Anyone drift for halis around sooke? I'm coming up during the first week of march for some winter spring fishing and wanted to try for some flat fish. I know most of you guys anchor but are anglers successful drifting?
 
Now that all that white ******** from the sky is hopefully done for the year, was able to sneak out for a morning troll. Little lumpy, but managed to scrounge up some for the cooler. Nothing of size unfortunately. Lots of crap in the water so keep your eyes peeled. Lucky green glow spoon fished anchovies equally. Minus the headaches. Usually drill them right off the bottom but have been getting a few around the 90' mark as well the last couple trips. Didn't see much else caught.
 
Fished from 9:00am until 2:00pm today. Had a strange morning. Got a good hit on a herring literally 3 minutes after I had put the first rod down; the other rod had not even been lowered!! Turned into a decent 7lb hatchery fish and we thought this augured well for the rest the day. However it was not to be and apart from one shaker did not get another hit for over two hours. Tried a glow hootch on one side and picked up a 4lb fish, also a hatchery, and another shaker. Returned to herring on both sides but no other bites except rockfish (I guess we were close to the bottom!!). Had to release all three with a little device we have put together to take them down again as they were suffering decompression. Flat calm day with some warm sunshine this morning.

The 7lb fish had a distended stomach with an enormous herring inside, just like our fish of three weeks ago. I guess these big herring must be down there in 120’ of water!;)
 
Zero luck on the big herring today for myself. Only two hits were a couple of 5 pounders (1hatch, 1 wild) as per usual on the same green spoon. That was it for 4 hours of work today.
 
Long slog today to get a couple. Both 4-5lbs, half a dozen barely legals thrown in the mix. Both were in about 150' of water. Right on bottom. Lost one around 8-10lbs at the boat trying to net it. That feeling of losing a nice fish never changes over time. Pisses me off . Turned into a duck pond around lunch time, so at least it was VERY relaxing out there.
 
Sounds like Ron from 2reel and his guides have been doing quite well. Others are getting their limit also according to his report.
 
First time poster long time angler!

Out today 8-2 mucking it out west of the harbour mouth in the morning and moved down near beachy head in the afternoon. Seems like fishing is picking up and the fish are getting bigger. Killed a couple 8-10lb fish and a couple 5-7lbers. Released lots of smaller fish also!

Tight lines
 
Fished 8:30am until 1:30pm today. Trolled harbour mouth down to tin shack and back trying 120’ up to 150’. Also circled around the harbour mouth a while. Very slow today. Caught nothing on herring except a gull!! Had a reel jam and with the flasher and teaser on the surface I had my head down trying to fix it.. Next there was a great yank on my rod and I looked up to see my gear 30’ in the air attached to a wildly flailing gull. “Played” him down till he hit the water and released him at the back of the boat.

Tried hootchies and spoons as well but only managed one very small clipped hatchery fish on a Skinny G spoon and one shaker. Very sunny all day but a moderate east/SE wind came up at 11:00am and kept things bouncy and cool. Only two other boats in our area all day.
 
Picked up a 6lb off the trailer park today. 9-1pm. Bluffs have been kinda slow for me lately. Hit a few more up around Otter but nothing worth keeping. Slow ****** ride back back home into the wind.
 
Out today 7:00-1 fishing east of beachy with a crew of 3. Action was hot and heavy right away retaining 3 fish 4-8lbs. Released a few smaller ones and then found some bait and managed a couple more 5lbers. All in all a pretty good day. Little bit sloppy out there in the afternoon but what can ya do!!!!
 
Anybody know how the Whirl Bay Area fishes out of a southwest wind? Thinking of launching out of Cheanuh but the wind is suppose to blow.
 
Anybody know how the Whirl Bay Area fishes out of a southwest wind? Thinking of launching out of Cheanuh but the wind is suppose to blow.

A southwest kind be a little bit of **** wind. Your current though is inline so it would probably be Ok until around middle afternoon when it turns into flood. Honestly though most of the times the bay is fishable and you can fish there most of the time if Whirl is nasty. Th trick with that area is not what wind says its what wind and current combined say. You can have great forecast but on full moon day with light breeze from SE in heavy flood it gets nasty.
 
Thanks SV! Going to make a decision and head out somewhere!
 
Had a great several days out of sooke. Fishing has been decent, picking up a handful of fish most days. Today was the best day yet, getting into 14 fish from 7-2pm ranging from 4 to 9 pounds. Needlefish hootchies did the trick today. Heading out tomorrow morning before we pack up and head back to the mainland.
 
Another productive morning getting into 10 fish and landing 4 nice ones from 5-9 pounds. Released a couple smaller ones and had a few more good ones that spat the hook. All between 130-190 on the riggers using needlefish hootchie.
 
Another productive morning getting into 10 fish and landing 4 nice ones from 5-9 pounds. Released a couple smaller ones and had a few more good ones that spat the hook. All between 130-190 on the riggers using needlefish hootchie.
Glow hootchie?what color.
 
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