Sooke2015

[SpringVelocity]

We were out lost two decent ones on Saturday out west from trailer park to Muir. Both right at the net. Got a smaller one on Sunday same out west... Typically derby days.. Highlights where the barge on Saturday, and the never ending crab floats out west.

 

[Oly1]

Great report Discus, I bet everyone went home with a big smile and a few fish stories to tell. Nice work.

 

[hutch]

5 pinks in pedder Sunday afternoon

 

[Halibut-face]

Went out with a pack and a half of bait this morning thinking it would be enough. Nope. Pinks and shaker springs ate through them in no time. Threw some spoons down continued to catch pinks and shakers. Kept a small 7lb spring. Trap to beechey. 5-10am

 

[profisher]

Figures the day after the derby and the fishing lights up big time. Lots of really big fish around to. I'm sure most have heard that Wille Mitchell landed a 40.5 on Monday morning. A friend fishing beside me today had 6 springs, 3 were in the high 30's. Two of them were a double header. We ended up with 3 out of 6 both Monday and Tuesday with the 3 biggest being between 24 and 25 pounds. We had 3 springs saw through freshly tied 40 pound test big game leaders. 2 yesterday and one today. Didn't see any whales so they must be due anytime especially with those big slugs in the area. Here are a couple of pics of some happy visitors.

 

[Sir Reel]

Out today and got a 10 and 22. Got the bigger ones at 64 feet. Lots of small ones and went through lots of bait.
It was windy all day. Back at it to tomorrow!

 

[profisher]

Sir Reel, beautiful day where we were, just bumpy getting there. Once there not much more than a ripple. We left at noon and still calm.

 

[Jammer]

Got out this morning from 05:00 am to 12:00.
Lots of boats out for midweek! Lots of fish around too.
Put 2 good chinook in the boat (31lbs was the big one)and caught so many pink I lost count.
Mostly on anchovy with a madie flasher. The big fish was on a "candy" flasher with an electric chair hootchie.
Glad I took the day off!

 

[Tips Up]

Glad I took the day off!

I think you just inspired me

 

[Sir Reel]

Sir Reel, beautiful day where we were, just bumpy getting there. Once there not much more than a ripple. We left at noon and still calm.

We saw you go by us at Otter point. It was choppy there. Sounds like you had a good day. Best we could do was 22 pounds

 

[Sir Reel]

Fished Sheringham, Muir Creek, Otter and trailer park. Managed a 15 and a 10. So many pinks we lost count. Went through 4 packs of bait. Boy those crab traps at Otter are pain. Hard to see the boys when the light is flat and whitecaps.
Topped it off with a beautiful calm night off Secretary and a 12 pound Chinook.
We had a crab trap set in the basin with a 22 pound fish head. Was in a wire cage with a bungy cord. Otters got in it an ripped off the cord and took the whole head. No crabs. Then the Otter tried to attack me at the cleaning table. Lol!
One more morning and the cruise back to Vancouver. Great trip and will be back in July.
Dave

 

[Englishman]

Was a beauty day on the water today, and the fish have certainly shown up big time after their conspicuous absence in May and early June.

We fished from 7:30am until 1:30pm along Possession, harbour front and the Bluffs at depths of 80-135’. We ended up keeping 5 pinks and two Chinook of 9lb and 14lb. The smaller chinook came to conventional anchovy on a 7’ leader. But the story of the day was that, on the other side we fished a small pink hootch to keep my wife busy with the pinks. Around noon she had just released a small pink and put the little hootch back down to 88’ and we got a big hit 5 minutes later. The 14lb fish put up a decent fight and jumped a couple of times as it shot to the surface once hooked. Who knew you could get a decent chinook on a small pink hootch on a 2’ leader way off the Bluffs in 135‘ of water in the middle of nowhere!! Great day really.

And weather looks great over the weekend so we are going to get out again soon with all these fish around!!

 

[fshnfnatic]

Don't count out the mighty pink hootchie,english.I've caught plenty of springs on them over the years and a couple of
tyee's as well.If I could only fish one thing,it would be a little MP2 hootchie behind a red hot spot flasher.That combo
will catch every species of Pacific Salmon known to mankind.

 

[Tsquared]

Don't count out the mighty pink hootchie,english.I've caught plenty of springs on them over the years and a couple of
tyee's as well.If I could only fish one thing,it would be a little MP2 hootchie behind a red hot spot flasher.That combo
will catch every species of Pacific Salmon known to mankind.

X2
Back when we were commercial trolling for pinks using a 6 foot leader and a shorty tail it used to wake you up when up would come a big spring. It would be a mad scramble to unwrap the surgical tubing from the boom and get the clip on it before the spring woke up! . Fun times.
T2

 

[Cut Plug]

x3 During the big sockeye run of 2010 on a Renfrew weekend we caught almost as many springs using sockeye hootchies as sockeye. The first few were pretty funny as we got used to it, but after that we totally enjoyed it. After the first morning we didn't even bother fishing the beach. Biggest fish was a 34.5 scrapper I'll never forget. Too many jumps to count! More than a few double headers of one of each. Of course, back in the day when I fished Alberni Inlet a lot for springs in late August the pink hootch used to out fish bait enough that I always had one on one rod. Will I put one on at Sooke on any given day to target springs? Nope. But it sure is fun when the big boys give you a pleasant surprise

 

[Englishman]

Interesting information about the lowly pink hootch guys. I might try putting one out during non-pink years in the future.... Thx

 

[fishspoon]

I have caught numerous springs on mini-squirts mostly red or pink in Alberni Inlet. Got tired of this method...I try for something challenge by using spoons..more fun. My theory is that the water is dark with full of silt from log booms or cabbage (weeds or kelps), fish see pink something that is bright and visible..will bite it quickly than the bait.

 

[Halibut-face]

I've consistently caught summer springs on pink squirts and 22" leaders in sooke

 

[saltydawg]

When the fish are aggressively competing for food, they'll bite anything.
I think that we should start a competition- FIRST ONE TO POST A PIC OF A SALMON CAUGHT ON A BENT BOTTLE CAP AND A RUSTY NAIL.
That'd be fun.........

 

[jriptide]

Interesting to hear Pink Hootchies are working in Sooke. Back in 2003 a guy I know told me he and his dad fished all week in Barkley Sound without much luck using all the usual tackle for Chinook , so they switched gear to catch some Pinks and Coho and ended up slaying the Springs on pink hootchies. Fast forward a year and I was out at Swale Rock fishing, lots of boats but no action. So I put one standard size pink hootchie (not a squirt) on one side of the boat and anchovy on the other. We quickly landed a 25lbs spring on the pink hootchie. So I put another standard size pink hootchies on both lines. We ended up landing a 47lb white Spring. One of the local guides did not believe me and I had to show him that there indeed were pink hootchies setup on my boat. I have tried the pink hootchie other places and tried it again at Swale but minimal success since. I don’t recall the water color but do remember there was a ton of kelp and seaweed getting caught up in the gear.