2024 Sooke Reports

[Tsquared]

A much different report from Tsquared's.
We fished from 10-3:30 today Started at the Head and worked our way out to the fleet and back again, with some east west travel in between. We tried every lure in my tackle box, depths from 30 to 150 feet, fast, slow. Tried working the currents and tide lines when we could find them. The fish were far and few between. My daughter in law, who has proven herself to be a proficient fisher in the past, lost three in a row, one nice size fish close to the boat. We finished the day with three wilds from five to seven pounds, certainly not the quality or quantity of fish we saw last week. Most of the fish we caught were at 50 - 70 feet. 0 hatchery for us today.

Interesting report in that we too were losing way more fish, mostly long distance release, than we usually do. I kept checking our hooks for sharpness as the fish seemed to be getting off. Our best lure was the mint tulip hootchie which has always done well for fall coho fishing.

 

[Noon Treader]

Out yesterday 0830-1300hrs, 300-600 depth between Church and Beechey. Tried shallower and deeper but all my strikes were between 45 and 75 ft on downrigger. Had two doubles solo; if you saw a TJet going in circles it was probably me! Glow green Ace hi fly was the clear winner with a uv coho killer catching a few too. Came home with 3 hatchie hoes and an 11lb wild!

 

[Englishman]

Lines down straight out from Sooke just after 7:30am today. Very choppy to start, with a big grey squally looking cloud to the west, which treated us to a rainbow show with the showers it brought. Eventually it passed and things calmed down pretty nicely.

Unfortunately like several folks posted yesterday it was very slow. In the first two hours we had just two hits which popped the clip real fast and were gone. Around 10am we spoke to another boat and they had zero fish in the boat either.

Then around 10:20am in 440’ of water at 55’ we had three good hits in fairly quick succession. The first fish (unclipped) we got to the boat and it went 7lb. The next two we lost; the third one jumped and was probably close to 10lb, sadly. Pink stripe UV and Mint Tulip hootchies brought on this little flurry.

Then nothing for another 90 minutes before we finally scratched up an unclipped 4.5lb fish on an AP herring spoon before calling it day.

Amazingly, back on the fillet slab, the stomach of the little coho was tightly distended with a 7” (20cm) baby clipped salmon. Never seen that before. Perhaps the wild are eating all the clipped ones and that is why we cannot catch the latter!! LOL

 

[cby]

Well Another fishing season has come to a close! What a season it was. Best season ever for Salmon. Love the non pink years. Chinook fishing was incredible, Coho fishing incredible. To think with all the doom and gloom I have had my best two seasons of Salmon fishing the past 2 years. Here's to next year, not looking forward to the pink run. Tight lines.

Last Report. Coho Fishing Yesterday Oct 1 was slower. I have 10 Coho on. Managed to get a 12 lb Wild and a 6 lb hatchery. The rest released or got off at boat or long line release. Also had about 5 other nice take and grab.

 

[Pineapple Express]

Lines down straight out from Sooke just after 7:30am today. Very choppy to start, with a big grey squally looking cloud to the west, which treated us to a rainbow show with the showers it brought. Eventually it passed and things calmed down pretty nicely.

Unfortunately like several folks posted yesterday it was very slow. In the first two hours we had just two hits which popped the clip real fast and were gone. Around 10am we spoke to another boat and they had zero fish in the boat either.

Then around 10:20am in 440’ of water at 55’ we had three good hits in fairly quick succession. The first fish (unclipped) we got to the boat and it went 7lb. The next two we lost; the third one jumped and was probably close to 10lb, sadly. Pink stripe UV and Mint Tulip hootchies brought on this little flurry.

Then nothing for another 90 minutes before we finally scratched up an unclipped 4.5lb fish on an AP herring spoon before calling it day.

Amazingly, back on the fillet slab, the stomach of the little coho was tightly distended with a 7” (20cm) baby clipped salmon. Never seen that before. Perhaps the wild are eating all the clipped ones and that is why we cannot catch the latter!! LOL

Nice report!

Can you post a pic of the mint tulip hootchie?

 

[Tsquared]

Nice report!

Can you post a pic of the mint tulip hootchie?

Radiant Hoochies Rigged Needlefish - Mint Tulip

Marine & Fishing Experts since 1985! Largest chandlery on Vancouver Island. Boating & fishing products along with friendly staff for a pleasant experience. 🌊⚓🎣

harbourchandler.ca

 

[Trophy 2000]

Nice report!

Can you post a pic of the mint tulip hootchie?

They have old stock at Trotac of the Mint Tulip in a bin ... Was a favorite of mine in the 90s

 

[Tsquared]

Lines in west of the Head at 1 pm for the afternoon flood. We were using hootchies, mint tulip and a blue and silver glow and ended up with 2 wild and 1 hatchery. We lost 2 and shook 2 so not many to the boat in comparison to a week ago. We got 1 at 90 ft but more came at shallower depths, 55 ft on the rigger. The conditions were somewhat sloppy with an east wind pushing against a flood current but it was fishable.
Cheers!
T2

 

[Englishman]

Out again today, alongside a large number of boats, but just like Wednesday it was very slow, managing only 3 hits in 5.5 hours.

We waited two hours for the first hit but finally boated a great 9lb unclipped on a vintage McKnight spoon at 60’ in 490’ of water. Another 90 minutes passed before we got another hit on a pink stripe/UV hootchie at 80’ in a similar depth of water. This one was a very good 7lb hatchery.

The final fish another 90 minutes later was a small hatchery of just 3lb, this time on an AP spoon at 90’.

The good thing about today was we went 3 for 3. A very rare event for us with the leaping, twisting coho, especially as two were on spoons notorious for being thrown!!

Since a second unclipped was not to be found, we pulled the gear at 1:30pm, leaving about 20 boats still off the end of Secretary. Another guy at Sunny Shores said it was very slow for them and they had just 3 fish too, all unclipped.

 

[Ldub]

Out again today, alongside a large number of boats, but just like Wednesday it was very slow, managing only 3 hits in 5.5 hours.

We waited two hours for the first hit but finally boated a great 9lb unclipped on a vintage McKnight spoon at 60’ in 490’ of water. Another 90 minutes passed before we got another hit on a pink stripe/UV hootchie at 80’ in a similar depth of water. This one was a very good 7lb hatchery.

The final fish another 90 minutes later was a small hatchery of just 3lb, this time on an AP spoon at 90’.

The good thing about today was we went 3 for 3. A very rare event for us with the leaping, twisting coho, especially as two were on spoons notorious for being thrown!!

Since a second unclipped was not to be found, we pulled the gear at 1:30pm, leaving about 20 boats still off the end of Secretary. Another guy at Sunny Shores said it was very slow for them and they had just 3 fish too, all unclipped.
View attachment 111347

Thanks for the report! Going to try the afternoon bite tomorrow afternoon. Solunar is calling for a strong bite between 2:30 and 4:30 so we will see.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Out in a friend’s boat today. Fished from 11-5 from Beechy Head to the Sooke bluffs in 250-500 ft of water. Hooked 5 coho all wild. Did not see any other boats with fish on. Was using white hootchies, green flash fly, skinny G herring aid spoon and my personal favourite coho lure - a tomic roadrunner spoon. Fishing between 77 to 125 ft. The fish were mostly deep for us. Beautiful day on the water.

Seems like a lot of the coho went through a bit earlier this year??

 

[Ldub]

Went out of Cheanuh today around 1 pm. Trolled off the head towards the trap at a lot of different depths. Started finding coho around 3pm (high tide) off the trap in 280’ of water at 60-70’ on the DR. Caught 5 wild and 1 hatch in about 45 minutes. Then nothing until we quit around 4:45. Most of our bites were in around a very kelpy first tide line. Kept 3 wild and the hatch coho with 3 of us onboard.