2017 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

I have towed my 24' Seasport to Tahsis several times before I got smart and just launch at Gold River. We just tow the empty trailer on the logging road. The stress and time it takes to tow a big boat is not worth it to me. Also had a drunk driver run into out boat and trailer one year on the logging road that blew out all 4 tires and bent the axles and trailer into unusable condition. After a $4000 U.S. towing bill and buying a new trailer I say screw towing on that road. Luckily no one got killed. Also boat will be covered in dust or mud depending on the weather conditions. Save yourself the grief and put in at Gold River and enjoy the cruise. The road to Tahsis has gotten better the last few years but there are still people that drive way to fast for the road and logging traffic to deal with.
thanks for the info guys
 
anyone know if the closed area from the Bajo buoy to Ferrer Pt is in for 2017-can't find the DFO chart on line
If it ain't there I would think it's ok-as I remember it had an end date last year I think of end of sept. Don't believe it was permanent -think it might come back in by 15th of July.
 
Count on them in July. Quite a few of those fish were from Clayoquot sound and are protected now
 
Planing to launch @GR next Monday..its early for salmon but i got the week off so heading up to putt around looking for some white fish for 4 days.
Hoping for good weather
 
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Planing to launch @GR around 9-930am next Monday..its early for salmon but i got the week off so heading up to putt around looking for some white fish for 3 days.
Hoping for good weather
Good luck and report back have been hearing of some fish being caught up at Esperanza.
 
Just got back from a quick trip to Nootka. went out saturday morning and came home monday. Fished Beano one morning and didnt find halibut, lings or anything, water was nice so went out and found 6 nice lings. Prawning was fairly dismal although the 100 or so we got in 2 days were all jumbos. Found enough crab for a meal. We fishing washer rock for a couple hours on monday morning between tides and got 3 springs, 1 clipped 2 non clipped. Not too big but perfect bbq'rs the biggest was about 15. Weather was nice and calm and only saw about a dozen other boats around the inlet. Overall we had a great trip! looking forward to the big springs in the months to come. Also watch out, DFO changed the regs in this area for lingcod, we were glad we checked before we went out, was 3/6 now is 2/4.
 
Back from our trip...beauty of a weekend up in Nootka. Enjoyed good ling fishing offshore and they were in along the beach too by Escalante. Did ok on halis and of course some nice yelloweyes. We didn't spend much time on springs but there were a few around Burdwood as there was bait along the beach. Andrew's green needlefish spoon won our on-board competition as it boated the most fish in 1 hour:). Strong westerly's in the afternoon reminded us that summer is coming.
 
Here is the notice FN0443 that just came out.


Effective May 19, 2017 to March 31, 2018, the following recreational daily
limits and close times apply to Rockfish and Lingcod in North and South Coast
waters.

North Coast - Areas 1 to 10, 101 to 110, 130, 142
Daily limits: Rockfish, all species combined - three (3); yelloweye rockfish -
one (1); lingcod - two (2)
Close time: November 16 to March 31 (open April 1 to November 15)

South Coast (outside waters) - Areas 11, 21 to 27, 111, 123 to 127, Subareas 12-
14 and 20-1 to 20-4, and Area 121 except for that portion outside the 12
nautical mile limit seaward of a line that begins at 48o34.00' north latitude
and 125o17.386' west longitude and continues southeasterly at a bearing of 116o
True to a point at 48o28.327' north latitude and 125o01.687' west longitude.
Daily limits: Rockfish, all species combined - two (2); yelloweye rockfish -
one (1); lingcod - two (2)
Close time: November 16 to March 31 (open April 1 to November 15)

South Coast (inside waters) - Areas 13 to 19 and Subareas 12-1 to 12-13, 12-15
to 12-48, 20-5 to 20-7 and 29-5
Daily limits: Rockfish, all species combined - one (1); yelloweye rockfish -
one (1); lingcod - one (1)
Close time: October 1 to April 30 (open May 1 to September 30)

Area 28 and Subareas 29-1 to 29-4 and 29-6 to 29-17
Closed April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018

Variation Orders 2017-272 and 2017-275
 
Is it just me who is pissed with DFO on the "midseason" change on the limits for lings and rockfish on the west coast? What is the scientific rational for the reduction that required a change 6 weeks into this season? DFO's website has been a joke this spring and now this just tells me that they struggle to manage rather simple fisheries. Try using the FishingBC app on the west coast.....
 
Is it just me who is pissed with DFO on the "midseason" change on the limits for lings and rockfish on the west coast? What is the scientific rational for the reduction that required a change 6 weeks into this season? DFO's website has been a joke this spring and now this just tells me that they struggle to manage rather simple fisheries. Try using the FishingBC app on the west coast.....

No -it is not just you=check out the conservation section-many many comments --just a joke by DFO to take away more allocation under the guise of conservation. Conservation would require the biggest user group to reduce catch---"Commercial" nothing happening there!! They must be laughing pretty hard on this one!!
 
Back from camping on Nootka for 5 days. Overall it was an awesome trip. The surf was good so that took up a lot of time and some great waves. We also did quite a bit of fishing in the creeks for cuttroat and it was a blast. I made a 1" version of a herring spoon and it worked great until I lost it. It was a bit sad walking up a creek we have many times over the last 15 years to find fresh cut blocks with giant trees standing all alone surrounded by big stumps. Nice to see them still standing but they may not stand a chance now that the wind whips in. You can just make out my buddy with arms stretched at the bottom of this one.

We picked up a 10lb Chinook for the campfire one of the days just south of Ferrer and then also slow trolled big spoons at 150' on the front and had a ling or yellow eye on every 5 minutes. We tried a pass at Maquinna on the way in but didn't get any bites so kept going back to the launch. The road to Tahsis is in very good condition right now.



 
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Just got back from 4 days in Nootka. First, a round of applause to those that made the improvements to the boat launch at Gold River.

Fishing was tough on Tuesday and Wednesday as the wind was blowing fairly strong. We were able to troll to Beno where we caught an 8# spring and a 40# hali in the shallows on a bloody nose anchovy.

We headed to Bajo where we jigged up some ling cod, and caught too many on the troll in 95' of water using a white cuddlefish and anchovy.

We tried the lighthouse, Burwood, Maquinna, Hoise Pt, Blue Can Bay with no love. We could not find the bait. Still a great trip, weather was great, and it beats working.
 
Just got back from 4 days in Nootka. First, a round of applause to those that made the improvements to the boat launch at Gold River.

Fishing was tough on Tuesday and Wednesday as the wind was blowing fairly strong. We were able to troll to Beno where we caught an 8# spring and a 40# hali in the shallows on a bloody nose anchovy.

We headed to Bajo where we jigged up some ling cod, and caught too many on the troll in 95' of water using a white cuddlefish and anchovy.

We tried the lighthouse, Burwood, Maquinna, Hoise Pt, Blue Can Bay with no love. We could not find the bait. Still a great trip, weather was great, and it beats working.
With the winds you couldn't get out to 10-20 mile, highway? Was there any other boats? Where the commercial prawn boats out?
 
Just got back from Nootka in on sat at 1300 home Monday by 1200. Foggy, challenging but didn't disappoint. Some pictures of the new ramp, be aware you may suffer from sticker shock--15 dollars to launch--10 dollars a night on the road and 15 a night inside- may hurt the guys who stay for a week or so-and they are collecting this early. Overcast on the run down-foggy and blustery off Burwood and gave it a miss. Straight out past Macquinna and into Beano-chovies in a cripple K at 45 feet--water slightly brownie but not bad. 1/2 hour in good takedown-great fight-probably an honest 23 -circled back-same set-up and an 18--we are dialed__ NOT!!! Moved out over Bajo-tried the keyhole -the slot picked up some legal lings and many marginal. Decided to work our way back to the anchorage as it was getting pretty foggy and damned cold. Worked Macquinna, Wash the monument --no takers ->cold and foggy-Still pretty decent--lings and some nice salmon. Very foggy thru the night and at dawn(0430) Spring Fever II was surrounded by floating boom logs-tree stumps washed off the beach by the exceptionally high tide! Took a bit of work after a coffee to get us out-checked the radar On!! vis less than a 1/4 mile-ceiling less than a 100 feet. Headed for open ocean rather than the rock strewn Macquina shore-safer bet all round. Gradually after a long run the vis improved to 1/2 mile. Hit my numbers-fishing a 9" lighthouse lures LED squid on a spreader bar with herring for bait and later octopus. Other side opted for the Mega Bite 14 oz jig. Water was good-no reference to land-so all chart work but very steady on the ling. My partner had a large ling on and another had attacked it--I couldn't help as I had a fish on -so I said just gaff the attacking ling--he did-and I couldn't believe what hit the deck. The guy is 76 and he one armed a 35+ ling with an 18 in his mouth onto the deck. Yeah I can hear it coming--we should release it --I know, I know-he gaffed it through the head-and I wasn't about to tell the guy he should release his semi-dead fish of a lifetime. Got that out. Mea Culpa!!! LOL Getting just about at our new ling limit-terrific take -on for 15 seconds then nothing ,free spooled-then take and game on -hell of a fight-I know it is a pretty big hali but nothing is ready but in short order, shark hook flying gaff, harpoon , tailer -and not to disappoint a minor barn door appeared for some older gents to practise on. Quick measure with the poon--he's legal -turns out 131 cm. We are limited-time to troll home. Those damned pink Dildos that Nog mentioned are a plague. In 40 years of fishing I have never seen them before. Worked hard the rest of the day all the way back to the outer Bajo buoy-still plagued by those new pink things. Less inshore Bajo-picked up another 15 lb salmon on a Nano jug. Had a tremendous amount of fish on board and hit Gold river early this morning for the tide Hell of a trip.DSC00950.JPG DSC00953.JPG DSC00954.JPG DSC00956.JPG DSC00958.JPG
 
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spring fever, that is one hell of a trip. You put in the time and effort to end up with a nice haul.

That is a perfect looking salmon. I love those springs with small scales and rock hard.
 
Awesome pics all around boys, looks like a couple nice trips put in.
 
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