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In Sooke, the fishing is excellent

Fishers find plenty of salmon, cod, halibut grabbing hooks
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(Pixabay)

Ron Neitsch | Contributed

Salmon fishing in Sooke is incredibly good now.

Chinook and pink salmon are in the area, and with no retention on spring or chinook, there’s lots of fish.

Halibut, cod, pink and coho salmon are currently open to keep.

The pinks and coho are a little offshore so you can avoid getting into the big chinook salmon if catch and release is not your thing.

We pick up our cod by trolling the bottom with glow or white hootchies, again avoiding the big chinooks.

The pinks and coho are taking small green and glow spoons, 2½ or 3-inch models, or small pink hootchies called squirts. I find the bubble gum (light pink) coloured ones work best, trolled 40 to 60 feet in the early morning, going down as the sun comes up.

If catching and releasing big pounding chinooks are your thing, there’s fish anywhere near shore, trolled at almost any depth. The bottom third of water is best.

There are many reports of big chinooks caught and released at Possession Point, Otter Point, west of Otter Point and off Secretary Island. Please try to use single barbless hooks for a clean release, save the treble hooks for August when we are allowed to retain one.

The last big salmon derby in Sooke is coming soon. Volunteers raise funds for the new hatchery in Sooke by running this salmon derby. Tickets are available for the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society Salmon Derby Aug. 34 at The Crab Shack and Sooke Marine Centre.

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Ron Neitsch is the owner of 2 Reel Fishing Adventures, based in Sooke.