Fished otter and Muir yesterday morning. Kept a nice hatch coho. Release a couple wild coho and a bunch of pinks. No springs for us and old saw 1 netted. Fished bait on one side and gear on the other. Still fed 2 packs of bait to pinks. There are a ton of commercial crab traps out west. Some poorly marked and 1 that was about 3 ft under the water and cost me a cannon ball .
2021 Sooke Reports
- Thread starter SFBC
- Start date
Fisher_dude
Crew Member
Sidewinder
Member
Nice fish! Care to share where you were fishing?
Fisher_dude
Crew Member
Right around Aldridge
BigBird007
Crew Member
Fished the Trap this morning with my youngest daughter. None stop action till the fog lifted then it slowed down for me. Lots of pinks and small springs this morning.
Managed to get a nice teenager and then my daughter reeled in a 8lb spring that I gave her the option to keep or look for bigger. At 5 years old she looks at me and says dad your not going to get a bigger fish than me, put that back and let’s get fishing!! Made my morning!
Needles to say she was tuckered on the way back in
Managed to get a nice teenager and then my daughter reeled in a 8lb spring that I gave her the option to keep or look for bigger. At 5 years old she looks at me and says dad your not going to get a bigger fish than me, put that back and let’s get fishing!! Made my morning!
Needles to say she was tuckered on the way back in
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wolf
Well-Known Member
Thats what is all about getting the younger generation off the video games and out into the outdoors this made my day thanks you!!!!
As for today insane fishing this am basically i was done after 2 passes with springs as I only had 2 people so we fished for me for a change had good laughs and fun times getting pinks, was a tad bit lumpy but ok ..
Englishman
Well-Known Member
Well, after letting the holiday rush catch all the fish, we finally returned to the water today. Foggy out there and a bit lumpier than expected. Boated a pink fairly promptly then lost two more, then let one go as he was small, even for pink! Noticed we had ended up a bit far out in the fog, so as visibility improved we tucked into the Possession circuit, nice and tight like the guides do! Nothing happened for a while and by 9:00am we noticed most boats had gone out off the end of Secretary, but we kept at it. About 9:15am I had a bouncing hit in one of our favourite spots and he made a nice, though not spectacular head shaking run. Then he seemed to stop and sulk so I increased the pressure a bit and bang! the mainline broke. New line for this season too. What I think happened was earlier I had an altercation with that reel as the line had gone behind the spool. It finally popped free but in wrestling with it I may have damaged it. Should have checked the line, but I like to think the fish was over the slot anyway LOL!! 
Tried a couple more passed but nada. It was now getting pretty rough but we thought we could try for pinks further out, but we were thrown about so much we gave that up. As we came in we did bring a small 6lb jack chinook to the surface but he threw the hook. It was not turning out to be a good day but worse was to follow. We decided to head over to the Trap to find calmer water and it was for a while. After a couple of passes with nothing we headed back west to the gap and about halfway between the Trap and Iron Mine Bay hung a ball up. We tried to get it off, even drifting back with the tide, which sometimes works. But no luck and bang a 12lb ball plus 50 feet of cable a gone to join the gear I lost on the chinook . We called it a day at that point, before anything else broke! The successful gear set lost was a green/gold flasher and green/gold t.h. The magic little herring was the bait once more.
I can only hope our season improves from this point. It cannot get any worse…..can it!??
Tried a couple more passed but nada. It was now getting pretty rough but we thought we could try for pinks further out, but we were thrown about so much we gave that up. As we came in we did bring a small 6lb jack chinook to the surface but he threw the hook. It was not turning out to be a good day but worse was to follow. We decided to head over to the Trap to find calmer water and it was for a while. After a couple of passes with nothing we headed back west to the gap and about halfway between the Trap and Iron Mine Bay hung a ball up. We tried to get it off, even drifting back with the tide, which sometimes works. But no luck and bang a 12lb ball plus 50 feet of cable a gone to join the gear I lost on the chinook
. We called it a day at that point, before anything else broke! The successful gear set lost was a green/gold flasher and green/gold t.h. The magic little herring was the bait once more.I can only hope our season improves from this point. It cannot get any worse…..can it!
??
BigBird007
Crew Member
I had my fair share of screw up starting this season, felt like I never fished before.Well, after letting the holiday rush catch all the fish, we finally returned to the water today. Foggy out there and a bit lumpier than expected. Boated a pink fairly promptly then lost two more, then let one go as he was small, even for pink! Noticed we had ended up a bit far out in the fog, so as visibility improved we tucked into the Possession circuit, nice and tight like the guides do! Nothing happened for a while and by 9:00am we noticed most boats had gone out off the end of Secretary, but we kept at it. About 9:15am I had a bouncing hit in one of our favourite spots and he made a nice, though not spectacular head shaking run. Then he seemed to stop and sulk so I increased the pressure a bit and bang! the mainline broke. New line for this season too. What I think happened was earlier I had an altercation with that reel as the line had gone behind the spool. It finally popped free but in wrestling with it I may have damaged it. Should have checked the line, but I like to think the fish was over the slot anyway LOL!!
Tried a couple more passed but nada. It was now getting pretty rough but we thought we could try for pinks further out, but we were thrown about so much we gave that up. As we came in we did bring a small 6lb jack chinook to the surface but he threw the hook. It was not turning out to be a good day but worse was to follow. We decided to head over to the Trap to find calmer water and it was for a while. After a couple of passes with nothing we headed back west to the gap and about halfway between the Trap and Iron Mine Bay hung a ball up. We tried to get it off, even drifting back with the tide, which sometimes works. But no luck and bang a 12lb ball plus 50 feet of cable a gone to join the gear I lost on the chinook
I can only hope our season improves from this point. It cannot get any worse…..can it!
Keep at it everything will come together!
Pursuit Of Hogs
Member
I have had freshly spooled reels snap the mainline on the first fish of the season and it was due to the manager of the lodge spooled our reels and didn't have enough pressure on the line when he was putting it on.. could be it. And now I never trust anyone to do itWell, after letting the holiday rush catch all the fish, we finally returned to the water today. Foggy out there and a bit lumpier than expected. Boated a pink fairly promptly then lost two more, then let one go as he was small, even for pink! Noticed we had ended up a bit far out in the fog, so as visibility improved we tucked into the Possession circuit, nice and tight like the guides do! Nothing happened for a while and by 9:00am we noticed most boats had gone out off the end of Secretary, but we kept at it. About 9:15am I had a bouncing hit in one of our favourite spots and he made a nice, though not spectacular head shaking run. Then he seemed to stop and sulk so I increased the pressure a bit and bang! the mainline broke. New line for this season too. What I think happened was earlier I had an altercation with that reel as the line had gone behind the spool. It finally popped free but in wrestling with it I may have damaged it. Should have checked the line, but I like to think the fish was over the slot anyway LOL!!
Tried a couple more passed but nada. It was now getting pretty rough but we thought we could try for pinks further out, but we were thrown about so much we gave that up. As we came in we did bring a small 6lb jack chinook to the surface but he threw the hook. It was not turning out to be a good day but worse was to follow. We decided to head over to the Trap to find calmer water and it was for a while. After a couple of passes with nothing we headed back west to the gap and about halfway between the Trap and Iron Mine Bay hung a ball up. We tried to get it off, even drifting back with the tide, which sometimes works. But no luck and bang a 12lb ball plus 50 feet of cable a gone to join the gear I lost on the chinook
I can only hope our season improves from this point. It cannot get any worse…..can it!
Had an 8 our trip today and headed west. When we got to my chosen spot there were already a dozen boats there and a couple were heading home already. Pulled a nice 17 pound fish on the 1st pass and then lost 1 shortly after, We trolled around for a bit and by 10:30 we had our 4 chinook and 8 pinks...1 of the chinook for me to take hime. 30-45 ft on anchovy and skinny g's. .Topped the trip off with 9 nice dungy;s. Got to start my 3pm trip at 12:15 and headed back west. It got snarky but we managed to land 2 of 4 that went 15 and 12 pounds. 4 more dungy's.
wolf
Well-Known Member
Well today was my Birthday and a excellent day to go fishing I must admit what a epic day!!!! over 20 springs on and we landed these ones all at 14 to 16 lbs let a couple of beauts go as well got our fish and came in AP spoon was hot ticket again didnt matter 40 to 70 feet today it was all wilds. And I ask for a special favor from all you fisherman.
PLEASE TURN IN the heads as it would be GREAT to see where these hatchery heads are from if we show they are the fish from the net pen project it will give us some ammo going into meeting to FIGHT for marked fishery ANYTIME!!!! its the only way we could actually prove to them. I dont know if you all know the sooke set pen SVIAC does is the only one where we HAVE to fin clip the smolts. I dont know the number maybe Rollie does? Any ways
Good luck Wolf
PLEASE TURN IN the heads as it would be GREAT to see where these hatchery heads are from if we show they are the fish from the net pen project it will give us some ammo going into meeting to FIGHT for marked fishery ANYTIME!!!! its the only way we could actually prove to them. I dont know if you all know the sooke set pen SVIAC does is the only one where we HAVE to fin clip the smolts. I dont know the number maybe Rollie does? Any ways
Good luck Wolf
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Sam7
Well-Known Member
Question, maybe dumb question:
the salmon head drop off locations, are they all tabulated in one data bank? Me motoring out from Esquilmalt, catching fish in Sooke, dropping heads off in Esquilmalt, all the info goes to one central data center?
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I bet you those are from net pen.
Yes
Yes
tigerprawn
Active Member
I have been running the net pen project in Sooke for 5 years now with a small crew of volunteer. We have been releasing over 500k chinooks each year for the last 4 year. 100k have been CWTs and fin clipped each year.
some of you fisher people turn in the heads and some use them as crab bait.
If you what to see this awesome August sooke chinook fishery continue turn in the hatchery head.
IF NOT SAY GOOD BY TO THIS FISHERY
Deepaaaar
Well-Known Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can probably turn in the head after the crabs have at 'er for a few hours. They don't usually destroy 'em, at least not in the shortish soaks. The point being that there's no reason not to turn in the heads.
Fisher_dude
Crew Member
Turn in the heads and just use the frames. 
BigBird007
Crew Member
Doing my part and turned in a hatchery head this morning!
