2017 Sooke Reports

where are the best areas to fish for winter springs around sooke....usual places, similar to summer? Just new to the winter fishing here.

 

Sherm, Try the Spoke Bluffs, Trailer Park, or Whirl Bay. Bounce the bottom. See you out there if the weather ever settles down.

 

straight out front in at least 120ft of water, right on the bottom.

 

What the other guys said. You have to be down on the bottom anywhere between 110-160 feet deep. Glow hootchies and squirts work quite well.
However, in the past three years the winter fishing has been very patchy. When I started here 7 years ago I could get a couple in the 7-10lb range most times out. More recently I have been blanked three times out of four. Admittedly I have only been out once this winter (blanked again!) but the word is there are lots of smaller fish in the 5-7lb range around now. I will give it another go myself just as soon as these sub-zero temps go away.!

P.S. Lots of information in the archived folders of past year's posts. Take a scroll through those.

 

Less shakers around, most action was off the bluffs. Kept 1 for dinner. Green and glowy as usual produced best but tried some new setups just for the hell of it. Had a dinger hammer the starboard rod and ended spilling tea all over the boat jumping at that rod as it was bonkers. Played it for a couple mins as it was taking line steady then she went slack and reeled like hell trying to catch up. Thought maybe I had a hali on and it just spat the hook but turns out the line broke right down at the knot of my hootchie. I don't think these winters would chew through 40lb mono that easy. Dogfish maybe? Whatever it was, it felt like summer fishing again .

 

Similar, thing happened to me one winter about 5 years ago which I posted about. Big strike, the object the other end just kept taking line, going down and away and me hauling back resulted in leader parting. Hali? Seal? dunno what it was but it was not a regular winter that is for sure!!

 

It wasn't a dogfish. that's for sure.
either a shaker grabbed by a seal, or a nice Spring.

p.s. not my usual thread, no intrusion intended

 

A few years back I was way off Sooke in about 500 feet of water and my downrigger weight caught on something and there was no retrieving it. I decided it must have got hooked up on a submerged commercial net. Couldn't think of anything else.

 

3rd Annual trip is booked for August!! Hopefully the fishing is a bit better then last season, love Sooke!! But first doing our annual July trip in Winter Harbour. Last year was some tough fishing, let's hope some numbers move in this year!! Good luck out there everyone and stay safe!!!

 

We are also looking forward to our annual sooke trip. Will be heading over probably August long weekend or maybe the weekend after.

 

Will be there for big floods in Aug again. Didn't make it out last year took a break. This will be year 12 for us I believe. Son and daughter inlaw and grandkids are planning to come out this year, looking forward to that, it's been quite a few years since my son has been out and the daughter inlaw has never been so they should enjoy it. Grandkids will enjoy it but they are a little young to appreciate it yet, 6 and 4 but hopefully they will come out in the boat a couple mornings. I am hopeing to be out for a full 2 weeks this summer, hopefully I can get away from work that long.

 

Out again this morning off the bluffs. Kept two 5 pounders, couldn't find their big brothers. Lots in that "just legal" to 3-4 inches over range. No shakers, a couple baby lings. Rolled some larger hardware today, AP herring spoon and a 3.5 green g-force. The AP did the best, up about 15' off bottom, kept the other rod loaded up with glow right in the mud.

 

Fished from 8:00am until 3:00pm today. First trip out for almost two months!

Started in harbour mouth/bluffs area in 120’ of water with usual glo hootchies and spoons and also tried small herring in tiny teaser heads. Very slow in the morning and only managed to release one below legal fish, and shakers. Finally kept a small just legal hatchery fish on a glo squirt and then it was back to shakers. So annoying those guys because you cannot tell they are there.

So I upped the ante and put on a big 6’’ herring in a chartreuse herring teaser and dropped it to 150’ on the rigger in about 145’ of water. Nothing for 40 minutes and then finally around noon got a big hit on that, and after a really good fight, managed to boat a beauty 13lb fish. A personal best for mid-winter fish.

Nothing more for a couple of hours then around 2:00pm it seemed to come on a bit and we lost a reasonable one at the boat, missed another hit and then got a 5lb’der into the boat. All hits came on the big herring.

Gutting the 13lb fish we found the biggest herring I have ever seen inside a fish. Had to be 10’’ and was almost unmarked. Clearly the fish were feeding on big herring today and using big herring for bait had the added benefit of avoiding those damn shakers. LOL

 

Good report Englishman. I too have noticed the fish are eating larger herring at the moment. We were out from 830-1 mainly off the bluffs from 105'-130' and couldn't muster anything decent. Maybe try it again tomorrow with something new larger.

 

Out from 8-12 off Sooke. 4" green glow one side, large anchovie other side. Spoon had all the action, not a sniff at the anchovie. Swapped out for a 3" G Force on that side as my buddy was getting jealous. Tipping point was when I pulled out the hook sharpener I think. We got 3 into the boat in about 20min right around tide change then had to move around a bit to find our last one. A lot shallower than I thought they'd be. Only thing in their stomachs were a needlefish and some shrimp.

 

First trip of the year. Out of pedder 8-2 with 13 winters to the boat all 4-6lbs. Anything spoon with green and glow seemed to work, AP, killer or skinny G . Only thing to ruin the day was someone cleaned our crab traps out for us....

 

Was out there sun/Monday both crab traps cleaned out as well . Spent the day in the bay . Saw a few boats near my traps . Dropped them at 7am came back to them at 4pm everything stripped even my bait boxes I zap strap my doors .Was pissed off...!! Leave a honest hardworking guys stuff alone just wanted some crab for the fmily. On the plus side great day catching small winters all day G spoons( outfitter) green and white squirts did the trick

 

You should try AP needle fish spoon Fireball they work great!