Sir Rainbow of Trout
Member
Any tips on fishing on Sooke Lake?
Sooke Lake
- Thread starter Sir Rainbow of Trout
- Start date
It's in the CRD watershed reservoir. No public access.
And before you ask, as I understand it, there is no public fishing access to all the other lakes in the Victoria watershed reservoir, such as Goldstream Lake. When I had access into the Victoria watershed many years ago for deer hunting, we first had to send in urine and stool samples to a medical lab before we were given a permit to enter the watershed to prevent the Victoria water supply being contaminated. It was an amazing place to hunt deer, lots of great memories, but that was ended decades back.
Actually, it was the other way around. When they were logging in there, there were so many deer that replanting was near impossible, despite trying high fencing and plastic cones to protect the very tasty young trees. Hunting allowed them to control the extremely high deer populations. It was open to hunt with a permit for many years before they allowed you to cut up and take some scrap wood from where they were thinning. Unfortunately, some idiot cut up a large tree trunk that had some value to take as fire wood that was placed with a few others beside one of the main roads. They stopped the hunters taking firewood after that, but hunting permits were still allowed for a few more years. Apparently, as I was told, some city lawyer from back east was hired to run the water district who had no understanding or respect for our west coast hunting and fishing history and traditions, and he shut it down to hunting.
I shot my first deer in the Victoria watershed, hunting on my father's licence, when I was 11 years old, that would have been in the 1960s. I don't know if they later allowed some wood cutting after hunting in general was closed down, and if some incidental hunting was also allowed if you had a wood permit. I doubt it, but I guess it is possible. We hunted the Victoria watershed for decades, and I know every inch of it and would love the chance to hunt deer there again, but like so much other public hunting access, it is gone.
It was actually the recently retired Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Stanwick who decided that the Sooke watershed should be closed to public access to protect the only drinking water source of Greater Victoria.
Sooke Lake is a very nutrient poor lake and therefore habitat for only a few fish. Main species are cutthroat and sculpin. There are a few rainbows also - a relict population from times when it was stocked (early 1900s). It also has some dolly varden and a few kokanee. I have also seen a photo of what I swear looks like a lake trout but that has not been verified. There are a few real lunker trout in this lake but not many because the food scarcity does not allow for a high density of large fish.
Same is true for all the smaller lakes and reservoirs in the restricted areas. I would say that fishing would probably be disappointing and dismal compared to the heavily stocked public lakes in Victoria.
Sooke Lake is a very nutrient poor lake and therefore habitat for only a few fish. Main species are cutthroat and sculpin. There are a few rainbows also - a relict population from times when it was stocked (early 1900s). It also has some dolly varden and a few kokanee. I have also seen a photo of what I swear looks like a lake trout but that has not been verified. There are a few real lunker trout in this lake but not many because the food scarcity does not allow for a high density of large fish.
Same is true for all the smaller lakes and reservoirs in the restricted areas. I would say that fishing would probably be disappointing and dismal compared to the heavily stocked public lakes in Victoria.
Hi Chris. It was what was referred to as the Victoria watershed closure to hunting I was referring too, not the Sooke lake watershed. Never hunted in the Sooke/Sooke Lake watershed. Basically the area I was referring to is up on top and west of the Malahat, actually just west of the major BC Hydro power transmission line and included a number of lakes in that area like Mavis and Goldstream. Even when we were in there on hunting permits and had to sigh in and out at the gate, you were authorized to be in there for hunting only and for a short time also wood, but not fishing. There was a small canal that had been put in between water bodies that was very narrow and very deep. The small canel was very pretty, and I have watched some of the biggest trout I have ever seen swim along it. Once noticed a rusty can on a stump on the edge of one of the lakes that looked like it had been there for years. We assumed for worms, so some may have fished in there, but probably not the hunters as they were too afraid of loosing their hunting access. Perhaps water board employees or contractors.
wolf
Well-Known Member
Really hmmm well I can say ive seen what comes out of that lake and trust me they have HUGE rainbows in there..there is a ton of fish in that lake
tigerprawn
Active Member
that is very interesting. I remember when they replaced a valve in the reservoir next to Sooke lake and cutthroat were plentiful. What about the Kokanee that thrive in Sooke lake .
it’s off limits to us and I have no problem with that . Seeing the damage people do in the Sooke hills.
wolf
Well-Known Member
I dont know if anyone remembers but we were allowed back many many years ago to drive on the east side of the lake where you could access leechtown and then up macdonald lake (another great fishing hole) survey mt ,valentine,jarvis I spent my childhood in these spots knew it like the back of my hand shot many a deer and caught lots of trout...
That's Deception Reservoir. It sits on an old bog and may be a bit more productive. But if you drain a several ha large lake down to a puddle and see a couple thousand trout plashing around it may appear plentiful but if you calculate the density over the original volume then its not much.
CRD will be doing another fish inventory in Sooke Lake again soon, will be interesting to see what's in it. Last was done in 1997. That where they found only few kokanee. And I have not heard any reports of CRD workers seeing any spawned out carcasses in tributaries or the lake itself. You'd think if there is a big kokanee population in the lake there would be a mass die off every fall after the spawn.
I do remember that, and made that trip a number of times in the old days. I recall at one point you could drive right beside the lake going south to Leach town and If I recall correctly, then right through and eventually come out in the Sooke area. As I recall there was a sign that you were not allowed to stop and get out of your car after you entered the Sooke reservoir zone and drove by the lake. As soon as you were past the southern boundary sign and out of the reservoir no stop zone, you could park and go deer hunting. It was a fun and interesting drive to see the old Leech town site from the gold rush days.
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wolf
Well-Known Member
YES and many a time a monster buck would be standing in the road and we would let it walk as back then we had respect and followed the rules that were set in place, now we have entitled people that think rules dont apply to them its a different world now and one im not really fond of....
Kildonan
Well-Known Member
An acquaintance of mine worked in the Victoria watershed before he retired in the early 90’s. He said the fish were plentiful but small. Those eely looking coastal cutthroats. Typical in a low nutrient lake here on the island.
I fished MacDonald a few times in the 80’s when you could still get there, it was full of small coastal cutthroat. I caught no monsters in there. 12 or 13 inches was about as big as I remember.
I fished MacDonald a few times in the 80’s when you could still get there, it was full of small coastal cutthroat. I caught no monsters in there. 12 or 13 inches was about as big as I remember.
