in or out? summer fishing in sooke/victoria

[likwit]

when fishing up north (charlottes, central coast and north coast) the majority of the time i felt more fish were caught fairly in close to the shore... near walls, points, hump, in bays, etc... basically anywhere with structure.

as the summer approaches, i am looking at my third summer fishery here in victoria... i always felt more confident in close, but its seems that lots of boats fish farther off shore here than what i'm used to... its pretty regular to see more than half of the boats i see fishing 200 + feet, which i wouldn't have expected... and i could be wrong, but it seems people do pretty well farther out.

what do people here in sooke/victoria prefer? do people have more luck in close or farther out? almost all of the biggest fish i caught up north were in tight, and the biggest one in sooke was in tight, but it seems guys do really well farther out as well...

anyone care to shed some light on this topic? any prefences on ocean depth? i know different locations fish differently, but just was wondering if anyone had some thoughts they'd be willing to share....

thanks

likwit

 

[scott craven]

In tight to shore for summer run Chinook, out deep for winter fish.

 

[Rum Buddies]

I regularly catch fish in 300+ feet of water, fishing 30-120' deep all summer off sooke, so don't be afraid to head out.

We fish right up next to rocks and farther out, both areas hold fish.

 

[tyee hunter]

i dont personally know the area.....but it could have a lot to do with underwater structure.....if there were pinnacles off shore, that would be cause to hold fish, feed etc as i know where i guide up in the charlottes, pinnacles are target areas in addition to the walls etc

 

[Highliner]

Interesting topic likwit. I've been fishing Sooke for about the same time as you and have wondered the same things. I guess like everything it comes down to what you have confidence in. But I never feel that confident in the deep water.

Poppa S, do you look for tide lines out farther?

Highliner

 

[Highliner]

Interesting topic likwit. I've been fishing Sooke for about the same time as you and have wondered the same things. I guess like everything it comes down to what you have confidence in. But I never feel that confident in the deep water.

Poppa S, do you look for tide lines out farther?

Highliner

 

[Rum Buddies]

with the exception of a couple of spots there are no pinnacles or real structure on the 300' line but plenty of fish come from out there.

If i'm fishing away from the rocks I'm not really looking for tide lines like you would coho fishing, but I would zig zag across them if they happen to cross my path.

The big benefit we get is we can run 4 rods at 4 different depths without dodging the trap reef or other boats. So we tend to cover more water with more gear, which once in a while pays off.

thats from Juan De Fuca derby day, all the in shore ares were jammed with boats - offshore nobody around except fish.

 

[Rum Buddies]

with the exception of a couple of spots there are no pinnacles or real structure on the 300' line but plenty of fish come from out there.

If i'm fishing away from the rocks I'm not really looking for tide lines like you would coho fishing, but I would zig zag across them if they happen to cross my path.

The big benefit we get is we can run 4 rods at 4 different depths without dodging the trap reef or other boats. So we tend to cover more water with more gear, which once in a while pays off.

thats from Juan De Fuca derby day, all the in shore ares were jammed with boats - offshore nobody around except fish.

 

[Highliner]

Kevin, we went to school together (Stelly's). Thanks for the tips. I know what you mean about dodging boats at the trap. We'll have to give it a go in the deeper water this year.

Did that fish get you into the prizes?

Highliner
(Dave Mason)

 

[Highliner]

Kevin, we went to school together (Stelly's). Thanks for the tips. I know what you mean about dodging boats at the trap. We'll have to give it a go in the deeper water this year.

Did that fish get you into the prizes?

Highliner
(Dave Mason)

 

[Rum Buddies]

oh hey sure I remember ya, no unfortunatly I wasn't in the derby so that fish wasn't entered. Deep, shallow, offshore, inshore just keep looking for them - they are out there.

 

[Rum Buddies]

oh hey sure I remember ya, no unfortunatly I wasn't in the derby so that fish wasn't entered. Deep, shallow, offshore, inshore just keep looking for them - they are out there.

 

[wolf]

SSSSSSHHHHH dont tell everyone!!!


Wolf

 

[wolf]

SSSSSSHHHHH dont tell everyone!!!


Wolf

 

[chris73]

I usually start in close at dawn and then move into more open waters and deeper as it brightens... Learned that from an old-schooler and it seems to work fine for most days...

 

[chris73]

I usually start in close at dawn and then move into more open waters and deeper as it brightens... Learned that from an old-schooler and it seems to work fine for most days...

 

[Captain Dudds]

hey likwit/highliner - i think i am in the same boat (figuratively); very used to fishing in tight and quite like it, just has a nice feel to it and you can sort of find where they are holding and work a spot with some strategy, but alot of the time at sooke people seem to just be all over the place. i personally had more success after moving out and just covering ground, like poppa swiss said - plus its easier to drink BEvERages because you don't have to pay as much attention.

 

[likwit]

thanks for the info peoples... seems like my suspicions have been somewhat confirmed. its been hard for me to get away from in tight, but i guess i'm gonna just have to do it... Captain Sudds, your observation makes sense!

How do fishing depths change in 200 - 300 feet of water... Poppa Swiss, you said 100 or so... anyone going deep deep? (ie. 150, 180, etc)

thanks

likwit

 

[Rum Buddies]

I know what you mean, it seems like there is no structure out there that should hold fish, but they do hold out there and in tight.

I don't know if they are deeper out there, I have experimented with 150+ depths but I didn't catch anything. Wolf or tailspin would know better I'm sure.