Discover Sooke

Ron Neitsch from 2 Reel Fishing Charters took us out for a full day of Salmon Fishing around Secretary Island and the mouth of Sooke Harbour and we were able to film our adventure. We had a blast and the weather couldn’t have been much better. We left Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina around 6am for our Charter with 3 of us on board. On our way out of the harbour we dropped 4 crab traps, a practice done with each charter trip. So not only do you get a chance to land and keep a Salmon or two, but to also get some fresh crab for your dinner that night. Simply put, awesome!

After we dropped the pots, we headed out to our fishing destination. The unique thing about charter fishing from Sooke is the distance one needs to travel to start fishing. From the docks at Sooke Harbour Resort, we could be at our fishing grounds in as little as 8 minutes. This day it took us no longer than that before we found our place amongst some other early risers hoping to get the early morning bite.

No longer than 20 minutes after we dropped the gear, we had our first Salmon on our lines. It put up quite the battle, about 6 minutes in all, before it managed to shake free a meare 20 feet from the stern of the boat. While it would have been great to land it, the battle is more than half of the fun. It’s quite exhausting battling a large Spring Salmon, otherwise known as a King or Chinook.

Apparently the bite was on, with some other boats landing some nice Salmon around us in the 15-30 pound range. Another hour went by with another Salmon lost on the gear. This time it wasn’t so close to the boat, but this lasted an intense  2-3 minute fight before it was lost.

Around noon the gear took a hard hit about 90 feet under the water. Ron managed to grab the real and the fight was on. 10 minutes later, exhausted and full of adrenaline, we landed a nice 17 pound Chinook Salmon in the boat. It was a nice feeling knowing that we’d be able to have some Salmon to bring back home with us.

4 Strikes, 1 on board. It’s to be expected as myself and the other guy with me had little experience in fishing for these large Salmon and were pretty new to ocean fishing for this powerful fish.

Ron, our guide was amazing, helpful, insightful and patient. You can tell he loves his job with a passion and it was worth every moment out in the boat. He wants to give you the best fishing experience possible and I’d definitely go out with Ron from 2 Reel again.

It was an experience you need to have as words and videos don’t really give it the justification that it needs, as you can’t smell the salt air, hear the cries of seagulls and bald eagles around you as well as the sound of your fishing gear when a Salmon hits hard.

I can hardly wait for my next Salmon chasing adventure. Ron’s other guide, Bob, is also a fantastic from what I hear and between the two of them, I can pretty much say you’ll have an experience that won’t soon be forgotten.

Thanks again, Ron and team from 2 Reel for a true ocean fishing experience.

Please check out the video of our day, summed up in a few short minutes.

Have you been Salmon fishing before? What did you catch? Any good stories? Leave us a message below and let us know your fish tales.

For more information on the Sooke Region, don’t forget to visit the official Discover Sooke website.

Filed under: Latest News on June 11th, 2009