2020 Sooke Reports

[Allbay]

Out today from first light to noonish south of Secretary. Visibility was great. We got two hatchery coho (7 & 8) and a small hatchery spring. We had a couple of double headers, but overall it was little slower for us than it was last weekend. After 10:30 things really slowed down. Mostly fished in 400-530 and 35-75 on the riggers. Pink coho killer and chartreuse Silver Horde had most of the action.

 

[carpeweekend]

Fished out of Pedder Bay today. Late start so it seems that we missed the early action but a pretty active day. 9 Coho to the boat but sadly 8 were wild - only one 7 pound hatch to show for our efforts. 3 of the wild Coho were 10 - 12 pounds so some fun. We tried and caught fish in many different depths of water but mainly out in about 500' and anywhere from 50 to 110 on the rigger. We ran anchovies all day and had to contend with quite a few shakers.
DFO creel survey guy was at the marina when we came in around 4 and he said that it had been slow and he had recorded only seven hatchery fish all day.

 

[RogersonCrusoe]

Fished out of Pedder Bay today. Late start so it seems that we missed the early action but a pretty active day. 9 Coho to the boat but sadly 8 were wild - only one 7 pound hatch to show for our efforts. 3 of the wild Coho were 10 - 12 pounds so some fun. We tried and caught fish in many different depths of water but mainly out in about 500' and anywhere from 50 to 110 on the rigger. We ran anchovies all day and had to contend with quite a few shakers.
DFO creel survey guy was at the marina when we came in around 4 and he said that it had been slow and he had recorded only seven hatchery fish all day.

Were you out in front of Beecher Bay early afternoon - chasing a bait ball? If so, I think we crossed paths. If not, there's an imposter!

 

[carpeweekend]

Were you out in front of Beecher Bay early afternoon - chasing a bait ball? If so, I think we crossed paths. If not, there's an imposter!

Yup, thought that was you. Another member of the Sidney fleet.

 

[Hillier420]

Want to head out today For coho. But crazy foggy. Anybody Think it might clear up this afternoon?

 

[Rusty Hook]

Out at east sooke today from first light till 11. Tried to get out of the bay but the fog was way to thick so fished around the head and alderidge. Even there it was super sketchy. Then this tug boat towing a huge log boom came out of the fog and turned into the bay really tight to the rocks. We were pinched between the rocks and the log boom and couldn’t tack with him right there. The tide was ripping against us so strong my kicker could barely keep us from going backwards so we had pull the gear and use the main to get out of there.
Ended up catching one nice size wild coho that destroyed my coho killer lure. ( released safely at the boat)
75’ in 350’ of water strait out from Beechy head.
Hopefully next weekend isn’t so foggy.

 

[BigBird007]

Crazy amount of birds in the fog this morning. You could hear them from a distance and then out of the fog you were in the middle of the flocks.

Productive morning like yesterday, 8-10 to the boat but only one hatchery. Like yesterday the tap got turned off at 9:30, nothing more till I was packing up at 11:45 and got a nice wild at 120 feet.

 

[RogersonCrusoe]

Yup, thought that was you. Another member of the Sidney fleet.

We go where the fish are Beauty boat you've got there

 

[peetz]

Out at 600 ft in the fog …. flat calm … 15 fish 3 double headers , 3 hatch .Fun morning , and like someone flicked a switch , the bite was over . BIG fish , some of the wilds were pushing 10 - 12 lbs

 

[Tips Up]

Fished 9:30-1:00 for coho.
first fish on before I could get second rod in.
Then another right after we got gear back fine. Both hatch. Then released a few wild over the next hour. Then dead for hours when the tide got ripping. 2 more released just before we left. Maybe was going to come back on.
Visibility sucked.

 

[eroyd]

Beautiful Sunday afternoon. Fog receded. Out in my tin boat from 2 - 5:30. Nine coho landed, including my biggest ever, pushing 20 lbs. Foul hooked in the side while trolling. I was sure it was a spring until I got it in the net. Kept one clipped coho of about 8lbs. Hot spoon was a "No Bananas", skinny G at 50 feet.

 

[Englishman]

I watched the posts of good coho catches for this past week or so, but there was no way we were going out in all that smoke and smog with no radar!

Today finally dawned flat and clear and so we gave it a shot. It turned out to be a great, if not remarkable day in several respects. Dropped lines at 7:30am in 150’ of water and headed out. Bait (herring) one side and McKnight spoon the other. Two hours later not a thing had happened except little undersized ones. We had tried depths from 60’ to 90’ and water from 250—550’ deep. Decided to can the bait and put on a dodger with my favourite pink stripe hootchie at same depths. Still nothing so dropped it to 100’ and 5 minutes later we had a hit at around 10:15am in 500’ of water. Got the fish to the boat but lost it. This was the start of a frenzied 25 minute spell where the dodger/hootchie combo was hit as soon as it reached 100’. We released two decent unclipped fish and kept an 8lb hatch fish. Had another undersized as well.

All then went quiet but switched to dodger and blue hootchie on the other side. Hooked one on that at same depth but lost it. Nothing again for an hour so switched the blue hootch out for an old Krippled K spoon I located in a garage sale and promptly got a 6lb hatch fish on that lure, also at 100’.

We felt we now had the best set up but trolled for another hour uneventfully. We had gone in to about 400’ of water and were headed back out when at 12:45 pm bang, bang, double header! in about 450’.

I put my rod with drag on in the holder and netted my wife’s fish. A nice big hatch! Turned attention to my fish and got that in and unbelievably that was a hatch too!! They both weighed 9lb and were alike as two peas in pod. Never had a double header of hatch coho that size before.

No point in pricking more coho with our limit of hatch now in the boat so headed home. I have no idea whether it was the use of dodgers or the 100’ depth or a combination of both that generated the hits. Have not used dodgers for 2 or 3 years but I think we will give them a go next time!! LOL

 

[habberdasher]

Out from dawn to one tons of action several double headers 9 to the boat only one hatch the wilds were beautiful fish 10-15 pounds all on spoons 75-100 feet in 550 out from Secretary

 

[RogersonCrusoe]

Got out for a sunset fish out of Beecher Bay from 5 - 7 last night. We wandered around for 45 minutes, then got into a double header of big coho. I got mine to the boat and the better half lost hers right at the boat (there was no fight, then it went mental death roll and spat the hook). Hers was way bigger than mine was but my 62 cm hatchery went straight into the cooler. A very quick proposal (she said yes!) and we were back to fishing.

Another loop over the same spot resulted in another double. Mine (hatchery) was 45cm and hers was a much bigger wild - safely released.

70 and 90 feet on the DR in 530ft of water. Winning combos below each picked up two fish.

So all in all. A lovely wind-free evening with very little tides. 2 Salmon, but 3 keepers!

 

[habberdasher]

Got out for a sunset fish out of Beecher Bay from 5 - 7 last night. We wandered around for 45 minutes, then got into a double header of big coho. I got mine to the boat and the better half lost hers right at the boat (there was no fight, then it went mental death roll and spat the hook). Hers was way bigger than mine was but my 62 cm hatchery went straight into the cooler. A very quick proposal (she said yes!) and we were back to fishing.

Another loop over the same spot resulted in another double. Mine (hatchery) was 45cm and hers was a much bigger wild - safely released.

70 and 90 feet on the DR in 530ft of water. Winning combos below each picked up two fish.

So all in all. A lovely wind-free evening with very little tides. 2 Salmon, but 3 keepers!

View attachment 57274 View attachment 57275

Congratulations mine is a keeper too but I have never figured out if I am happy or not that she doesn’t fish because after fifty years sometimes it’s nice to have a little solitude.

 

[Englishman]

Got out for a sunset fish out of Beecher Bay from 5 - 7 last night. We wandered around for 45 minutes, then got into a double header of big coho. I got mine to the boat and the better half lost hers right at the boat (there was no fight, then it went mental death roll and spat the hook). Hers was way bigger than mine was but my 62 cm hatchery went straight into the cooler. A very quick proposal (she said yes!) and we were back to fishing.

Another loop over the same spot resulted in another double. Mine (hatchery) was 45cm and hers was a much bigger wild - safely released.

70 and 90 feet on the DR in 530ft of water. Winning combos below each picked up two fish.

So all in all. A lovely wind-free evening with very little tides. 2 Salmon, but 3 keepers!

View attachment 57274 View attachment 57275

Congrats!! I hope you did not distract her while she was playing her fish. A big fish on is waaay more important than a proposal!! LOL

 

[liv2fish]

Two day report out of Sooke. 1st day (yesterday) got two hatchery and one wild to the boat and had a long line release plus one spit it at me beside the boat. Fished out from Bluffs in 350-400 FOW down 51 ft on DR. The green slam got most of the action with bit of anchovy on leading hook. Got on on green teaser head. Keepers were 6 and 8 lbs.
Day 2 (today) only got two hits and landed to very nice hatch coho's. Both were in same spot as yesterday, chasing my waypoints and paths, in 370 FOW down 52 ft on DR. But todays were a fat 9.5 and 12 lber. One today on grand slam fly (green) and one on UV white and red hoochie (both with bit of anchovy attached to lead hook of tandem). The big guy today had a small bait fish in it and the smaller was full of what looked like prawn fry? You tell me?
Two beautiful days out there, calm, no smoke and no fog. The fish just topped things off.

 

[tubber]

Nice fish. Stomach contents look like a juvenile salmon and krill.

 

[RogersonCrusoe]

Congrats!! I hope you did not distract her while she was playing her fish. A big fish on is waaay more important than a proposal!! LOL

Of course not! I would never distract her when there's a fish on her line.

Today's report was the last day at the marina, but I couldn't let it go to waste with a beauty evening! Other people had the same idea as it was "packed" out front.

Somehow we managed to go 4/6 with hatcheries! Off of beecher Bay is 475-550 feet of water. Only one hatchery was remarkable size (8lbs?) but the two wild were pushing 10. No double headers, no constant hits, just fairly steady action from 4-6:30.

Didn't take a winning combo photo, but it was the above cop car flasher combo and white hoochie/lemon lime glow madi flasher.

Big rains on the way. Hoping some more coho show up and stick around when next I get out.

 

[Tips Up]

Fished from 3-6 at off the head last night. Beauty night. Caught about 10. 2 double headers. Only 1 hatchery. Wasn’t light out coho fishing. Just pocket of fish here and there.