchie was mint tulip and the 50’ one was the UV pink stripe. Most hits seemed to be between 300’-450’ of water.

 

[Adler]

We were out off the Head from 8:30 to noon. Good start, then a bit slow at times, with the odd single and a couple doubles. Early on we got 2 wild, and saved a spot for a good "Northern" and luckily enough it came. Later on, we had a nice hit at 110' on the rigger, and I was sure it would be a wild amd was prepared to release. Got to the boat and surprisingly, it was a hatchery and weighed more than our big wild (about 11lbs)...and was about 3" longer (it is second from the bottom in the pic) with a big hooked nose. Ended up with 3 hatchery to match the wild. Great morning on the water.

Is that second from bottom a chum with nose like that? Are there hatchery chum? Hmmmm is that what they do for the Goldstream Hatchery? Had not really even considered it until someone pointed that out....now I'm all inside my head...

 

[Ocean Jade]

We were out off the Head from 8:30 to noon. Good start, then a bit slow at times, with the odd single and a couple doubles. Early on we got 2 wild, and saved a spot for a good "Northern" and luckily enough it came. Later on, we had a nice hit at 110' on the rigger, and I was sure it would be a wild amd was prepared to release. Got to the boat and surprisingly, it was a hatchery and weighed more than our big wild (about 11lbs)...and was about 3" longer (it is second from the bottom in the pic) with a big hooked nose. Ended up with 3 hatchery to match the wild. Great morning on the water.

Is that second from bottom a chum with nose like that? Are there hatchery chum? Hmmmm is that what they do for the Goldstream Hatchery? Had not really even considered it until someone pointed that out....now I'm all inside my head...

It's a coho

 

[N2013]

We were out off the Head from 8:30 to noon. Good start, then a bit slow at times, with the odd single and a couple doubles. Early on we got 2 wild, and saved a spot for a good "Northern" and luckily enough it came. Later on, we had a nice hit at 110' on the rigger, and I was sure it would be a wild amd was prepared to release. Got to the boat and surprisingly, it was a hatchery and weighed more than our big wild (about 11lbs)...and was about 3" longer (it is second from the bottom in the pic) with a big hooked nose. Ended up with 3 hatchery to match the wild. Great morning on the water.

Is that second from bottom a chum with nose like that? Are there hatchery chum? Hmmmm is that what they do for the Goldstream Hatchery? Had not really even considered it until someone pointed that out....now I'm all inside my head...

Coho. White gums, thick wrist. Chums have thinner wrists, forky tails. Nice haul.

 

[Adler]

Coho. White gums, thick wrist. Chums have thinner wrists, forky tails. Nice haul.

Yeah, all signs pointed to coho for me, but the darker coloring, maybe like stripes and hooked nose was raising the question. I've only caught one chum before, many years ago, and that one was obvious. Thanks.

 

[Roberth]

Went to the other side of Muir creek today to target lings. 102 cm.

 

[Sam7]

Late start today after doing the shopping and Costco run, on the water in Beachy Head at 1:45 after motoring out from Vic. It was quiet for about an hour before I saw any action. First hit was this beauy, I thought is was a late spring, it was running and giving pleanty of head shakes, but low and behold it was a nice wild coho. Ended up catching another 7lb wild and a few small clipped which I threw back. Went 5 for 5 with the fish today, all of them were on same side, 91’ on the rigger with white hoochie. Spoon did nothing today, all over on the depths with the spoon from 40’-111’. Packed it in at 4:45 and headed back to Vic with a beautiful flat calm sea

 

[Stosh]

Fished out of Sooke today from 720 to 945. There were only two of us fishing with two rods. Started out with two nice un-clipped fish and then continued on with clipped fish. Never caught so many clipped fish as today. Ended up with two un-clipped and 6 clipped. 80 ft on the DR with squirts. Even got three nice size crabs to take home.

My fillets still have the adipose fin or removed adipose fin section (healed over) attached to the tail fillet side. When check by DFO they were very impressed.

I was happy with our catch today because the boat I was fishing on owner, has sold the boat and it goes to the new owner Tue.

Great job Doug. Wonderful last trip out!

 

[Deewar25]

Fished out of Sooke today from 720 to 945. There were only two of us fishing with two rods. Started out with two nice un-clipped fish and then continued on with clipped fish. Never caught so many clipped fish as today. Ended up with two un-clipped and 6 clipped. 80 ft on the DR with squirts. Even got three nice size crabs to take home.

My fillets still have the adipose fin or removed adipose fin section (healed over) attached to the tail fillet side. When check by DFO they were very impressed.

I was happy with our catch today because the boat I was fishing on owner, has sold the boat and it goes to the new owner Tue.

we found that yesterday as well - first 5 fish at Secretary were all hatchery and double headers too. I actually had to ask if we could have 4 hatch in possession the way things were going. Last 2 were wilds though. Good to see.

 

[N2013]

Went to the other side of Muir creek today to target lings. 102 cm.

I think you meant to say the other side of Sheringham. Lings are closed in 20-5 . Nice dinger.

 

[sundance]

We were out off the Head from 8:30 to noon. Good start, then a bit slow at times, with the odd single and a couple doubles. Early on we got 2 wild, and saved a spot for a good "Northern" and luckily enough it came. Later on, we had a nice hit at 110' on the rigger, and I was sure it would be a wild amd was prepared to release. Got to the boat and surprisingly, it was a hatchery and weighed more than our big wild (about 11lbs)...and was about 3" longer (it is second from the bottom in the pic) with a big hooked nose. Ended up with 3 hatchery to match the wild. Great morning on the water.

Is that second from bottom a chum with nose like that? Are there hatchery chum? Hmmmm is that what they do for the Goldstream Hatchery? Had not really even considered it until someone pointed that out....now I'm all inside my head...

It’s a Northern Coho DFO don’t fin clip Chum !

 

[RogersonCrusoe]

With all the hub-bub of the previous reports, I had to get one more shot in. Late afternoon/sunset shift yesterday from Head to Trap and all points in-between. Was an absolute ghost town. Saw a few fish caught in the 25 or so boats, then we got a wild and hatch in short order. Quite small, imo, but still tasty.
That's it for me for the year, and likely for a long time as I'm moving to Yukon next week for at least a couple years. Farewell lads!

EDIT: Fish caught on Cop Car Left Coast Lures Holy Roller spoon - 64 and 82 feet on DR

 

[SpringVelocity]

With all the hub-bub of the previous reports, I had to get one more shot in. Late afternoon/sunset shift yesterday from Head to Trap and all points in-between. Was an absolute ghost town. Saw a few fish caught in the 25 or so boats, then we got a wild and hatch in short order. Quite small, imo, but still tasty.
That's it for me for the year, and likely for a long time as I'm moving to Yukon next week for at least a couple years. Farewell lads! View attachment 85884

Good luck in Yukon......

 

[King O' The Kelp]

Sunday was another action-packed day, including a triple-header. Ratio was finally in our favour, with 4 clipped and 2 unclipped coho on board when we called it a day after fishing in and out of the fleet between Secretary and Beechy. Released and lost many more. Only 1 shaker (a nice change of pace). Green Coyote spoon and other spoons (Cop Car, green Skinny G) were the ticket. Hoochies were hot last week for us but not today. All fish had empty guts and near-ripe roe/milt. Fished 20 to 95 feet deep. Condolences to the couple we watched lose a rod and reel overboard in the excitement of a double header (I just hope it wasn't an Islander reel!). With the freezer full of salmon, time to shift gears and go on a deer hunt.

 

[profisher]

This morning was the best catch and keep Coho day for me so far this summer. I think we had 4 maybe 5 hatch in the boat before we landed a wild. Ended up with our 6 hatch and 3 wild (1 kept one for myself) by 8:45 and we were heading back. The lone crab trap had 7 nice keepers in it for the 2 hour soak. A pretty good 1/2 of a 1/2 day trip...lol 45-60 ft all on hootchies

 

[cby]

Fished Friday in the fog. Beautiful flat calm water. Awesome fishing. 20 plus coho. tons of wild biggest 12 lbs released, kept two hatchery. Saturday Incredible weather. Had about 20 coho in 2 hours. Kept 13 lb Wild Coho, 3 hatchery and ok size 6-8 lbs. The ratio of Hatchery to Wild on Saturday was great. Better than it has been. Wild Coho are getting very large. Had a big boy on but lost it as it jump about 5 ft out of the water and say bye. Friday I was trolling around in a circle of a massive, continent bait ball. Biggest I have ever seen. Had multiple double headers. I decided to go up to the bait ball to see how large of bait. they were really nice size. As I trolled thru picked up a double header, as I went thru a huge humpback surfaced and gobbled up all the bait. Its was like 40 ft behind my boat. That was a close one. Geez. I will be careful around bait balls moving forward when whales are around.

 

[silver spring]

I was out for a coho trip with Rockfish today. We had flat calm seas but it was very foggy. We set up in the harbor and starting hitting coho in 200ft of water and out to 450ft of water. The bite was pretty solid with many double headers and consistent action. We kept two wilds and three hatcheries. White glow hootchies with short leaders between 50 and 70ft were the hot ticket. We saw a seiner out there laying a huge net in our coho area that appeared out of the fog!

 

[spoiler]

I was out for a coho trip with Rockfish today. We had flat calm seas but it was very foggy. We set up in the harbor and starting hitting coho in 200ft of water and out to 450ft of water. The bite was pretty solid with many double headers and consistent action. We kept two wilds and three hatcheries. White glow hootchies with short leaders between 50 and 70ft were the hot ticket. We saw a seiner out there laying a huge net in our coho area that appeared out of the fog!

What's everyone's favorite AP spoon for Coho in Sooke?
Going to order some for next year so i would appreciate your input.

 

[silver spring]

What's everyone's favorite AP spoon for Coho in Sooke?
Going to order some for next year so i would appreciate your input.

Sandlance spoon in moon jelly or lemon lime!