Sooke 2013 Fishing Reports

[sammyslabber]

Out of the block 1st one day old fish report; 11:30am - 3pm, Aldridge - Head, decent early season ho action with a few pinks and springs in the mix. Finished with 2 springs - 16lbs/limit of hatch Coho..

Gear: plastic/spoons

 

[Hillier420]

Made it out in my Kayak this morning. Launched from Whiffen Spit, headed towards Otter point. Picked up 1 Chinook, 1 Wild coho and a pink (released them all). All on the surface, 1 oz weight, 25 pulls back with a green and white Pt. Defiance spoon. Never did make it all the way to Otter.
Anyone know of a better place to launch a kayak closer to Otter Pt?

I launched out of Gordon beach yesterday had good coho action. Where
Were you when you got your salmon from launching whiffen?

 

[Jammer]

I launched out of Gordon beach yesterday had good coho action. Where
Were you when you got your salmon from launching whiffen?

I was about 3km from otter point and about 2km off the shoreline (according to Google earth). All the big boats were flying past me headed to Otter point.

 

[Hillier420]

I was about 3km from otter point and about 2km off the shoreline (according to Google earth). All the big boats were flying past me headed to Otter point.

Wow. That's a good paddle. Tried again today at otter point but the wind, waves and fog were too much for me only had one quick bite that diddnt stick.

 

[Rockfish]

Thanks, I'll try that next time. It looks like a great place to launch.
Whiffen spit wasn't a bad launch, if you have a normal Kayak. Mine is 36" wide and 100Lbs empty and was hard to squeeze between the garbage cans and the bike rack. After that, it was great.
I looked at Muir creek and it looked pretty steep to the beach.

You came out of the harbour off the spit right by us and we fished around you while you went out farther. We were impressed but also thinking it was good that it was like glass. The wind can come up pretty quick out there. How does that little boat handle the seas if they come up on you?

 

[Rockfish]

Fishing report for yesterday was more wall to wall Coho. The ratio of clipped to unclipped was very good and in fact out of our first 5 Coho 4 were clipped. Too many to count and released quite a few clipped ones, despite trying not to catch them at all as we were concentrating on Chinook and knew we would pick them up anyway. The heavy floating crap was messing up some of the shallow structure Chinook spots for a good part of the day and later the deep structure spots. Fished chovies a bit but not much point to it with all the Coho stealing bait and switched back to the hot plastics. Tried fishing the largest size Tomic spoons (very big with very large hooks to discourage Coho) but all it accomplished was selecting larger Coho. Some of them are getting up over 8 lbs and beginning to get the start of the nose on the bucks. September and October should be very good. Mid day we tried going out and deep to see if we could get under the Coho and maybe pick up a resident feeder/winter type spring. With Coho swirling on the surface we were still hitting Coho at 130 feet with a 20lb ball on steel and almost going straight down. Had to go to 160 to get under them and did manage to pick up a little resident spring about 4 lbs down there which we flipped loose. Beautiful day except for heavy tide lines and crap off the harbour. In the afternoon the Coho bite seems to really cool down but the am is great.

 

[Jacob's Ladder]

A buddy went out with his neighbour today and reported catching a stealhead amognst the pinks and cohos. I was surprised. I have never heard of that before.

JL

 

[Rockfish]

I don't know that's a first steel head.... I would have to question that one...

It happens, but only once to me in 50 years of salmon fishing and that was off Sooke. Have also caught searun Cutties and Dollys in places like Knight Inlet, but not off south VI.

 

[trendsetter]

A buddy went out with his neighbour today and reported catching a stealhead amognst the pinks and cohos. I was surprised. I have never heard of that before.

JL

Cool. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often actually. I bet it does but they are mistaken for coho or something else.

If you read the reports from the test fisheries they almost always catch one or two steelhead in their sets out in area 20 during the summer months. So they are definitely out there.

 

[Mourning Wood]

Got out early enough to have the gear down at the shack for first light but should have stayed in bed another hour what with the breeze and fog. Didn't check for the compass last night, forgot it and didn't feel like navigating that wall of fog blind. No spring action for us but the wall of Coho was good to most everyone it seems. 3/5 ho's were clipped so Canada day dins will be tasty. Saw a boat bounce a couple times before stopping short of the water at the Cheanuh ramp. Kicker looked pretty messed I hope the rest is OK for the guy.

 

[profisher]

2 steelies for me in my years in Sooke. New what they were once we had them on board. Caught both before all of the restrictions in place now. Back when everything came in the boat.

 

[casper5280]

Was out solo at first light and hit the fog as soon as I hit the Head. Motored up to the Trap and dropped the lines and went in to the cabin and boom double header one definability heavier them the other. Nice teenager and a hatch coho. Tossed the coho back and the it was no stop coho to the point I was sucked all the way back passed the Head in the fog. Picked up the gear and ran back up to the Trap and same thing couldn't keep the coho off. Must of had 4-5 double headers. Pulled the the pin at 9:30am.
As a side note came back to the marina, I pull in the there and there are 2 boats on the starboard side finger and no room for me.(I prefer to dock on the starboard side) Anyway the port finger is clear, get out get the boat ready to put on the trailer and pull it all the way to the front so I just have to slide the trailer under the boat. Run up and grab the truck and this butt hat drives in backs his car and zodiac to the top of the ramp and stops. I honk the horn a couple times and finally someone tells him to move. He looks at me and carries on and the guy tells him I was there first and he should move his car. Anyway he pulls out of the way and I back down and get the boat. I'm out on the trailer and he comes flying down the ramp all over the place hits the brakes then dumps his coffee and cigarettes off the roof of his car. Dumps the coffee and cream all down the back window and runs over his smokes. KARMA, just had to laugh.

 

[Dave S]

Report from sunday. Headed out for 11-2 fish out front of aldridge and the head. Stayed on the outside to start to get some coho action, and action it was. Lots of fish, mostly coho, few pinks, and I'd say our ratio was about 1/3 clipped. Every depth had them. We tried deeper to get under them, but they were hitting all the way down to 150. We then moved in tight and threw down some big gear and still got coho. One bigger fish hit hard, popped the pin, then gone. Maybe a chin.
Sunny, hot, flat calm. Well worth the run from Esq.

Oh, had the fly rod 20 pulls off the back center with light slip weight and cop car but nothing but weeds. Maybe I'll stack it next time. I wanna get some feisty coho on the 8 weight with fly reel. (backing and mono on spool) I modified the rod so it has a 6 inch cork below the reel. Works great in the power lock rod holders.

 

[zeke]

Out today 7-11. Headed to Muir to start. Took a little while to get there in the fog and chop. Once there, non-stop coho action. Managed 2 nice hatchery. No springs and one pink. Headed to Otter at about 9:30. A few more coho and just before we pulled up...pop goes the pin. A nice 12 lbs spring. Used up all the bait on the coho early on. Landed the spring on a green glow spoon. All in all a great day!

 

[Karma-Kazi]

I had the 8 wt out and was into atleast 25 fish. Just clipped it 10 ft above te dummy and ran a mini flaser and pink squirt 24" behind. Loads of fun.

Report from sunday. Headed out for 11-2 fish out front of aldridge and the head. Stayed on the outside to start to get some coho action, and action it was. Lots of fish, mostly coho, few pinks, and I'd say our ratio was about 1/3 clipped. Every depth had them. We tried deeper to get under them, but they were hitting all the way down to 150. We then moved in tight and threw down some big gear and still got coho. One bigger fish hit hard, popped the pin, then gone. Maybe a chin.
Sunny, hot, flat calm. Well worth the run from Esq.

Oh, had the fly rod 20 pulls off the back center with light slip weight and cop car but nothing but weeds. Maybe I'll stack it next time. I wanna get some feisty coho on the 8 weight with fly reel. (backing and mono on spool) I modified the rod so it has a 6 inch cork below the reel. Works great in the power lock rod holders.

 

[silver spring]

Great weekend fishing with Rockfish. Nice spring just under the slot on Saturday together with 3 hatcheries. On Sunday, got our limit of 4 nice sized hatcheries to 8lbs by 9am. Gorgeous weather, tasty food and lots of fishing action.

 

[tigerprawn]

Here is the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Derby Poster and hope all you locals get out and support your local hatchery.

 

[wolf]

Ive always said YOU were the best COHO guide ever out there Fishfly... LOL

Yesterday was good limit of hos and 3 springs . today wow it was nasty 1 spring another limit of coho and a pink .... thats early LOTS of fish in sooke now very good to see wish there was people out to take advantage of it....

Wolf

 

[Karma-Kazi]

Now that would be easy guiding

Ive always said YOU were the best COHO guide ever out there Fishfly... LOL

Yesterday was good limit of hos and 3 springs . today wow it was nasty 1 spring another limit of coho and a pink .... thats early LOTS of fish in sooke now very good to see wish there was people out to take advantage of it....

Wolf

 

[profisher]

was fishing the light on the weekend and it was foggy with maybe 200 to 300 feet vis. So while trolling it wasn't an issue to see the boats in your vicinity but you couldn't see the entire beach tack. I thought I heard a metallic like bang at one point and then later as I passed a buddy and asked how he was doing....he commented I know why I don't fish weekends. he then asks who is the guy in that boat there? He ran (trolled) into the side of my boat a minute ago...I assume that was the noise I heard. It was our good buddy Mr D.H. A little while later I heard him yelling at someone else to get out of the way. LOL No wonder he fishes alone.