2017 Sooke Reports

[Sam7]

Tried to be on the water in sooke just after 6, but an "abandoned car" that had flipped after it hit the ditch and ended up on the road just before the 17 mile pub delayed the launch.
Wanted to head up to the top of Muir, but a little too much wind and chop, we decided to start trolling towards secretary, did a couple of tacks there, still a little bumpy so we headed towards the Trap around 8ish. We got into a few wild coho, and a couple of picks. Then at 10, we hooked on to a nice 17lber. The gentleman I took out had never caugh a salmon, so he was pretty excited about catching a teenager that put up a good fight. Decent day on the water, probably landed about 10 fish on the boat, couple of smaller springs, couple of coho's and several pinks.

The white spring was caught on green chrome teaser at 44', fished with Joanne and purple haze heads as well. All were productive, 44'-77' was the range today. Off the the water about 1:30

 

[SalmonBaron]

Good luck tomorrow Baron! I'll be out at first light tomorrow AM at the head/trap, I find lately the best action i get is just before sunrise... I'll give you shout if things go well!
Cheers

Sounds good! Appreciate it! I'll be out at 6am fishing the harbour area.

 

[N2013]

Scratched up a "chinook-um" and a couple pinks at Sheringham this am. Happy to get out with the wife and get her working the gear. Nothing to write home about but got her into a red 15.5lb. It looked awful "chummy" up close, but black mouth/gums, spots, wide tail, smelled like a chinook, fought like a chinook, red meat, but it almost had the stripes on the side when we got back to the dock. They were gone when we got home so I pulled out a whole chum I had in the freezer and compared and it but I'm still not 100% sold. Now like 95%. Hybrid maybe? Thoughts?

Chrome teaser head, Betsy. Didn't see much caught out deeper so we shallowed up our gear and got up on the rocks. First pass. Stomachs packed with small 2-3" bait fish, but were rolling 8 packs of anchovies. Lots of boats out hammering the pinks though. Pinks were at around 50'.

 

[Englishman]

Fished 6:30am until 3:00pm today. Hot day off Sooke with zero wind. What a contrast to Saturday at the Derby!! No chinooks contacted (no surprise there!) but the day was nevertheless full of incident, some not so good.

First my old kicker packed up suddenly and had to troll all day on the main. The kicker will start but runs fast for 5 seconds and then cuts out (anybody know what that problem is PM me).

Then lost a ball off the Bluffs. Was in tight in 70 feet of water and of course I just hook a rockfish. Pre-occupied with clearing that and next thing ball is dragging bottom in 60’ of water and boom it is gone. Fortunately it gave way at the scotty plastic hook, as I always hope they do and so I did not have to re-crimp.

Gave up the in tight stuff after 3 hours and went back and forth off Secretary for a while and then way out in 400’ of water. Picked up some nice big pinks all on 3-4” herring in a tiny teaser at 95’. Could not get anything on hootchies or anchovies. The little herring also enticed two wild coho and a sockeye, all of which were released OK.

Probably missed four or five other bites on herring which I assume were all pinks. After all the chinook won’t take anything will they?? LOL

Ended with four nice pinks in the boat, largest 7.5lbs. Definitely larger fish than 2015 run. Smoker going tomorrow then back out Wed while hot calm weather lasts!!

 

[brands51]

Scratched up a "chinook-um" and a couple pinks at Sheringham this am. Happy to get out with the wife and get her working the gear. Nothing to write home about but got her into a red 15.5lb. It looked awful "chummy" up close, but black mouth/gums, spots, wide tail, smelled like a chinook, fought like a chinook, red meat, but it almost had the stripes on the side when we got back to the dock. They were gone when we got home so I pulled out a whole chum I had in the freezer and compared and it but I'm still not 100% sold. Now like 95%. Hybrid maybe? Thoughts?

Chrome teaser head, Betsy. Didn't see much caught out deeper so we shallowed up our gear and got up on the rocks. First pass. Stomachs packed with small 2-3" bait fish, but were rolling 8 packs of anchovies. Lots of boats out hammering the pinks though. Pinks were at around 50'.

Pretty sure that's a really fresh chum man, no spots on the tail and what looks like bars on the belly.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Pretty sure that's a really fresh chum man, no spots on the tail and what looks like bars on the belly.

Its a chum. White on anal fin, and beginning of purple barring.

 

[habberdasher]

Fished 6:30am until 3:00pm today. Hot day off Sooke with zero wind. What a contrast to Saturday at the Derby!! No chinooks contacted (no surprise there!) but the day was nevertheless full of incident, some not so good.

First my old kicker packed up suddenly and had to troll all day on the main. The kicker will start but runs fast for 5 seconds and then cuts out (anybody know what that problem is PM me).

Then lost a ball off the Bluffs. Was in tight in 70 feet of water and of course I just hook a rockfish. Pre-occupied with clearing that and next thing ball is dragging bottom in 60’ of water and boom it is gone. Fortunately it gave way at the scotty plastic hook, as I always hope they do and so I did not have to re-crimp.

Gave up the in tight stuff after 3 hours and went back and forth off Secretary for a while and then way out in 400’ of water. Picked up some nice big pinks all on 3-4” herring in a tiny teaser at 95’. Could not get anything on hootchies or anchovies. The little herring also enticed two wild coho and a sockeye, all of which were released OK.

Probably missed four or five other bites on herring which I assume were all pinks. After all the chinook won’t take anything will they?? LOL

Ended with four nice pinks in the boat, largest 7.5lbs. Definitely larger fish than 2015 run. Smoker going tomorrow then back out Wed while hot calm weather lasts!!

Hi nice to know I was not alone in having a interesting day at Sooke.
The best part was fishing with my two grandsons and getting a pink for each of them!
I lost a cannonball in 190 ft 110 down??? Didn't think it got near the prop but can't think of another reason.
The crab trap opened up as I bought it on board spilling out one keeper which was half the catch so I am eating Rock crab and my wife gets the Sooke dungeness.
On the way in my main motor crapped out. I got my 59 year old kicker going but my son came along and towed me in

 

[N2013]

Its a chum. White on anal fin, and beginning of purple barring.

Ya I see it now. Thanks for the feedback. Real fresh though. Found some other pics of my past chums from last year and they look similar but then I look at my springs and they look similar too. I thought it was a chum when we got back to the dock then at home the bars were gone and so I start second guessing myself. Either way that SOB is going in the smoker!

 

[profisher]

Not a chum, the wrist is too thick. That is just markings from laying in the boat or tub. Its a wild Chinook

 

[scott craven]

Doesn't look like a Chum to me either

 

[profisher]

The other giveaway is the eye isn't big enough either

 

[SpringVelocity]

Not a chum, the wrist is too thick. That is just markings from laying in the boat or tub. Its a wild Chinook

Actually rr is right. I looked at again. That eye doesn't look right it's probably chinook. I also didn't notice black mouth.

 

[Jama]

Went to Otter/Muir today. No springs but a few decent wild coho that went back and some really big pinks. Saw 2 maybe teeners caught and a few more lost but didn't look overly productive. Missed the early bite though I slept in !

 

[Bugs]

Ya I see it now. Thanks for the feedback. Real fresh though. Found some other pics of my past chums from last year and they look similar but then I look at my springs and they look similar too. I thought it was a chum when we got back to the dock then at home the bars were gone and so I start second guessing myself. Either way that SOB is going in the smoker!

Where is that fish now? If you can pull some scales off it and put them on wax paper or similar to dry I can see if I can arrange to get it genotyped (no promises but I will grab the sample from you). If intact a couple more photos would be great. Chinook and Chum have been known to hybridize. That looks like a Chinook to me, and I would vote 100% that it is not a pure Chum. but definite bars, I have never seen that on a Chinook. Very cool.

 

[mikeyman]

Went to Otter/Muir today. No springs but a few decent wild coho that went back and some really big pinks. Saw 2 maybe teeners caught and a few more lost but didn't look overly productive. Missed the early bite though I slept in !

Looks like a chinook. Head plus looks like has the spots of a spring. Weird bars but could have been stored in way to give bars...all black mouth red flesh. Chums flesh is lighter.

My guess you have fuel problem with kicker. Try cleaning and blowing out the carb.

 

[fishspoon]

Its a chinook..voted! that fish might be close to its home river somewhere...assumption.

 

[Ocean Jade]

Picked up 2 today, 28 and 12 , trailer park

 

[Cmiles]

Great weather off sooke no springs for me couple wild coho released 5 pinks in the bucket lost at least a dozen more lots of fun

 

[N2013]

Where is that fish now? If you can pull some scales off it and put them on wax paper or similar to dry I can see if I can arrange to get it genotyped (no promises but I will grab the sample from you). If intact a couple more photos would be great. Chinook and Chum have been known to hybridize. That looks like a Chinook to me, and I would vote 100% that it is not a pure Chum. but definite bars, I have never seen that on a Chinook. Very cool.

I got it vacuum packed in the freezer. Is it possible to get the scales off a later date when I smoke it or is best done fresh?

 

[Old Blue]

I got it vacuum packed in the freezer. Is it possible to get the scales off a later date when I smoke it or is best done fresh?

Chinook, spots in the 3rd photo