2020 Sooke Reports
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Englishman
Well-Known Member
Technically Wolf is right Casper5280. If you take a look at diagram 14 then if the inside guy has left rod to shore then the boats must pass starboard to starboard which is wrong! The right rod to shore etiquette for the inside guy has arisen to ensure boats pass port to port as they should!
Slower for me at Otter today managed one spring maybe 14 pounds. I saw maybe 8 fish caught, lots of boats but everyone was spread out all morning so no real bite. I started on the east side of Otter and nothing happened there so I might have missed the early 3rd rock bite...can't see if it happened from around the corner. Nice day and the fog only made a short appearance and wasn't to thick. Forgot to mention from my mid week trip...there are some nasty crab traps off Gordons in the 70ft area about mid way to Muir. I had one large orange one rattle my prop on my kicker...totally submerged from a foot to 3 feet under boobing up and down but never breaking the surface, My kicker started jumping around like a big stick was stuck under the hull....looked over thstern and here is float just clearing the motor...had to jam it out of gear and pull all my gear...lost a flasher and setup...Then just get going again and my 3rd centre rigger starts vibrating hard and here is a partially/mostly submerged blue float and I'm now on the wrong side of it and all my gear is on one side and I'm on the other.....and the tide is pulling hard. Tricky manouvering to get the gear up while getting the boat on the right side of the trap line so everything clears...did manage to get everything back. Noticed a flasher hanging 3-4 ft under the water on the trap rope where someone else wasn't so lucky. Those blue and green ones are the worst...always hard to see as they are always pulled down in the current. I won't fish through there anymore going with the hard flood current...just to dangerous.
shuter
Member
That’s my flasher you saw! Got my cannonballs back anyways. Those traps are nasty in the current
NootkaSounder
Active Member
Pulling out of pedder bay the other day and there was no joke 50 traps in the Channel. I had two dodge them. If someone was leaving at dusk running purely on charts and radar it could lead to serious consequences big safety issue.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I realize this is a reports page, but have to comment. The right hand rod rule is great, but not everyone follows it ( I just came back from Port Alberni yesterday and it makes Otter look like a cakewalk FYI!). In the East ( Trap shack and Head forget it!). How I do it is I drop in at Otter, and set my gear way away from pack at Trailer Park, and work may way up. Go through circuit than circle back. Most times its impossible to get close to shore because some boats just take that inside tack in ( this is done by some guides 2 BTW not naming anyone) . The reason you want that line is fish hold close in there, so then everyone gets a turn.
When I get a fish on I turn out from shore indicate a fish on. It is visual, and 9 times out of ten guys will move, and give way. I then will turn out to deeper water to get out of the way of everyone, and circle back top beginning of the circuit.
One thing people should keep in mind..... 10% of us are really on here on the forum, and there isn't a lot of guides really vs anglers. I think you have to take the right hand rule with grain of salt. Personally I have more issues with guys hogging my butt, and setting gear behind when bite is on, and running full speed inside of Otter. Take the outside. In fog it just sucks, and can be scary for some of the smaller boats, and there is no need.
Thanks for posting the crab traps I haven't been down there lately, so good to know. I thought that was taken care of.
Anyone have any recent reports?
When I get a fish on I turn out from shore indicate a fish on. It is visual, and 9 times out of ten guys will move, and give way. I then will turn out to deeper water to get out of the way of everyone, and circle back top beginning of the circuit.
One thing people should keep in mind..... 10% of us are really on here on the forum, and there isn't a lot of guides really vs anglers. I think you have to take the right hand rule with grain of salt. Personally I have more issues with guys hogging my butt, and setting gear behind when bite is on, and running full speed inside of Otter. Take the outside. In fog it just sucks, and can be scary for some of the smaller boats, and there is no need.
Thanks for posting the crab traps I haven't been down there lately, so good to know. I thought that was taken care of.
Anyone have any recent reports?
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casper5280
Crew Member
Exactly
Mausermike14
Active Member
Great day out on the water today by church Rock. Gear in the water at 6 am, 12# in the boat by 6:30. Ventured out to the deeper waters for some coho and limited out by 8am. 3 nice dungies!! Saw lots of fish coming in at Pedder Bay!!
Aces
Well-Known Member
You obviously never fished the cape Mudge lighthouse drift or Helens point on opening day. Zero courtesy
Really fun off that lighthouse at tide change back in the day . Boats banging together etc
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Very pleasant weather today. Sunny, flat calm and no fog, so ran down to Muir again.
Enormous number of boats at Otter at 7:00am, clustered all around the point and long lines along the beach and at least 300 metres past 3rd rock. We were glad we were not joining that stampede. Dropped lines 0.5K past Otter at 7:15 am and trolled down to Muir. Probably close to 20 boats in that direction but all strung out and nowhere near the zoo crowd at Otter.
Overall fishing was quite slow. We had three big hits but were pestered by little shakers all day. The first pounding hit came at 8:15am. He was on for maybe two minutes and fought quite hard then popped the hook. Inauspicious start!
Next decent hit came around 10:30am and the fish shot to the surface and jumped once and I thought coho. However, although it was clipped, it proved to be a small 7lb hatchery chinook.
The last hit which pounded the rod hard again at 12:30 proved to be a nice bar-b-que size 9lb chinook. When we took the last fish, Muir was deserted and there were only 4 boats left counting us. Lots of boats seemed to be out in the Strait by now, looking for coho I presume?
Just two smallish fish for about 6 hours trolling, so nothing to write home about. Still after the blanker we had on Thursday, I’ll take it!!
Small herring in t.h, again at 60 to 66’. About 95’ of water.
Enormous number of boats at Otter at 7:00am, clustered all around the point and long lines along the beach and at least 300 metres past 3rd rock. We were glad we were not joining that stampede. Dropped lines 0.5K past Otter at 7:15 am and trolled down to Muir. Probably close to 20 boats in that direction but all strung out and nowhere near the zoo crowd at Otter.
Overall fishing was quite slow. We had three big hits but were pestered by little shakers all day. The first pounding hit came at 8:15am. He was on for maybe two minutes and fought quite hard then popped the hook. Inauspicious start!
Next decent hit came around 10:30am and the fish shot to the surface and jumped once and I thought coho. However, although it was clipped, it proved to be a small 7lb hatchery chinook.
The last hit which pounded the rod hard again at 12:30 proved to be a nice bar-b-que size 9lb chinook. When we took the last fish, Muir was deserted and there were only 4 boats left counting us. Lots of boats seemed to be out in the Strait by now, looking for coho I presume?
Just two smallish fish for about 6 hours trolling, so nothing to write home about. Still after the blanker we had on Thursday, I’ll take it!!
Small herring in t.h, again at 60 to 66’. About 95’ of water.
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wolf
Well-Known Member
Yes slow for sure hope more show..... got one fish and 4 coho let a good one go that was about 90 cms
Everyone gets a chance on the way up when you do the proper loop... Trust me when you go out into deeper water ive hit many a fish as well its only 10 mins on tact down ...
YES and if that happened with no riggers and the old 2 lb weight you would ALWAYS hook up hence the right rod to shore rule was put in place. as like Rollie said earlier your gear is 50 feet behind you and being sucked in and then the inside guys gear is trying to do the same not a good combo ...
Everyone gets a chance on the way up when you do the proper loop... Trust me when you go out into deeper water ive hit many a fish as well its only 10 mins on tact down ...
cby
Well-Known Member
Ah, yes back in Sooke waters. Did not disappoint. Otter point 10 / 10 day. Sunny, flat calm and fish were bitting till 8:30am. Released a beautiful 25 lb was he chrome. Got an even better 18lb, 80 cm bang on just a beautiful fish, bright chrome but a whitey!! Smoke time!!! Lost two others on and had an incredible smash gone. grrr. Decided my arms were tired so went out deep for coho and trolled home. 45 minutes trolling for coho nothing. Boring!!! Bam! Smash boom, rod absolutely goes off. Beautiful hatchery coho, yes dinner 8lbs. Beauty. Ok stay for another 30 minutes lol, nothing. Pick up 1st rod, put away. Then dealing with my stuff for the run home, bam! Man they hit hard, another wild coho 6 lbs. Released and I am done. Exhausted, sun burnt, need a beer badly! Go Canucks go!! 10 / 10 day. Bonus Canucks game, beer and fresh coho salmon! Love it!
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trophy2005
Member
Englishman finally outfished his teacher wolf. J/k
Out on two shifts today for a very long 12 hrs on the water...but couldn't have asked for a better day to put in those hours. Went 2 for 5 for springs and a couple of coho...one went 10 pounds. I think the rain days last week moved many of the fish along...lots of boats but not many hook ups. Hoping for a normal weekday crowd in the morning.
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