2023 Sooke Reports
- Thread starter SFBC
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Hot-Streak
Well-Known Member
Was out Thursday with a buddy on his black Hewescraft proV
Arrived off church and wind and chop. The head was socked in with fog so we started here. Weather was supposed to be nicer.
We started off slow trolling church with a few lost bites and lots of shakers.
After talking in the radio and hearing a few fish being landed off the head we relocated there with more shakers for the next 1 1/2 hours.
After some chat and complaining on the radio we started getting some good hits and landed and kept our limit of wilds, released a few more.
We didn’t get any clipped coho or mackerel.
It was hard/cold fishing but still better then a day at work.
Arrived off church and wind and chop. The head was socked in with fog so we started here. Weather was supposed to be nicer.
We started off slow trolling church with a few lost bites and lots of shakers.
After talking in the radio and hearing a few fish being landed off the head we relocated there with more shakers for the next 1 1/2 hours.
After some chat and complaining on the radio we started getting some good hits and landed and kept our limit of wilds, released a few more.
We didn’t get any clipped coho or mackerel.
It was hard/cold fishing but still better then a day at work.
One quick note on the mackerel - we got into a school of them last weekend and couldn't keep them off our hooks. They are fantastic fighters, we kept 2 to try but ours had parasites (small white spots on organs and 1 had on the flesh too). When cleaning them back at Cheanuh Marina the seals which sit there waiting for the discards did not want anything to do with them. They'd smell what we tossed in the water and look at us in a very disapproving way.
Eden Island
Well-Known Member
Similar experience 9:30 to 12:30, minus the shakers. Good humpback viewing. Nice visibility change from Thursday. Better than raking my leaves.
Had high hopes for maybe one of those big late fish, but not to be. Covered a lot of water from Beecher Bay to Secretary. Shallow fishing spoons only caught me a couple of 3# springs and a few shakers. No mack attack. As a last ditch effort put on a mint tulip squirt and a glow flasher and sent them down to 80'. There, got two 4 lb runt wild coho. Pretty slow fishing.
Was out for 4 hours with a 7am start. Slow for the first hour and a half then we started hitting fish. Ended up with 4 wild and 1 hatch...all 7-9 pounds., lost a couple more. 2 Mackerel and 3 Dungies. 50-60 ft on hootchies. Hit the fish off the tin shed in around 400ft of water.
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
Out yesterday from 8-2. Hooked 6 decent fish, kept 2 wild & hatch. Lost a big wild during a double header. 1 mackerel. Fished 40-120 ft, most fish at 80. Using white hootchies and green flash fly at Secretary and the Head between 300-500 ft of water. Definitely slower fishing for us and other boats now.
Another 4 hour trip and today 4 nice wilds with the largest a 12 pound hooked nose buck. Lost another 4 or 5 and 9 mackerel today. A nice 8 crab haul to finish the day. 40-55 ft today off the Tin Shed. Bite came on after 11am. Out tomorrow with a later 10am start with some clients catching the 7am ferry from the mainland. Hopefully the change and flood produces even better.
Eden Island
Well-Known Member
Anybody making it out between storms? The calm periods are all out of sync with my schedule!
habberdasher
Well-Known Member
Following, I am hoping to get out with my grandson and his Swedish cousin Sunday so far weather is looking good are there a few coho still around
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
Should be some - but likely less as with this rain they will be moving up to their spawning areas. Will have to cover lots of water to find some probably.
Fishin
Well-Known Member
Definitely a few around but be prepared to work for them, some feeder Chinook are showing up as well could try bouncing bottom with glow spoons/hootchies! 110-170’ of water has produced well this time of year for me in the past whirl bay can be very productive 10’ off the bottom.
habberdasher
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info
habberdasher
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the report Tom, tight lines Tsquared too (also)
King O' The Kelp
New Member
After several hot trips in August, been trying to get out all October, but between mule deer hunting, crappy weather, work, and other random excuses, it hadn't happened yet. Finally...My wife and I fished out from the Harbour down to Beechy and a few tracks in between from 9 to 2 today. East wind made for a few lumps at times. Tried just about every spoon and hoochie in the kit. Many shakers. Just 1 wild coho at 75 feet in about 200 feet of water just west of the Trap Shack on a No Bananas, Skinny G. Crabbing was a bust (just females and sub legals). Salmon dinner tonight was first class!
Hot-Streak
Well-Known Member
went out today with a buddy to see if any Mackerel were in the area. Not a single one. We did get a nice salmon off the head but that was it (well besides the shakers)
too bad Halibut is closed so early. Won't down to sooke for a while after this, but it was a great season this year and the Mackerel were a nice little bonus.
too bad Halibut is closed so early. Won't down to sooke for a while after this, but it was a great season this year and the Mackerel were a nice little bonus.
tigerprawn
Active Member
Just a quick report on the status of returns to the Sooke River. Not to be discouraging but the numbers are very poor. 220 Chinook were counted in the lower reaches of the Sooke prior to the first rain event. Also around 80 chinook were taken for broodstock.
Coho are still hard to tell as they use all the tributaries and they have little to no water.
Chum are not good coast wide and are in trouble.
This has been the most seals and sea lions I have seen in Sooke Harbour.
It’s time for some drastic changes.
Coho are still hard to tell as they use all the tributaries and they have little to no water.
Chum are not good coast wide and are in trouble.
This has been the most seals and sea lions I have seen in Sooke Harbour.
It’s time for some drastic changes.
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