Sooke Reports - Fall and Winter 2011/2012

[peetz]

Ho fishing was fast and furrious out at 600 ft , lots of fish between 6-12 lbs , 100 ft on the riggers was the majic number for us ... had a blast

 

[masterbaiter]

Went out of Becher Bay today... Non-stop double headers all day. Didn't get a chance to sit down in the boat for the first 45 mins. Fished in 400-500 ft water, with white and green hoochies at 100-120 ft. One of the best days fishing this year!

 

[Tips Up]

Get out there and enjoy it while it's good. They won't be around long. Easy fishing out in the wide the wide open.

I strongly encourage everyone to use a large single hook (I like a 4/0 siwash) on your hootchies. Lots of unmarked fish to weed through out there. You will land more fish and have easy release with the gaff boatside this way. Tandem hooks are not friendly for releasing and are not necessary.
I personally think the regs should change to any one hook, single or treble but no tandem set ups. JMO.

Thanks!
Tips

 

[bananas]

Yup first day Back guiding in sooke and it didn't disappoint! Lots of coho double and triple headers all morning. 60 to 100ft

 

[Englishman]

Beauty day out on the water. Flat calm and even some hazy sunshine.
Fished in 400-500 feet of water and got our regulation one wild coho each pretty quickly on glow hootchies at 100-120 feet. Smallish about 6lbs. From then on got sporadic bites all day on hootchies and apex lures and released about 5 wildies (biggest about 8lbs) and lost several more. Could not find a hatch anywhere!
Event of the day was a coho smashing a hootchie off the surface just as I put the line into the clip. He was a wildie too. Same thing happened with an anchovy about half an hour later, only at that time I was still pulling line out!
Probably a good day to try buck tailing but I did not have a single buck tail in the boat. Buck tailing with hootchies anyone?? LOL

 

[Tips Up]

Good idea, but that single hook would be hard to enforce. It would be better if it was just four wild/or unmarked. Most people are going to just retain them, and then they are done. I am still trying to understand why they think that weeding through all the wild to get hatchery fish is worth it. You do less damage by getting the four your allowed then its over. Not a keep one wild and three hatchery... Anyhow still thankful we are allowed to keep some. I personally think they are all hatchery fish anyways nowadays.

I meant all year for salmon.

Tips

 

[Jockey]

Enforcing a single hook rule is no different than enforcing a barbless hook rule. DFO pulls your gear, two hooks, here is your ticket. Two hooks with barbs? Here are two ticktets. Whats the difference High Five no one regulation is harder to enforce than any other. It is just a matter of getting DFO out there to check on people.

 

[Dr Lunk]

Enforcing a single hook rule is no different than enforcing a barbless hook rule. DFO pulls your gear, two hooks, here is your ticket. Two hooks with barbs? Here are two ticktets. Whats the difference High Five no one regulation is harder to enforce than any other. It is just a matter of getting DFO out there to check on people.

took the words out of my mouth ... fully agreed

 

[gon fishin]

Good idea, but that single hook would be hard to enforce. It would be better if it was just four wild/or unmarked. Most people are going to just retain them, and then they are done. I am still trying to understand why they think that weeding through all the wild to get hatchery fish is worth it. You do less damage by getting the four your allowed then its over. Not a keep one wild and three hatchery... Anyhow still thankful we are allowed to keep some. I personally think they are all hatchery fish anyways nowadays.


One thing i have noticed over last year. I have personally been hooking more females, and less males ( could be coincidence). I also notice the sizes much smaller then last year. Most seem to be 8-12lb range.

High Five

I sure you meant that 2 wild or clipped fish would be better per person The Limit is 2 coho of which at least 1 must be hatchery Unless you are talking Renny or west of Sheringham

 

[Englishman]

There still seems to be confusion on the regs. There is a DFO notice posted in the Sunny Shores marina shop and it says "Areas 20-3 to 20-7 limit four per days of which only one may be wild".
Someone else noted this on an earlier post in this thread, where there is a link to the notice on the DFO website.

 

[Deewar25]

it IS 1 wild 4 total for Sooke, end of story. No question their website is an absolute dogs dinner and seems to imply a little bit of everything, but 1/4 is it.

 

[scott craven]

Crazy regs. so many wild fish out there being caught and released there has to be some mortality.
they should just make it 2 Coho period.
once you've caught your 2 fish, it's over.

 

[Deewar25]

Crazy regs. so many wild fish out there being caught and released there has to be some mortality.
they should just make it 2 Coho period.
once you've caught your 2 fish, it's over.

complained to the minister on more than 1 occasion ..she said it was concerning the information I was giving her (sifting 20 or 30 to find a couple), but she ensured me, they survive 95% of all releases, so its all good....problem, what problem????

 

[wolf]

OMG is it ever good out there lots of coho still never seen it sooooo good as I am walking home buddys phone rings at the office ... come check this out ... some lucky buggger out in 400 ft of water catchs a 33 lb spring!!!! hows that for a day......

Good luck Wolf

 

[gon fishin]

it IS 1 wild 4 total for Sooke, end of story. No question their website is an absolute dogs dinner and seems to imply a little bit of everything, but 1/4 is it.

I 'm sorry you are absolutely correct

Somebody was giving me the gears because I kept 2 hatchery and no wild I guess they should have posted the notice at the Marina when he was there sitting in his truck We found a 9 inch herring in 10 lb hatchery Doesn't seem to matter what time of day you go Green and white hotchie seems to be the ticket most days

 

[cloud]

Out this am......930 til noon. 400 feet deep.....out from Secretary. 8 coho to the boat....biggest was 12 pounds.......7 were wild. 130 feet.....army truck hootchie had the best action. Even tried a bucktail.....had one good hit.

Cloud

 

[Theb55]

Ok, what the h**l is the retention limit off Sooke right now? 1 or 2 hatchery? Wild? I cannot find it under fisheries notices

 

[TheRock]

Sooke - 1 wild Coho, 3 hatchery Coho = 4 Coho. We confirmed by calling DFO directly. Now get out there and fish !
Was out Monday and Tuesday morning.. Very good Coho fishing ! fished 500' line off Secretary, Monday my hot depths was 86ft. Tuesday it was 116 ft. The odd one at 50ft. The deeper lines produced most all the fish.

 

[Karma-Kazi]

GOOD would be an understatment!

Out last SAT 9am-2pm landed 11 fish all 8-12pounds lost 5.

Out SUN 8am-noon Landed 14 fish lost 4. 7-10 pounds.

Out Tuesday 9am-1pm Landed 18 fish lost 12. Also hit one on the trout rod on 10 pound test. Had him to the boat 4 times. around 14pounds. Got airbourne when it hit almost like a big Marlin. only 15 ft behind the boat. Lost 2 more on trout rod aswell. Best depth has been 100ft for us.

Got my derby tickets. Its on boys! Its on!

-Steve

 

[chinook]

Quit bragging everyone on here got that many!, you could get them on anything.