A Beginners Progress in Sooke - Englishman
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Englishman
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the tips guys! Seafever, fishing large and slow is presumably what the owner of the illegal gear (big barbed hooks) was doing that we retrieved that I mentioned in my last post. The herring attached to it was certainly huge! However, as Wolf has said others have advised me "match the bait" which for Sooke seems to be mostly small and anchovy size.
From what I have read on various threads Sooke does seem to be different from WCVI and other areas where large baits and those enormous 5-6 inch plugs seem to work well. So far as I know, no one uses plugs in Sooke, just small spoons and hoochies of various sizes.
Still, I suppose I could always use an anchovy on one side and a great big herring on the other......?
From what I have read on various threads Sooke does seem to be different from WCVI and other areas where large baits and those enormous 5-6 inch plugs seem to work well. So far as I know, no one uses plugs in Sooke, just small spoons and hoochies of various sizes.
Still, I suppose I could always use an anchovy on one side and a great big herring on the other......?
Seafever
Well-Known Member
Match the hatch works on a general basis...if you want to put fish in the tub and you don't care if they are Tyee or not.
The other day I got an 8lb. Chin off ECVI.....it had a 5 1/2" Herring in it.....but I was told time and time again the bait is smallish around there and to use smallish lures. Not that an 8lb'er is anything to write home about....it's just the fact that it was eating bait much bigger than advertised.
You gotta take a chance every so often.
If you are using Herring....make sure they are brined so that they are nice and blue with lots of silver shine.
Using big bait you'll probably catch less fish if the general bait is smaller than what you are running...but the ones you do get will usually be bigger.
"Match the hatch" is a good code to live by.....but I always run at least one "wild card" when I'm out there based on "gut" feeling.
It works a lot of times...........
Same goes for hoochy leader lengths .......I'll run one side longer than the other......even though the tackle may be identical.
Same goes for spoon leader lengths......try one side at 6 ft...and the other side at 4ft.
I'd run plugs off Sooke , they just wouldn't be the big plugs.....they'd be 4" or 5" J-plugs
A lot of guides don't do anything spectacularly different in terms of tackle....they are just way better at locating fish on a given day thanks to the VHF radio interchatter.
For instance.....on a particular day you might be fishing 80ft because that is where you got your last one...however the guides have found out that the fish are in 200ft of water and 2 miles north of you.
Radios are real good for relaying information quickly.
Think of it this way:----A guys wife weighs 90lbs......she eats a dainty piece of chicken wing for lunch.
Her two lady friends who weigh the same also eat the same tiny lunch as her.
But the husbands both weigh 300lbs each......and for lunch they are having half a big chicken each.
The husbands will eat what the wives eat if nothing else is available........but the half chicken each IS available...so they are going to go for that instead.
The other day I got an 8lb. Chin off ECVI.....it had a 5 1/2" Herring in it.....but I was told time and time again the bait is smallish around there and to use smallish lures. Not that an 8lb'er is anything to write home about....it's just the fact that it was eating bait much bigger than advertised.
You gotta take a chance every so often.
If you are using Herring....make sure they are brined so that they are nice and blue with lots of silver shine.
Using big bait you'll probably catch less fish if the general bait is smaller than what you are running...but the ones you do get will usually be bigger.
"Match the hatch" is a good code to live by.....but I always run at least one "wild card" when I'm out there based on "gut" feeling.
It works a lot of times...........
Same goes for hoochy leader lengths .......I'll run one side longer than the other......even though the tackle may be identical.
Same goes for spoon leader lengths......try one side at 6 ft...and the other side at 4ft.
I'd run plugs off Sooke , they just wouldn't be the big plugs.....they'd be 4" or 5" J-plugs
A lot of guides don't do anything spectacularly different in terms of tackle....they are just way better at locating fish on a given day thanks to the VHF radio interchatter.
For instance.....on a particular day you might be fishing 80ft because that is where you got your last one...however the guides have found out that the fish are in 200ft of water and 2 miles north of you.
Radios are real good for relaying information quickly.
Think of it this way:----A guys wife weighs 90lbs......she eats a dainty piece of chicken wing for lunch.
Her two lady friends who weigh the same also eat the same tiny lunch as her.
But the husbands both weigh 300lbs each......and for lunch they are having half a big chicken each.
The husbands will eat what the wives eat if nothing else is available........but the half chicken each IS available...so they are going to go for that instead.
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wolf
Well-Known Member
You mean thats all i have to do is talk on the radio to find the fish!!!! WOW what about when I turn it off and i catch them.... jeez if thats all it took to be a guide!!!!!!
im doing it all wrong sorry for the high jack that statement is so wrong in so many levels.. but your entitled to your opinion
danthewire
Active Member
Nah.....All the fish are under your boat Roy.
Seafever
Well-Known Member
Wolf:- Not knocking your fish-catching abilities in any way whatsoever......
I have a number of guide-friends.......the ones that catch the most fish use the sparsest of tackle. One has only two flashers on the boat....standard Hotspot red/gold and standard Hotspot green/gold.
He uses the same 3 hootchies every year in the Inlet......last week he had a day where he caught 12 and released 10.
(Fishing by himself at the time)........
Another friend used to guide for Haggard's Cove........time and time again the only thing he used was a big herring,no flasher. caught tons of fish for clients.
He too, when using flashers only had 2 or 3 he liked and used all the time.
Another friend never used anything but plugs of different sizes everywhere he went.......and he could catch fish in a glass of water.
It always amazed me how these guys could use so little variety of tackle yet absolutely hammer fish all the time.
There secret was:- they knew where the fish were and how deep on any given day and also what was running generally in terms of baitfish species in an area.
They were communicating all the time (in their own secret code, LOL) on radios.
I'm not saying a radio is the "magic lure" but it sure will help to find out what's going on.
I have a number of guide-friends.......the ones that catch the most fish use the sparsest of tackle. One has only two flashers on the boat....standard Hotspot red/gold and standard Hotspot green/gold.
He uses the same 3 hootchies every year in the Inlet......last week he had a day where he caught 12 and released 10.
(Fishing by himself at the time)........
Another friend used to guide for Haggard's Cove........time and time again the only thing he used was a big herring,no flasher. caught tons of fish for clients.
He too, when using flashers only had 2 or 3 he liked and used all the time.
Another friend never used anything but plugs of different sizes everywhere he went.......and he could catch fish in a glass of water.
It always amazed me how these guys could use so little variety of tackle yet absolutely hammer fish all the time.
There secret was:- they knew where the fish were and how deep on any given day and also what was running generally in terms of baitfish species in an area.
They were communicating all the time (in their own secret code, LOL) on radios.
I'm not saying a radio is the "magic lure" but it sure will help to find out what's going on.
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Beauty day on the water today. So hot and calm at times it felt like we were fishing Okanagan Lake!
However, pretty much skunked except for releasing one small wild coho. Fished Sheringham all morning - at first only one other boat there but a couple showed up later. Later trolled with tide past Muir all the way to Otter - appeared to be hundreds of shakers along there which kept grabbing the anchovies! Only half a dozen boats at Otter by the time we got there at lunchtime. I think there were so few boats out because they knew better than we did that there were no fish to be had! Either that or my beginner status prevailed again.....LOL
However, pretty much skunked except for releasing one small wild coho. Fished Sheringham all morning - at first only one other boat there but a couple showed up later. Later trolled with tide past Muir all the way to Otter - appeared to be hundreds of shakers along there which kept grabbing the anchovies! Only half a dozen boats at Otter by the time we got there at lunchtime. I think there were so few boats out because they knew better than we did that there were no fish to be had! Either that or my beginner status prevailed again.....LOL
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sammyslabber
Active Member
Congrats Roland & Sue from #2...remember you did it all by your selves...by the way nice net job Sue!
Cheers Sammy
Cheers Sammy
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Seafever
Well-Known Member
Englishman......the devil is in the details....If you are one of these guys that runs bait or chovies 99% of the time...then IMO your number 1 priority is to master the "roll". It can make all the difference between a bait that has a good roll on it (of which there are several ways to accomplish different rolls) and one that doesn't.
Sometimes small bait works good.......and those small heads that they use for Baitrix trout rigs can be very good.
In fact the Baitrix Trout rig with the small head and the small rubberbait in it can be good on Chinook at times.
Also the "Tiny Strip " rig.....
If you troll through a group of Chinook composed of different sized fish....and the one that happens to hit your rig is
a 32lb'er , lets say......well then all well and good!......
In my experience a bait that has a really good roll on it will always outproduce anything less.
Sometimes small bait works good.......and those small heads that they use for Baitrix trout rigs can be very good.
In fact the Baitrix Trout rig with the small head and the small rubberbait in it can be good on Chinook at times.
Also the "Tiny Strip " rig.....
If you troll through a group of Chinook composed of different sized fish....and the one that happens to hit your rig is
a 32lb'er , lets say......well then all well and good!......
In my experience a bait that has a really good roll on it will always outproduce anything less.
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Ah yes..."The Roll". Much alluded to and referred to in many fishing publications and posts in general terms. Tight roll, bullet roll, slow roll, 1-2 rolls per second at 2 knots etc. etc. Very difficult to know specifically what folks are referring to - if indeed it is the same thing in all cases. Much sought after, like the "Meaning of Life", but perhaps never found...?
All I know is I must have got it right a couple of times anyway, and I shall continue to experiment a lot more - but who knows, even if I get any improvements, if the outcome is "The Roll"?
Seen the Baitrix stuff referred to before on this forum, so I will give that a try too.
Thx Seafever
All I know is I must have got it right a couple of times anyway, and I shall continue to experiment a lot more - but who knows, even if I get any improvements, if the outcome is "The Roll"?
Seen the Baitrix stuff referred to before on this forum, so I will give that a try too.
Thx Seafever
kronic_fisherguy
Active Member
Sloww and sexy gets the attention of the older heavier guys less energy than running after those fast spinny fishy smelly things that the younger slim and trim go after.
kronic
kronic
Hoochiebob
Well-Known Member
Yup,got three tyees this year on sexy rolls. It's just like a spanish waltz- right tempo with the right dance moves and you're gonna score
Seafever
Well-Known Member
Englishman:- Practise makes perfect......get yourself a long wooden pole with a long leader on the end...and...while you have the rods down and the wife is driving the boat, try tying a couple and run them in the water beside the boat.
Usually when you do this and you are totally pre-occupied, you will get a fish on because that is Murphy's law.
Fish always strike when you are in the middle of taking a leak or pouring a coffee or sorting out a massive tangle on one of the lines.....LOL
You can practise with Baitrix rubber bait...that way you don't have to go through too many anchovies or whatnot.
It's not rocket science....just a matter of finding right hook placements for certain rolls....with the right amount of bend
at front or back or middle and also how far back you place your hook or hooks. Plus leader length, speed and distance of flasher from clip.
Test them at the speed you would be trolling them at........
If you Google "How to rig an anchovy for trolling", there are some pretty decent videos around on this....
Usually when you do this and you are totally pre-occupied, you will get a fish on because that is Murphy's law.
Fish always strike when you are in the middle of taking a leak or pouring a coffee or sorting out a massive tangle on one of the lines.....LOL
You can practise with Baitrix rubber bait...that way you don't have to go through too many anchovies or whatnot.
It's not rocket science....just a matter of finding right hook placements for certain rolls....with the right amount of bend
at front or back or middle and also how far back you place your hook or hooks. Plus leader length, speed and distance of flasher from clip.
Test them at the speed you would be trolling them at........
If you Google "How to rig an anchovy for trolling", there are some pretty decent videos around on this....
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Englishman
Well-Known Member
Thx Seafever. Excellent info'. I agree with you about the timing of fish bites. The second decent Chinook I wrote about above, I was preoccupied with the rod on the other side at the time, as I said in the post. Funny how fish catch you unaware so often...LOL
And regarding the two posts above yours, to the list of generic descriptions of "The Roll" I posted above must now be added "sexy". I rest my case! LOL
And regarding the two posts above yours, to the list of generic descriptions of "The Roll" I posted above must now be added "sexy". I rest my case! LOL
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Englishman
Well-Known Member
Well summer is almost done and the summer Chinook are certainly over for me. LOL
So this will be my last post in this thread. From here on in, I will just put my reports in the regular Sooke thread….for what they are worth……
Went out today and fished the Trap, Secretary and in front of Sooke harbour. No Chinooks as usual. We hooked and released about 10 wild Coho but they were all small – largest was only about 6lbs. These guys were at all depths, from 60 to 200 feet. Also many, many shakers.
No hatch Coho’s captured at all, so only kept one single odd-ball Pink.
So this will be my last post in this thread. From here on in, I will just put my reports in the regular Sooke thread….for what they are worth……
Went out today and fished the Trap, Secretary and in front of Sooke harbour. No Chinooks as usual. We hooked and released about 10 wild Coho but they were all small – largest was only about 6lbs. These guys were at all depths, from 60 to 200 feet. Also many, many shakers.
No hatch Coho’s captured at all, so only kept one single odd-ball Pink.
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Thx Seafever,
Received your PM's just fine. Thx very much for info'! Have cleared a couple of messages and will tidy up some more tomorrow.
English
Received your PM's just fine. Thx very much for info'! Have cleared a couple of messages and will tidy up some more tomorrow.
English
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