2025 Victoria and Oak Bay Reports

Out yesterday, couldn’t find any clipped Coho but found a few wilds. Think I had a good Spring on off Brotchie Ledge, but got sealed. Just one of those days I guess.
 
Late report - out on Saturday from 830 - noon. Went 0-2 with slow action. Tried half the tackle box and all the depths - magic nimber was 90ft in 140ft of water on a green Wee-G for both hits... the third hit (again at 90ft) was from a bird which was a first for me at that depth. The bird tried to kill the brother-in-law for a dramatic boatside release... and a lost thr hot Wee-G. Saw one net out, and the other boat at the dock was also skunked...
 
Good to see someone catching fish. 😎
6:45 to 9:30. Marked schools right off Macaulay pt in 90' and 140'. No bait anywhere. 🤔
Circled through them again and again to no avail. Tried 8" herring, small anchovies, white & clear hoochies, and finally buzz bombs. Nada. 😕
 
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Late post:

I went out Saturday, left the dock around 9:15, dropped off two traps and headed out searching for halibut out on the mud flats to start. Looked at my watch and it was 9:55 when the lines were in the water, within 5 minutes, I had something on the line, which turned out to be a pacific cod. Then I waited for over 3 hours with no action. Radio was pretty quiet, so I decided to call it a day on the halibut and made my way to Church trolling towards Sooke and started searching for coho. Spent about 3 hours trolling for salmon which I was able to land a hatchery in about 45 minutes, and then ended with 1 wild. I was two for two on bites, but 1 for 2 on the keepers. Both the salmon were on the same side, 77’ on a green hoochie. Back to the traps off Saxx, 1 trap had 9, with 3 keepers, the other had 2 with 1 keeper.

Talked to lady doing the surveys, and she said it was pretty slow, said she hasn’t seen a halibut in a while.
 
After 3 weeks of not fishing, I got out and fished from 8 to 10 this morning and let go one coho and kept a small white winter spring.. lots of bait seen on the sonar but no fish. I guess most of the spring have moved past Victoria.
Pulled the carb traps (2) and had three keepers and about 20 females.
We will be switching over to Coho fishing Weds and will be fishing west of race rocks and in the deeper water.
 
After 3 weeks of not fishing, I got out and fished from 8 to 10 this morning and let go one coho and kept a small white winter spring.. lots of bait seen on the sonar but no fish. I guess most of the spring have moved past Victoria.
Pulled the carb traps (2) and had three keepers and about 20 females.
We will be switching over to Coho fishing Weds and will be fishing west of race rocks and in the deeper water.
Thanks Doug. What are your thoughts on fishing the flood current for coho? Tomorrow and Tuesday it will be flooding in the morning and i’d like to go for coho early and switch to hali when the current drops.

Tried boarder bank today and had no hits or doggies but two nice rock fish jigging. Pulled lines at 1pm just when it was getting good to hang out with family

No keepers in one crab trap at Pedder. Might go grab a couple more and a commercial trap deep.

Edit jigging for coho usually gets us hits and 1-2 to the boat but didn't get a sniff or see any jumpers.
 
After 3 weeks of not fishing, I got out and fished from 8 to 10 this morning and let go one coho and kept a small white winter spring.. lots of bait seen on the sonar but no fish. I guess most of the spring have moved past Victoria.
Pulled the carb traps (2) and had three keepers and about 20 females.
We will be switching over to Coho fishing Weds and will be fishing west of race rocks and in the deeper water.
Fished the area east of Brodie this am 3 hours; 3 bites and one hatchery coho. few boats and very slow fishing. Heard a few salmon were caught at Constance; might head out there later in the week.
 
Thanks Doug. What are your thoughts on fishing the flood current for coho? Tomorrow and Tuesday it will be flooding in the morning and i’d like to go for coho early and switch to hali when the current drops.

Tried boarder bank today and had no hits or doggies but two nice rock fish jigging. Pulled lines at 1pm just when it was getting good to hang out with family

No keepers in one crab trap at Pedder. Might go grab a couple more and a commercial trap deep.

Edit jigging for coho usually gets us hits and 1-2 to the boat but didn't get a sniff or see any jumpers.

Email sent.
 
Was out off the harbour Sunday 7-noon. Had 8 hits, 4 to the boat, 2 clipped in the tub. Lost the biggest scrap when the flasher hit the surface followed by selective language. We had bait on the port side and spoons on starboard. Was pretty even on hits.
 

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Fished for coho just west of race and had tons od small springs so move back towards Victoria w no luck. Tried 180 feet at Constance for halibut and didn't have any luck. But it was a chance for my buddy to pick a spot and practise anchoring so made the best of it. Jigged and caught 4 sole and my buddy got one keeper spring 65cm, one dog released and one nice rock fish on the jigging rods. Got a keeper ling cod trolling and lost a nice glo cannonball due to a spontaneous break in the braid. Need to got off 15 feet off the other side, before I loose another. Nothing but females in the traps again.

Heading out tomorrow again, but concentrating on coho.
 
36 crabs in two traps off Caddy Bay. 3 legal but one too soft. The rest females.
Managed to get a few nice firm keepers after a full-day soak on Sunday off Willows. My gf made a seafood pasta with them and some chunks of ling. Holy, so tasty. These three crabs were probably the tastiest ones I've had in a long while. No idea why as I prep and cook 'em the same every time.
 
Got a keeper ling cod trolling and lost a nice glo cannonball due to a spontaneous break in the braid. Need to got off 15 feet off the other side, before I loose another.
I tried braid some years ago, but after two "spontaneous breaks" I gave up and went back to wire. Braid gets little nicks especially if the downrigger pulleys are not completely smooth and/or new. In addition the friction of braid on plastic pulleys is enormous and you can sometime hear squeaking sounds as the braid rubs against the pulley wheels. This will generate just enough heat to weaken the braid. I also remember someone posting on here that they lost a Go-Pro camera because of a "spontaneous" braid break. Fortunately, I only lost two cannon balls before learning my lesson!!
 
I tried braid some years ago, but after two "spontaneous breaks" I gave up and went back to wire. Braid gets little nicks especially if the downrigger pulleys are not completely smooth and/or new. In addition the friction of braid on plastic pulleys is enormous and you can sometime hear squeaking sounds as the braid rubs against the pulley wheels. This will generate just enough heat to weaken the braid. I also remember someone posting on here that they lost a Go-Pro camera because of a "spontaneous" braid break. Fortunately, I only lost two cannon balls before learning my lesson!!
I have tried braid and wire side by side on my last 2 boats. Both boats wire caught a lot more fish than braid. I know ton of people swear by braid but i will only run wire.
 
A little calmer today, so we got out fishing for Coho just out from Church Rock. Fished 8 to 11 and the only action we had was from 9 to 10.
Kept two clipped and two wild Coho and let go 3 more wild. Fish were caught at 75 ft on the DR, in 400ft of water and using green Alligator squirt hootchies. For some reason white never got a bite..
Pulled the crab trap and got 5 Dungeness and 3 red rock. Lots of females too.
 

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