Discover Sooke

Winter Spring Salmon fishing in Sooke has slowed down over the last couple of days but overall has been Excellent this season. These smaller immature Spring Salmon are feeding heavily on herring, shrimp, and other smaller bait fish and squid. The fillets are noticably a darker red colour than the summer run fish, are feeding much deeper than thier summer time counterparts,are usually easier to catch, and often are more plentyfull than the summer run Spring Salmon.  Glow flashers,spoons, hootchies and anchovey teaser heads of many colours have been working well. The common factor being glow,(although the betsy series of flasher has also been getting action.)

One boat from Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina reported doing very well on a factory second; glow,orange and green flasher he got from Eagle-Eye Outfitters, for $7.99.(No kidding). The local slow down over the last couple of days could be due to the huge amount of rain that has fallen in the area over the last weeks. Fishing deeper maybe the answer for getting back into the fish if they seem to have disappeared. The 2010 Vancouver Island Salmon Classic Derby hosted by the Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina has been announced and the current teams holding invitations are to confirm thier intentions by the end of January, or new teams will be added to the list of entrants. New for the derby this year is a fourth and fifth prize: $10,000.00 and a ticket into the 2011 event respectively. Check out the website for details, on this and the Canadian Girls in Gear Fishing edition Calender. www.salmonclassic.ca

Dec.3rd Morning Fished with John and Gavin from Sooke and Fort McMurray Alberta, on a sunny flat morning outside the Sooke Harbour Mouth. Trolling for winter Spring Salmon was VERY GOOD with strikes every few minutes, the guys were kept busy playing Salmon . Releasing the smallest fish we still limited out by noon. Had three nice Crabs in the traps on the way in. We trolled glow hootchies behind green Magna Glow and Silver Betsy flashers at 125 and 135ft on the downriggers. The deep water off the South tip of Secretary Is. was the most productive, with lots of bait showing on the sounder, and fish under them.

Dec.3rd Afternoon Fished with my wife Erin and friend Neil for some winter Spring Salmon for Christmas. Since the water stayed flat and the fish were biting non stop, we decided to go back to the same spot as the morning and picked up 4 more Salmon for ourselves. Had another 3 good sized Crabs in the traps on the way in. Ran the same gear at the same depths, it didn’t seem to matter that the tide had changed and was now going out.

Dec.12th Fished with a friend Neil off of Secretary Is. for winter spring (feeder springs) Salmon. The action was non-stop, trolling a green Magna Glow ,and a white flasher with a number 500 road runner spoon and a Purple Haze hootchie. By noon we had our limit of Springs in the 6 to 7 lb range. We were trolling the gear deep (125 to 140ft) but found some good action close to the reef off the south tip of the Island. Overcast skies, flat water, great morning for action.

Dec.15th Fishing with Kyle and Christina from Edmonton AB. off Secretary Is. for winter feeder Chinook Salmon . Started fishing around noon and Salmon were biting consistently on glow white and Irish Mist hootchies. Trolling the gear at 125 and 135ft on the downriggers we found the fish in the area between the harbour mouth and the reef off the island, in 100 to 300ft of water. Lots of herring and groups of seagulls and diving birds feeding to indicate where the Salmon were also feeding. Some rain and cool wind coming from the North East, lots of action.

Dec.16th Fishing with the same crew as yesterday, we came around the corner of Whiffen Spit to a flat calm morning. Again the action on Springs was good off the Island, using a glow white hootchie and a Wonder Bread spoon at the same depths. Saw seals, a curious sea lion came up behind the boat, and alot of seabirds feeding on herring ball ups, two Eagles sat and watched the action from on top of Secertary Is. We limited on Salmon by noon and had three nice Crabs in the traps on the way back in. Flat water, low winds in the morning, lots of rain.

Dec.27th Trolling for winter Spring Salmon with Kevin and his wife Susan from England, water was flat and skies sunny over the Strait of Juan De Fuca. The couple played 10 to 12 Salmon landing 4 of the largest which were in the 5-6lb range. The fish seemed to be concentrated on the reef off the South tip of Secretary Island, and we had most of our action trolling spoons and hootchies at 125 to 135ft on the downriggers. Had 3 nice crabs in the traps on the way in.

Dec.28th Fishing with Nick from EAGLE-EYE OUTFITTERS in Sooke. We trolled up 2 winter Springs for him to send to relatives back home, and released 4 or five smaller ones. Tried a few new combo’s but found a Party Girl spoon and a Silver Betsy flasher to attract some good action off the reef at Secretary Is. We were trolling the gear at 100 to 135ft on the downriggers.Spotted a pod of Orca whales off the Sooke Harbour entrance in the morning headed East towards Victoria. Pulled 3 nice crabs out of the traps on the way back in. Saw a 15lb Halibut on the dock at the cleaning station which came in from a local spot. Weather was good with light winds out of the East and partly sunny skies, water was flat.
Dec.30th Fishing with Steve,Margot and her Son Sam off the Sooke Harbour entrance, for winter Spring Salmon. The wind was down and there were some great sunny periods, and warm temperatures. The bait was being harassed by seagulls, thick off Possession Point. Six or eight boats in the area, everyone was catching Salmon, three charter boats in the area limited out. We landed our limit of Springs in the 5 to 7lb range. There were larger Spring Salmon caught, saw a 14, a couple in the 10lb range, and small Halibut that was trolled up near Otter Point, at the Sooke Harbour Marina dock.

Jan.4th Fishing with Nick from Eagle-Eye Outfitters in Sooke and Henry D., we trolled the harbour entrance and Secretary Island for winter Spring Salmon. Using silver or chrome spoons we quickly had action on Chinooks from 5 to 10lbs at 125ft on the downriggers. The Glow Below hootchy also worked well for us. Tide was ebbing until noon and wind was from the North East, making conditions a little cool, but the water was flat and the fish were biting. We took our limit (6 Springs) by about 2pm. No crabs in the traps, probably due to the out going tide all morning.

Jan.9th Fished this morning with Bill D. for winter springs infront of the harbour mouth. Slower fishing this morning with less fish striking the gear, and smaller Salmon coming to the boat on average. Released four or five Salmon that were too small. Landed two Springs worth keeping trolling the glow below hootchy behind a silver betsy flasher, at 125 to 135ft. Noticebly less bait in the area, no birds or clouds on the sounder. The Party Girl spoon trolled behind the green/glow Magna Glow flasher, did just as well as the hootchy combination, but not better. Nice flat water, counted 20 boats in the area, stayed fairly dry as the rain showers stayed away.
Jan.12th Fished the day with Leo, for winter Salmon off the Sooke harbour mouth, towards Secretary Is. Much slower day, only counted two or three Salmon strikes on the gear, nothing hooked up. No fish.

Jan.16th Fished a slow day with Bill, Kevin and Chris, trolling spoons and hootchies from Secretary Is. to the Trailer Park. Weather was good, slight wind, water was good all day, no Salmon strikes, alot of small cod hitting the gear. We had a nice rock cod off the Island but had to release it.

Good Fishing, Ron

For more information on the Sooke area, please visit the Official Discover Sooke website.

Filed under: Fishing on January 20th, 2010