2021 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

[jayinsurrey]

Thanks for all the replies! Our max stay is a week but will leave sooner if we have our travel limit sooner. I will phone Moutcha Bay to see if they will store my fish otherwise salt ice in my marine cooler. I have two marine coolers and I had planned to get one filled with salt ice and then use that as I get fish in the other empty marine cooler.

 

[Aces]

I'm strongly in the no bag camp. Melting ice washes away some slime and bacteria out the drain hole. Put a good layer of salt ice in the bottom of the cooler, head on, belly ice on their backs, stack em in, packing ice around, Cover with thermal fleece. Drain often or let it drip. Top ice when needed. 5 days is no problem, 7 I don't know.

This is the proper way to maintain your catch for maximum freshness

 

[donnie d]

Thanks for all the replies! Our max stay is a week but will leave sooner if we have our travel limit sooner. I will phone Moutcha Bay to see if they will store my fish otherwise salt ice in my marine cooler. I have two marine coolers and I had planned to get one filled with salt ice and then use that as I get fish in the other empty marine cooler.

No need to call. They’re wide open for processing. When you drop fish at Moutcha (especially the day before you leave) just tell them when you are leaving. Can pick up as early as 7am on the day you are leaving. Rock hard flash frozen. Pro. Or they have a st jeans drop off depot there too. Longer to get your fish that way but no need to pick anything up on day of departure.

 

[PlugLife]

I am heading up to Cougar Creek on Wednesday the 21st for one week. This will be my first time fishing Nootka Sound and I am curious as to what size anchovies I should buy should I get the largest ones for 6 inch? I am having trouble finding them everyone seems to have 5 1/2 inch?
Also should I get salt ice. I have never used it is it way better than regular ice. If so I will Google where to get salt ice in Campbell River. Does the salt ice affect the taste of the fish? Should the fish be put directly in the salt ice or in a bag first?
I would like to try fishing for lingcod and Halibut as I have never done it. Do you have to go far out into the open ocean. My boat is only a Harbercraft Discovery 1925 with a 115 and a 9.9. Is anybody else from this form going to be at Cougar Creek next

 

[PlugLife]

If you only had one choice of presentation I would go with a white needlefish glow hootchie on a green onion or purple haze flasher. This will our fish anchovies a lot of the time inside. Smaller anchovies are good too because they are feeding on small baits inside

 

[pescador]

Back after 6 days in Nootka. Ya, some days were very good but some were slow. Very strange. A place producing one day produced almost zero the following day. It was like a switch turning off the lights. Most of our fish came off Hoiss Point on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Thursday it was not producing. We spent time at the Lighthouse, Maquinna and Beano and got zero. Beano had a lot a kelp that made it hard to fish.
We networked with lots of people and many experienced people got skunked multiple days. Lots of shakers seemed to be common. We fished 6 inch Chovy exclusively at 35-45 ft and that seemed to minimize shakers for us.
Fished Bajo yesterday looking for an 80 cm Spring. Had a nice one on but buddy was slow retracting his gear and it long line released. So silver, you know they’re US fish. It was a **** show out there yesterday for weather and not easy to troll. Lots of wild Ho’s out at Bajo which you can’t take. It’s nice this year in some areas inside you’re allowed one wild coho.
Overall we managed 3 Springs each one Hali and a nice Ling. We had to work tho for them. Long days. Weather was pretty lumpy offshore most days too. We had some precipitation the last couple of days so that might spark more activity.
And we now have confirmed that St Jeans at Moutcha will accept non-Moutcha clients fish for processing. They’re open 0700-2100 daily. They are a great reference point for how things are up there in terms of fish caught volume. When I asked how busy they were compared to previous years I got…..”slow” for an answer. Who knows, It’ll probably pick up next week. Beautiful place for sure. Good luck guys that’s it for me for Nootka till next year.

 

[pescador]

Oh. And that damaged gate at GR launch parking lot, apparently caused by someone driving into it and leaving the scene. Hate seeing the new fence all bent up. They’ve done a great job with the parking set up and the new U turn area. Pretty sure they caught the guys tho. They’ve got video.

 

[Ned]

Got back yesterday from Critter Cove. Spent the first two days looking for the elusive chinook. Started on the inside, then moved outside to Escalante on Wedneday. Lots of bait, no fish. When I say no fish, I mean, they may have been there but we didn't catch them. But I am going with 'they weren't there'. We also tried along the shore to Burwood, Discovery, over to Coopte and Hoise. Next day to Beano, nothing. Didn't see many nets out. We then went out to the 300' depth and fished 70'. Ended up with 6 chinook and 4 hatch coho. It seemed the green flash fly was the busiest. The surface line with the grn/whi/blk Skinny G produced some great fights. No shakers.

The next day we tried Maquinna, no love, so back out to the 300' depth. We picked up another 3 chinook and 3 coho. The chinook were around the 75 cm length and a bright silver. Saturday we started at the Lighthouse to Wash Rock. Boat zero, the fish are still laughing. Saw a few caught. Tried for Hali, got one ling for our efforts. The wind picked up before we could close out our trip back on the 300'.

Some boats did well some days, and many were skunked. Between the hospitality at Critter and the privilege of fishing at Nootka Sound I'll be heading back.

 

[whitetail300]

Got back yesterday from Critter Cove. Spent the first two days looking for the elusive chinook. Started on the inside, then moved outside to Escalante on Wedneday. Lots of bait, no fish. When I say no fish, I mean, they may have been there but we didn't catch them. But I am going with 'they weren't there'. We also tried along the shore to Burwood, Discovery, over to Coopte and Hoise. Next day to Beano, nothing. Didn't see many nets out. We then went out to the 300' depth and fished 70'. Ended up with 6 chinook and 4 hatch coho. It seemed the green flash fly was the busiest. The surface line with the grn/whi/blk Skinny G produced some great fights. No shakers.

The next day we tried Maquinna, no love, so back out to the 300' depth. We picked up another 3 chinook and 3 coho. The chinook were around the 75 cm length and a bright silver. Saturday we started at the Lighthouse to Wash Rock. Boat zero, the fish are still laughing. Saw a few caught. Tried for Hali, got one ling for our efforts. The wind picked up before we could close out our trip back on the 300'.

Some boats did well some days, and many were skunked. Between the hospitality at Critter and the privilege of fishing at Nootka Sound I'll be heading back.

Ned, how far offshore to get to 300' depth? what area? out from Maquinna?

 

[PlugLife]

Ned, how far offshore to get to 300' depth? what area? out from Maquinna?

what's the trolling like from Ammo Dump to Bajo at the 300' contour?

 

[Ned]

We started at the 300' mark just past the red buoy of the Bajo's (about 10 km from Maquinna) and then trolled along towards the ammo dump. On both days we found more activity south towards the ammo dump.

 

[Ned]

It was a fairly easy troll. Very little crud in the water. We found running with the current more productive as well.

 

[frostyhunt]

Oh. And that damaged gate at GR launch parking lot, apparently caused by someone driving into it and leaving the scene. Hate seeing the new fence all bent up. They’ve done a great job with the parking set up and the new U turn area. Pretty sure they caught the guys tho. They’ve got video.

I heard it was dfo that mangled the gate

 

[Ruben]

Got back yesterday from Critter Cove. Spent the first two days looking for the elusive chinook. Started on the inside, then moved outside to Escalante on Wedneday. Lots of bait, no fish. When I say no fish, I mean, they may have been there but we didn't catch them. But I am going with 'they weren't there'. We also tried along the shore to Burwood, Discovery, over to Coopte and Hoise. Next day to Beano, nothing. Didn't see many nets out. We then went out to the 300' depth and fished 70'. Ended up with 6 chinook and 4 hatch coho. It seemed the green flash fly was the busiest. The surface line with the grn/whi/blk Skinny G produced some great fights. No shakers.

The next day we tried Maquinna, no love, so back out to the 300' depth. We picked up another 3 chinook and 3 coho. The chinook were around the 75 cm length and a bright silver. Saturday we started at the Lighthouse to Wash Rock. Boat zero, the fish are still laughing. Saw a few caught. Tried for Hali, got one ling for our efforts. The wind picked up before we could close out our trip back on the 300'.

Some boats did well some days, and many were skunked. Between the hospitality at Critter and the privilege of fishing at Nootka Sound I'll be heading back.

Thanks for the update. Just had a friend return from Critter Cove and what Im hearing is that the fishing is slow.

 

[MRW]

Am heading up to moutcha bay in a week . Was thinking about bringing a crap trap or two with me. Usually fish the lighthouse and was thinking about dumping them in that general area. Is it worthwhile or am I just wasting my time.
Not looking for spots was just wondering if crab are in the area.
Thanks

 

[salmonkiller01]

Am heading up to moutcha bay in a week . Was thinking about bringing a crap trap or two with me. Usually fish the lighthouse and was thinking about dumping them in that general area. Is it worthwhile or am I just wasting my time.
Not looking for spots was just wondering if crab are in the area.
Thanks

A few years ago we got a couple crab at the mouth of the conuma I would try 100 feet deep there. Like I said we got 2 crab

 

[RiverBoy]

Am heading up to moutcha bay in a week . Was thinking about bringing a crap trap or two with me. Usually fish the lighthouse and was thinking about dumping them in that general area. Is it worthwhile or am I just wasting my time.
Not looking for spots was just wondering if crab are in the area.
Thanks

you wanna set crab traps in front of the lighthouse? the vast majority of the nootka fleet will be trolling lines in and around there . i would advise against that amigo. try the bay due south of tuta marina or mooya

 

[Port Eliza Fishing]

Fiahing continues to be very good in the Esperanza area. Chinook to the North, huge numbers of coho outside the inlet in the low rock area. There have been some chinook caught there too, but they are tough to get to past the coho. My son is working at the lodge and got a 25 and a 23 yesterday his biggest 2 fish ever!

 

[MRW]

Thanks for the response. Looks like crabbing may not be great up there. As far as setting traps where people fish that’s common sense to not do. We have a bit of a run and was thinking along the way that’s all.
thanks anyways will report when I return.

 

[PlugLife]

Am heading up to moutcha bay in a week . Was thinking about bringing a crap trap or two with me. Usually fish the lighthouse and was thinking about dumping them in that general area. Is it worthwhile or am I just wasting my time.
Not looking for spots was just wondering if crab are in the area.
Thanks

I have heard there’s crab up the Hisnet inlet in front of the Quarry. It’s a bit of a detour from getting out to the fishing grounds though