2017 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

Road sucks right now and is the worst I gave seen in the last 7 years. Lots of people towing to Moutcha though. Take it easy and slow.

Thanks for the update. Heading up late Wednesday/early Thursday next week. Towing camper and boat. Did it the last 2 years with no issues (knock on wood*) but truck is freshly serviced.
Any recent updates of the inside usual spots?
 
Leave Wednesday night for critter cove. Stop by for a cold beverage if your there. 20 Hourston podded..Forget the cabin number
 
Just back from 4 days in Nootka area. Fished mainly Beano, Bajo and a lot of halo fishing. Ended up with limits of springs and Hali for 4 people. Anchovy was the ticket and All the way from maquina to Beano produced lots of fish. Never fished inside but decide to yesterday fished Wall and Camel. Was little slow early and the at 10 it was hot landed 7 springs in 1 1/2 hrs. All from camel to Wall. No need to run outside as inside was as good as out. Did get all 8 Hali's but had to work for them biggest was 65, 50, 45, 40 and 4 under 84. Overall much better then last year.
 
Just back from 4 days in Nootka area. Fished mainly Beano, Bajo and a lot of halo fishing. Ended up with limits of springs and Hali for 4 people. Anchovy was the ticket and All the way from maquina to Beano produced lots of fish. Never fished inside but decide to yesterday fished Wall and Camel. Was little slow early and the at 10 it was hot landed 7 springs in 1 1/2 hrs. All from camel to Wall. No need to run outside as inside was as good as out. Did get all 8 Hali's but had to work for them biggest was 65, 50, 45, 40 and 4 under 84. Overall much better then last year.
Well done!! Any fish at the monument?
 
Heading up to Newton Cove Lodge for 4 days of guided fishing, Aug 2-5th can't wait, first time fishing that area. Thanks for the reports all!
 
Just got back from fishing Esperanza Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The 20th to 22nd.

Thursday the weather looked great so was thinking the place to be was offshore. Had heard fishing had been decent at Rosa so on the way out we decided to stop and make a pass there. Drop in and immediately hook up on a decent fish. We play it for a few and it shakes the hook. Second pass we hook up again and get a teen fish in the boat. Few more passes and nothing so we decide to move on. Two weeks prior we had gotten into fish on the backside of Catella so we plan on stopping there next. Guess the plan of heading offshore is going to wait. Round the corner of Catella and damn there are 25 boats fishing there. Guess it is the place to be. We start a ways off from the group and get out poles in the water. Get a fish on just as the second pole gets put in the water. Play the fish for a bit and it shakes the hook. Oh well, we put the poles back in and go through to same spot. Fish on again and again I loose a second fish. Now I am getting frustrated. Poles in a third time and hit the same spot and again hook up. Whew at least another fish on...then the leader breaks. Now I am upset. New leader on then another pass same spot and #4 fish on...and it shakes the hook. Then #5 and loose it and then #6 and then finally #7 makes it into the boat. 7 fish hooked in the same spot on the same pole in less an hour and I only got one in the boat.

After the bite died we trolled around a bit and then found another pocket of fish. Again we had low success and went 2 for 8.

Total for the day was 17 fish hooked and played with only 4 making it into the boat. Several broken 25# test leaders and just lots of unexplained lost fish. All the fish were hooked on anchovies and flashers except the first one of the day was in a spoon.

Friday- went back to Catella island and had similar fishing in that we hooked up right away and went 3 for 8 with the biggest being 24#s. Stopped at Rosa while heading in and hooked up right away with a fish. Got it to the boat and it looked like it had been mauled by a seal or something as one gill plate was all chewed up looking along with its tail. We let "Lucky" go to live another day. Then we hooked up and got our 4th chinook for the day and headed in.

Saturday- Did something I have never done during peak fishing time at Nootka in the ten years I have been going up...took the day to go sightseeing. My 6 year old daughter had put two great days of getting up at 4am to going fishing and spent long days fishing. We decided to go to Friendly Cove and sightsee as well as go to Critter Cove for lunch. Of course after all that we did make a few passes at Coopte Point. We got a silver which the daughter caught her first fish on an Islander and a 27" chinook in an hour there but it sounded like it had been slow there.
Thanks for the report and great pictures. I had a similar problem last year one day and finally decided that the slip tie hooks could be the culprit. Switched to fixed ties and greatly improved my success rate.

It was many years ago when my daughter at a similar age landed her first salmon, a 30# Bradford spring in Wrangell, AK. Ever since she has been an avid fisherman. I had to respond to your post since tonight my daughter and her husband are flying in from Switzerland to join me at Port Renfrew. "Teach a girl to fish......."
 
Rolling to The Highway with the War Wagon late tomorrow.
sailor.gif

Opening the next for Area G's Plug Fishery.
Nice to know there are some fish around to land on!

Cheers,
Nog
 
Rolling to The Highway with the War Wagon late tomorrow.
sailor.gif

Opening the next for Area G's Plug Fishery.
Nice to know there are some fish around to land on!

Cheers,
Nog

Best of luck. I'll be in Ukee tomorrow afternoon. Is that where your departing from? The boat is red if I recall. I'll probably wander the docks in the evening to check on my buddy's boat.
 
On way up on Tuesday for 8 days. 24' trophy "outer limits". Be fishing esperenza, maybe nootka, coopte point on Sunday, honk. Be staying on alpine drive tahsis, if thirsty
 
On way up on Tuesday for 8 days. 24' trophy "outer limits". Be fishing esperenza, maybe nootka, coopte point on Sunday, honk. Be staying on alpine drive tahsis, if thirsty
does that mean "nosibor" is good to go? tell me its so!?
 
Just back from 6 days at Critter Cove. Fishing as always was hot and cold. My boat is only 17' so fished the inside in all the usual spots. Best success was on herring aide spoons 3.5 and 4". Early morning was best for us.
 
Just back from 4 days in Nootka area. Fished mainly Beano, Bajo and a lot of halo fishing. Ended up with limits of springs and Hali for 4 people. Anchovy was the ticket and All the way from maquina to Beano produced lots of fish. Never fished inside but decide to yesterday fished Wall and Camel. Was little slow early and the at 10 it was hot landed 7 springs in 1 1/2 hrs. All from camel to Wall. No need to run outside as inside was as good as out. Did get all 8 Hali's but had to work for them biggest was 65, 50, 45, 40 and 4 under 84. Overall much better then last year.
 
I NEED TO GO FISHING NOW!!! Its like the last week of school before summer .... Like wtf am I doing here! 7 more sleeps then in my happy place
 
Heading up today with the kids staying at Moucha Bay. Sounds like the fishing is quite a bit better than last year so can't wait to get there! I haven't read any posts talking about jellyfish messing up lines so I'm hoping they aren't as thick as they were last year. Had to check gear every 15min to keep cleaning it.
Good luck all!
 
Family returned from 7 days in Nootka with only four fish! Very Very Slow, also weather hasn't been great to get outside!
Hoping things pick up, and the fish start moving inside!
 
Just had a friend return from 4 days at Critter. Fishing was very slow and they had to work hard to get their fish. Lots of hook spits too which I think someone else mentioned here. He said the fish were really feisty.
He said lots of good fisherman where getting skunked. They had heavy rain 2 of the days so that may have contributed to poor fishing. Lots of big jelly fish too.
On the bright side there were good reports from Tahsis so maybe the fish are on their way. Everything can change in a day or 2!
good luck!
 
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