Coho salmon
Excellent
The river run. Float gear with roe or a jig, or cast spinners and spoons in the slower tailouts after a rise in water.
Sooke Fishing Report
Updated Fri, Sep 25, 2026 from live weather and water data
Sooke on the Strait of Juan de Fuca: summer chinook and coho along the shoreline west of Victoria, with Otter Point and the harbour as landmarks.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 6:10 p.m. model
Air / High
12 °C / 13 °C
Wind
NE 14 km/h
Sources: modelled tide curve, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Sooke is in its cool-water rhythm: slower presentations and the warmest hours of the day. Today brings cloud cover, wind NE around 14 km/h, rising pressure near 1004 hPa and a high of 13 °C. Tides: high 11:55 a.m., low 5:47 a.m. and 6:10 p.m.: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.
Chinook (spring) salmon
Good
Fish are staging or moving to the rivers. On the coast, the deeper banks and the winter feeders; in Great Lakes rivers, drifted roe and spinners in the deeper runs.
Tie on: Float and roe · Swung fly through the tailout · Jerkbait, long pauses · Hair jig on the rock. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Similar at 15 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
British Columbia requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from C$11.43. British Columbia fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing chinook (spring) salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with BC Freshwater Fishing before you keep anything; the Chinook (spring) salmon page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Sooke today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (07:06), sunset (19:06), the moon and today's score, with the modelled tide changes in the panel below. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM; minor 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Full Moon, 99% lit.
Water and weather
A modelled tide curve for these coordinates and the forecast for the day.
Tides (modelled)
Modelled sea level curve from Open-Meteo Marine for these coordinates, datum mean sea level. Fish the moving water either side of each change.
A model, not the official prediction: times can drift by tens of minutes inside bays and estuaries. Check the Canadian Hydrographic Service predictions at tides.gc.ca for the exact times before you rely on them.
Fri
LOW5:47 a.m.-1.36 m
HIGH11:55 a.m.1.75 m
LOW6:10 p.m.-1.25 m
Sat
HIGH12:04 a.m.1.63 m
LOW6:19 a.m.-1.48 m
HIGH12:24 p.m.1.78 m
LOW6:45 p.m.-1.56 m
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp12 °C
High / Low13 °C / 10 °C
WindNE 14 km/h, gusts 33 km/h
Pressure100.41 kPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 84%
Sunrise / Sunset07:06 / 19:06
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Sooke
The best day on Sooke this week looks like Sunday Sep 27, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today. Every day is scored by the same engine as the report above: pressure trend first, then wind, sky and season. Pick a species and the plan for that day changes with it.
Best day this week: Sunday, Sep 27 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, Sep 25 — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 07:06 to 19:06
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Rain, 29 km/h
- Rain chance
- 84%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Sooke: seasons written for the Canadian year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Chinook (spring) salmon
BC coast: spring to late summer; Great Lakes tributaries: September and October
The biggest Pacific salmon, called spring or king on the BC coast. Feeds along the kelp lines, points and tide rips of the BC coast before running rivers in late summer; introduced to the Great Lakes, where it runs the tributaries in fall. Retention on the BC coast changes by area and by DFO fishery notice. Fish are staging or moving to the rivers. On the coast, the deeper banks and the winter feeders; in Great Lakes rivers, drifted roe and spinners in the deeper runs.
Coho salmon
BC coast: July to September; rivers: October and November
Silver, aggressive and surface-oriented. Feeds hard along the BC coast through summer and runs the Fraser Valley and Island rivers in fall, the Vedder and the Stamp among them. Hatchery coho are marked by a clipped adipose fin; what may be kept depends on the water and the DFO notice. The river run. Float gear with roe or a jig, or cast spinners and spoons in the slower tailouts after a rise in water.
Pacific halibut
Spring and summer on the BC coast, under DFO limits
The big flatfish of the outer coast: Bamfield, Ucluelet, Tofino, Nootka and the north coast. Annual and daily limits and size rules are set by DFO and change during the season. Fewer fish; the offshore banks on the calm days.
Lingcod
Spring to fall, with a winter closure in many areas
The toothy reef fish of the BC coast, on rock piles and pinnacles. Limits and closures vary by DFO management area. Fish move shallower; jig the rocky points.
Pink salmon
Late summer, mainly in odd-numbered years in the south
The smallest and most numerous Pacific salmon. In the south of BC the big runs come in odd-numbered years; the fish crowd the estuaries and the lower rivers in August and September. The run is over.
When to come: the Sooke calendar
Activity by species and month for the Canadian year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Chinook (spring) salmon
Coho salmon
Pacific halibut
Lingcod
Pink salmon
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 13 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Sooke today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 17 °C, wind to 10 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 19 °C, wind to 21 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Coho salmon led the card at excellent. High of 21 °C, wind to 21 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
BC freshwater fishing licence, from C$11.43 for a resident adult, with higher prices for other Canadians and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and protected areas are set by BC Freshwater Fishing and, in salt water and for salmon, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the British Columbia licence page before you keep anything.
Access
The DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence applies, with the salmon conservation stamp to keep salmon.
About this water
Sooke is a coastal town in British Columbia, Canada, covered from the British Columbia reports and listed in all Canada waters.
Fishing Sooke: the full guide
Fishing Sooke
Sooke is the harbour town on the Strait of Juan de Fuca west of Victoria, where the island’s south coast runs past Otter Point toward Port Renfrew. Its fishing is salmon trolled close to the kelp and the rocky shoreline, where the fish bound for the Fraser and Puget Sound pass through the strait. The report on this page is scored for the town, with a modelled tide curve.
Species and seasons
Chinook and coho are the Sooke fish in summer, with pink salmon in the odd-numbered years; halibut are fished on the banks offshore, and lingcod and rockfish on the reefs. DFO sets the salmon rules for the area and changes them by fishery notice, including the chinook size limits in the strait.
Where to fish it
The shoreline from the harbour mouth west past Otter Point is trolled close in, along the kelp, on the tide changes. Sooke Harbour and the Sooke Basin are sheltered water for small boats; the open strait needs a seaworthy boat and a watch on the wind.
Planning a visit
Sooke has marinas, launch ramps and guides, and the town is about forty minutes’ drive from Victoria. The west coast road continues to Port Renfrew. Fog and the afternoon westerly are the two things to plan around.
The water through the year
Summer is the Sooke season, when the migrating salmon hug the island shore; spring brings the halibut; winter is quiet, with the calm days fished for resident chinook. The Sooke River, which runs into the basin, has its own fall salmon runs under the freshwater rules.
Reading this report here
Tidal currents shape the fishing on this shore, and the tide panel shows a modelled curve, labelled as a model; the official predictions are the Canadian Hydrographic Service’s. The wind speed matters more than anything on the open strait; pressure and sky build the score.
Licence, access and rules
The DFO tidal waters sport fishing licence applies, with the salmon conservation stamp to keep salmon. Area limits and closures, including the chinook rules for the southern strait, are on the DFO pages linked below.
Common questions
What can I catch off Sooke?
Chinook and coho in summer, pink salmon in odd-numbered years, halibut offshore, lingcod and rockfish on the reefs.
Do I need a boat in Sooke?
For the salmon, yes: they are trolled along the kelp and the shoreline. The harbour and basin suit small boats.
Is Sooke far from Victoria?
About forty minutes by road, west along the island’s south coast.
Is fishing good at Sooke right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Tide curve (modelled)
- Open-Meteo Marine, sea level height including tides
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.