Sooke 2014 Fishing Reports
- Thread starter Last Chance
- Start date
Well... Last Saturday, My friends and I went to fishing at Otter Point Area, from 6 - 10 am no fish and no bite. Everybody got them. It was Fair
In two days ago, We went the same spots Otter Point to Muir creek from 7 am 1pm No bite About 20 + boats got 3 - 4 fish It was very SLOW.
Yesterday We went to Possession Point to Sectary Island to Trap Shack from 7 am - 2pm No bite.. about 10+ got one fish.. It was very SLOW but It was so beautiful day and flat water. We tried to use anchovy, Coyote spoons, G -force spoon, sakia Spoon, tomic plugs .. Trolling faster/ slow. we tried 50' - 80 ' nothing. we are frustrated.
In two days ago, We went the same spots Otter Point to Muir creek from 7 am 1pm No bite About 20 + boats got 3 - 4 fish It was very SLOW.
Yesterday We went to Possession Point to Sectary Island to Trap Shack from 7 am - 2pm No bite.. about 10+ got one fish.. It was very SLOW but It was so beautiful day and flat water. We tried to use anchovy, Coyote spoons, G -force spoon, sakia Spoon, tomic plugs .. Trolling faster/ slow. we tried 50' - 80 ' nothing. we are frustrated.
wolf
Well-Known Member
Well Guess its time to chime in finally been back to sooke for a week or so now and went way west and got some biggest was 26 then down closer to otter a few times and got a few. Saturday day of derby did well in one of my favorite haunts on the flood must have gotten into 10 fish but all small, no derby contenders thinking ok sunday will be the day just getting close to otter AWESOME pod of killer whales!!!! frack I know how this day is going to be...!!!! and it was SLOWWWWW. oh well they have to eat too.
Yesterday pounded it for 6 hours and got into a few nice fish but they were definitely being a bit shy batting average was 2 for 5 couple of teeners stayed on, thought to myself why so slow today FULL moon tides and then heard the whales were BACK late sunday night so with them stirring things up no wonder...day off today but will be back out here for quite a stretch so ill be keeping you up to date.....
Good luck Wolf
Yesterday pounded it for 6 hours and got into a few nice fish but they were definitely being a bit shy batting average was 2 for 5 couple of teeners stayed on, thought to myself why so slow today FULL moon tides and then heard the whales were BACK late sunday night so with them stirring things up no wonder...day off today but will be back out here for quite a stretch so ill be keeping you up to date.....
Good luck Wolf
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
Good report Wolf. Didn't know their was a big pod of whales out there this weekend...another variable to the challenge! Tried to give you a buzz but Pedder has zero cell service. Next time! Cheers...
I Fished all weekend from Albert Head to Secretary. Saw a total of 4 fish in a net, so it was pretty slow! A few bites here or there from what I saw but it was a rough grind for us. 22 hours of active fishing with one actual bite. Was tough! Beautiful coastlines along Sooke though, and the USS Nimitz was pretty cool to look at while we were on the hook for a couple hours.
I Fished all weekend from Albert Head to Secretary. Saw a total of 4 fish in a net, so it was pretty slow! A few bites here or there from what I saw but it was a rough grind for us. 22 hours of active fishing with one actual bite. Was tough! Beautiful coastlines along Sooke though, and the USS Nimitz was pretty cool to look at while we were on the hook for a couple hours.
we were in the derby. Saturday we started at possession at first light and nothing was going on for a few hours so we moved to Otter. Caught 3 and lost one. All teeners and saw lots of the same caught too.
Sunday just like Wolf we pulled up to Otter and saw whales. Game over! Didn't get a sniff. Saw maybe 2 caught. Oh well that's fishing! Good derby weekend overall.
Sunday just like Wolf we pulled up to Otter and saw whales. Game over! Didn't get a sniff. Saw maybe 2 caught. Oh well that's fishing! Good derby weekend overall.
Adler
Well-Known Member
Hey Discus, if it makes you feel better, you were certainly not alone in getting stymied! I was out both days with family in the boat, and we were skunked. Day 1 I already reported on, not a bite, and Day 2 we had a few hits, but only 1 small chinook that we released to the boat. However, the orcas were definitely around - I came upon them as they came into Beecher on Sunday morning, enjoyed a short show before we headed towards the shack/Secretary. And I know they were around on Saturday too.
It was definitely slower, and I too was frustrated on Sunday, but the summer is young, and it's a much better looking tide/weather weekend ahead. I just think of it as time that we've put in, which will soon pay off so our fishing can hopefully soon lead to some catching! Good luck.
And I'll echo the other notes - great work on the derby to all that put in hours and hours of work! Congrats!
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Same report on derby a few small out west, and zero east on Sunday.....One of my fish hit just when whales showed up Saturday. Big tides and whales.....
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
Speaking with organizers the VAST majorirty of fish were caught around otter point during two bites on saturday that lasted about an hour and a half each. Anything else and you were damn lucky to find it.
we were frustrated! Ferrying a 52' package from Mission ($614 return), derby entries, side bets, 80 gals of fuel, $60 in bait $100 in moorage.....makes for one expensive fish! But it was still a great weekend away from the worries of home. I had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to return.
I hope the fishing picks up for you guys and y'all can hammer some bigguns!
we were frustrated! Ferrying a 52' package from Mission ($614 return), derby entries, side bets, 80 gals of fuel, $60 in bait $100 in moorage.....makes for one expensive fish! But it was still a great weekend away from the worries of home. I had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to return.
I hope the fishing picks up for you guys and y'all can hammer some bigguns!
Englishman
Well-Known Member
With fishing you never know what the day may hold! Started at the Trap at 7:00am among another 20 boats. Does no-one work on Tuesday’s anymore? We did a couple of passes, saw no nets in the water, so abandoned that and headed round the end of Secretary to the Bluffs.
In 80 feet of water the cannon ball hooked on something and cable began playing out. Wrestled with this for 40 minutes, hand lining, tightening the down rigger up and gunning the kicker in various directions. No dice. Finally started the main engine and ensuring the pulley was facing out back gunned that as well. Still no dice and amazingly the cable did not part. Backed up over the ball, pliers in hand ready to cut the wire. Hand lined once more and something very heavy started to come up. Finally a weed festooned float broke surface with rope wrapped around cable. Heaved on that and finally got a barnacle encrusted big wire crab trap on board. Settled my badly frazzled temper and headed to trailer park. Still no hits at all by 11:00am.
Turned and trolled against the ebb in much deeper water (150’) back to harbour. Finally after 5.5 hours trolling with not a single hit except for rock fish and the crab trap I said to my wife time to head in. I stood up to begin packing the gear and immediately the left rod popped. A good fight and a successful net (this time! LOL) and a beauty 85cm, 19lb fish was on board. Did not put gear down again and came straight in. Cannot tempt the gods of luck a third time!
Fish hit anchovy in 112 feet of water with rigger set at 129 because of big blow back fishing against strong ebb. Fish was a female white.
In 80 feet of water the cannon ball hooked on something and cable began playing out. Wrestled with this for 40 minutes, hand lining, tightening the down rigger up and gunning the kicker in various directions. No dice. Finally started the main engine and ensuring the pulley was facing out back gunned that as well. Still no dice and amazingly the cable did not part. Backed up over the ball, pliers in hand ready to cut the wire. Hand lined once more and something very heavy started to come up. Finally a weed festooned float broke surface with rope wrapped around cable. Heaved on that and finally got a barnacle encrusted big wire crab trap on board. Settled my badly frazzled temper and headed to trailer park. Still no hits at all by 11:00am.
Turned and trolled against the ebb in much deeper water (150’) back to harbour. Finally after 5.5 hours trolling with not a single hit except for rock fish and the crab trap I said to my wife time to head in. I stood up to begin packing the gear and immediately the left rod popped. A good fight and a successful net (this time! LOL) and a beauty 85cm, 19lb fish was on board. Did not put gear down again and came straight in. Cannot tempt the gods of luck a third time!
Fish hit anchovy in 112 feet of water with rigger set at 129 because of big blow back fishing against strong ebb. Fish was a female white.
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the gambler
Active Member
Fished Aldridge to the shack and back all day today 6:00-3:00, nothing. Not a bite. I choose to blame my misfortune on whales (even though I didn't see one...).
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Thx very much Xena. The elusive Chinook have certainly lived up to that adjective on the last couple of trips out. I felt very lucky today with that one coming literally at the moment we decided to call it quits and were just about to bring the gear up. Truly amazing really!
We fished off Sooke harbor for the Derby Saturday and Sunday and were likely in the wrong location as we could not find any of the large transient Chinook in the 20’s for the big Derby prizes and congratulations to those who did.
For the last few years there have been increasing numbers of what appear to be Hatchery Chinook, many clipped off Sooke. On Sat. we played 15 of them and got 11 to the boat from about 7 to 9.6 lbs. and most were in the low nines. All of them were long, narrow cookie cutter feeders with few spots on the tail and look just like the winter/resident Chinook that are off Victoria, Oak Bay and Constance in the winter and spring. In previous years you could catch a few off Sooke out and really deep mid day when not much was happening inshore. My impression is the numbers are increasing significantly and there is a lot of them now, or it may be that they followed the bait that had been pushed in by all the big wind/waves the last couple of weeks. On Sat. we hit one group on the Sooke flats in about 110 feet of water at 72 and 82 feet on the riggers which gave us a few small Chinook to weigh in. Started with a double header and then could only get one rigger down because it would get hit instantly. They are feeders and not fussy and were hitting both chovies and glow hootchies. On Sat. there were lots of bait balls and suspended debris showing up on the sounder in shore but on Sun. am. not much at all.
On Sunday we tried fishing in close on Possession Point but nothing and got trapped in there by two large groups of Killer Whales that came by really close. We eventually found bait balls and suspended debre out father and deeper and got one 9.2 lb Chinook out in 170 feet of water at 100 feet but that was the only hit for Sunday am.
If this pattern of increasing numbers of hatchery, mostly US feeder Chinook available off Sooke continues it could add a welcome new dimension to the Sooke Summer Chinook fishery. They are feeders and easy to catch and while we did not catch any, apparently others were catching them in the mid teen range and the Derby clipped winner was in the 20’s.
One has to ask why the current 67cm slot rule on a 2nd Chinook includes clipped Chinook. If they are clipped hatchery Chinook we should be allowed to keep them over 45cm anytime. This does nothing for conservation.
For the last few years there have been increasing numbers of what appear to be Hatchery Chinook, many clipped off Sooke. On Sat. we played 15 of them and got 11 to the boat from about 7 to 9.6 lbs. and most were in the low nines. All of them were long, narrow cookie cutter feeders with few spots on the tail and look just like the winter/resident Chinook that are off Victoria, Oak Bay and Constance in the winter and spring. In previous years you could catch a few off Sooke out and really deep mid day when not much was happening inshore. My impression is the numbers are increasing significantly and there is a lot of them now, or it may be that they followed the bait that had been pushed in by all the big wind/waves the last couple of weeks. On Sat. we hit one group on the Sooke flats in about 110 feet of water at 72 and 82 feet on the riggers which gave us a few small Chinook to weigh in. Started with a double header and then could only get one rigger down because it would get hit instantly. They are feeders and not fussy and were hitting both chovies and glow hootchies. On Sat. there were lots of bait balls and suspended debris showing up on the sounder in shore but on Sun. am. not much at all.
On Sunday we tried fishing in close on Possession Point but nothing and got trapped in there by two large groups of Killer Whales that came by really close. We eventually found bait balls and suspended debre out father and deeper and got one 9.2 lb Chinook out in 170 feet of water at 100 feet but that was the only hit for Sunday am.
If this pattern of increasing numbers of hatchery, mostly US feeder Chinook available off Sooke continues it could add a welcome new dimension to the Sooke Summer Chinook fishery. They are feeders and easy to catch and while we did not catch any, apparently others were catching them in the mid teen range and the Derby clipped winner was in the 20’s.
One has to ask why the current 67cm slot rule on a 2nd Chinook includes clipped Chinook. If they are clipped hatchery Chinook we should be allowed to keep them over 45cm anytime. This does nothing for conservation.
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Greetings Sooke fisherman-
I'm going to be visiting next week (starting Sunday) and had heard that afternoon conditions could be lumpy due to wind. Is that reliably the case and at what point (wind speed) do you consider conditions rough enough that you pack it in? Is ducking around the corner to Whirl Bay or Pedder Bay any benefit? It sounds like it may just be a morning fishery situation. That would be too bad as the afternoon tides look somewhat promising for halibut.
Thanks in advance for sharing your guidance.
I'm going to be visiting next week (starting Sunday) and had heard that afternoon conditions could be lumpy due to wind. Is that reliably the case and at what point (wind speed) do you consider conditions rough enough that you pack it in? Is ducking around the corner to Whirl Bay or Pedder Bay any benefit? It sounds like it may just be a morning fishery situation. That would be too bad as the afternoon tides look somewhat promising for halibut.
Thanks in advance for sharing your guidance.
Thank you Adler ,
I feel so bad for my two friends were here , They come from kelowna. They wanted to catch some salmons and crabs. I told them that Lot of fishing boats are going to derby so They are very busy on the sea.
I have been tried to catch them but no luck. I told them that Three possible reasons. Weather Pressured or Killer whales ate lot of salmons or full moon ( I doubt it) Last Monday, My friend bought two banana on my boat. I said OH NO NO .. She said What? I said that Banana made us bad luck for fishing. She said what we can do with banana ? Just eat them. she gave it to me I ate it so quickly and threw banana peal out. We had eat banana . The Bananas are inside our stomach still not good I told them that bananas need get gone by poo. They laughed so hard. I said that No Banana on my boat . We had 4 good size crabs!
Congratulations Englishman got a 19 lbs spring! I think God bless on you
Of course I don't give up, I am waiting for a good report then I will go fishing to get them!
I feel so bad for my two friends were here , They come from kelowna. They wanted to catch some salmons and crabs. I told them that Lot of fishing boats are going to derby so They are very busy on the sea.
I have been tried to catch them but no luck. I told them that Three possible reasons. Weather Pressured or Killer whales ate lot of salmons or full moon ( I doubt it) Last Monday, My friend bought two banana on my boat. I said OH NO NO .. She said What? I said that Banana made us bad luck for fishing. She said what we can do with banana ? Just eat them. she gave it to me I ate it so quickly and threw banana peal out. We had eat banana . The Bananas are inside our stomach still not good I told them that bananas need get gone by poo. They laughed so hard. I said that No Banana on my boat . We had 4 good size crabs!
Congratulations Englishman got a 19 lbs spring! I think God bless on you
Of course I don't give up, I am waiting for a good report then I will go fishing to get them!
drilleryells
Member
Thats a good story Discus, going out in the AM and hopefully have a good report for you. Bananas need to be gone..... DrillerThank you Adler ,
I feel so bad for my two friends were here , They come from kelowna. They wanted to catch some salmons and crabs. I told them that Lot of fishing boats are going to derby so They are very busy on the sea.
I have been tried to catch them but no luck. I told them that Three possible reasons. Weather Pressured or Killer whales ate lot of salmons or full moon ( I doubt it) Last Monday, My friend bought two banana on my boat. I said OH NO NO .. She said What? I said that Banana made us bad luck for fishing. She said what we can do with banana ? Just eat them. she gave it to me I ate it so quickly and threw banana peal out. We had eat banana . The Bananas are inside our stomach still not good I told them that bananas need get gone by poo. They laughed so hard. I said that No Banana on my boat . We had 4 good size crabs!
Congratulations Englishman got a 19 lbs spring! I think God bless on you
Of course I don't give up, I am waiting for a good report then I will go fishing to get them!
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Thank you Adler ,
I feel so bad for my two friends were here , They come from kelowna. They wanted to catch some salmons and crabs. I told them that Lot of fishing boats are going to derby so They are very busy on the sea.
I have been tried to catch them but no luck. I told them that Three possible reasons. Weather Pressured or Killer whales ate lot of salmons or full moon ( I doubt it) Last Monday, My friend bought two banana on my boat. I said OH NO NO .. She said What? I said that Banana made us bad luck for fishing. She said what we can do with banana ? Just eat them. she gave it to me I ate it so quickly and threw banana peal out. We had eat banana . The Bananas are inside our stomach still not good I told them that bananas need get gone by poo. They laughed so hard. I said that No Banana on my boat . We had 4 good size crabs!
Congratulations Englishman got a 19 lbs spring! I think God bless on you
Of course I don't give up, I am waiting for a good report then I will go fishing to get them!
Discus. Take a look at what Rockfish said. I think he is right on. Last year I had several smaller hatchery chinook up to 13lbs fishing "winter style" at this time of year. I.e. fish on or near the bottom in 100-150' of water. His fish hit shallower but he was still in 110' of water. My 19lb fish was right on the bottom in 112' of water (I had the rigger set at 129" because of blow back!) I was very lucky and mine was not a hatchery fish, but I think the bottom areas in front of Sooke are a lot more productive than the shallow reef areas everyone fishes, until later in the year. (Unless of course you are prepared to go west of Sheringham, when everything changes again......)
drilleryells
Member
Fished from 6-1, Muir to Sheringham, 1 6 Lbs. first thing, coupla hits and one smoker that hit and ran for about 10 seconds and spit it. Slow and Gobs of Bait. Water was awesome, Good Day Driller
Pink Pounder
Member
Fished from otter to shearingham and caught one 8lbs hatchery spring off otter right off the bottom. Will try an upload a picture
