Nootka first timer

dmurph

Well-Known Member
Hey gang, hoping to get away with the family to nootka for the first time. Just myself wife and 4 year old boy. We fish tons out of vancouver nanaimo area and have done a trip to sooke and renfrew. My boat is a 2359 trophy and tow rig is a f350 6.4.

What would be best for first timers? Crittee cove or moutcha? Is the gold river launch pretty good or would moutcha be better. Is rig trailer storage a issue in gold river?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Dave
 
I vote for critter if fishing nootka, if esperenza then Flynn cove or Rodgers.
What time of the summer are you going?
I like launching in tahsis, the road in isn't that bad, I run the same boat.
 
Critter cove!!! It's a fishermans dream you can't go wrong with critter. If your staying on your boat it's perfect, food, bait,gear, ice, freezers, gas and hot showers. Gold river launch sucks but if your going at a higher tide it's not a problem
 
Been going to Critter Cove since 1999!
Fabulous spot, great people, they have all the amenities you require.
Highly recommended.
 
Cant go wrong at Critter Cove..it gets my vote also..tied up last yr for 2 nights after staying on the hook out at lighthouse.
Girlfriend gave it 2 thumbs up
You won't regret it
Launch at GRiver
 
Critter Cove absolutely. But call and see if they have space. Launch from Gold River is fine, pick the tide and pay parking in effect. Moucha has a good launch, but a bit of a drive going in. You can also launch at Cougar Creek, but again pick a higher tide arrival time.

Might want to check the Nootka Forum and see recent posts. Wait a few weeks to go perhaps. The fish have yet to arrive.

Hey gang, hoping to get away with the family to nootka for the first time. Just myself wife and 4 year old boy. We fish tons out of vancouver nanaimo area and have done a trip to sooke and renfrew. My boat is a 2359 trophy and tow rig is a f350 6.4.

What would be best for first timers? Crittee cove or moutcha? Is the gold river launch pretty good or would moutcha be better. Is rig trailer storage a issue in gold river?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Dave
 
You won't go wrong with either. July 20 to August 10 should be good fishing. There is a 3 to 4 week window that is great to awesome depending how you time it. Things turn on and off like a bit of a switch. Do not go for late season discounts to stay in a room just because there is availability, things really slow down in the sound the back half of August, hence the availability. You would be better to go earlier and simply take moorage. Again, I mean really slow down. Launch at GR, be sure to have more than a 4 foot tide. If less than 6 foot you still need to keep an eye out for a couple hazards. You may here the odd story about the boat/trailer storage. I have been going for a decade and have many friends/colleagues that go and none of us have ever experienced an issue.

If taking the family and the weather is really nice, I would recommend landing at Yuquot, paying the $20 to the First Nations to visit their land and the world heritage site, maybe have a swim in Jewitt lake and/or enjoy being a handful of individuals on one of the most beautiful beaches around. Not much of an afternoon bite on the inside anyhow ;) This piece of land is very special and I feel very fortunate when I am able to visit it. Amazing history there. PM me once you are secured/know your dates and I am happy to give you more info.
 
Thanks for all the quick info. I like the sound of critter closest to the fishing it seems also. Thinking to go sometime between the 15 and 20th. Pretty quick here as I have some time right now and they have moorage. The reports on here don't sound great but seek what a week brings. Is the launch pretty easy to handle with one guy,being just me. Wife usually has hands full with the 4 year old boy. Like is there a dock to tie to? Also then salmon may be slow but would really like to get into bottom fish
 
The ties are crappy at the dock but I launch by myself and retrieve alone too. If there are others at the ramp everyone usually helps each other out. Just make sure you are at the ramp no later than 9:30am to avoid the winds in Muchelet Inlet that make for a bumpy ride for the first 1/2 hr. You can't launch during extreme low tides so check that out to for the day you intend to use the ramp. The road to the Gold River ramp is paved all the way so you won't have a boat full of dust to start your trip. The natives also have a secure compound where you can park your truck and trailer...I think it is $10 a day. It was the last time I fished there
 
What radio station are most people on up in nootka? Waiting to see what the weather is gonna do before making decisions for th u s weekend
 
What radio station are most people on up in nootka? Waiting to see what the weather is gonna do before making decisions for th u s weekend

Most are on Ch 6. If your radio is capable of scanning you can set it to scan and pick up others also. Hopefully the winds die down.
 
Booked in for Friday to monday. Excited. Hope the wind and weather hold been watching the forcast so many times each day,now I don't even want to look in fear of bad news lol. Committed now anyhow
 
Booked in for Friday to monday. Excited. Hope the wind and weather hold been watching the forcast so many times each day,now I don't even want to look in fear of bad news lol. Committed now anyhow
We are heading out fri-mon also looks like its picking up a little. fingers crossed
 
Just back from there. All I can say is try to get outside or you might not see any fish. Very few inside right now. TF
 
Is camping available at any of the marinas mentioned above (ie pitch a tent or camper/trailer)?

Or is it only rental of their accommodation or stay on the boat?

Just looking at my options and havent been up there
 
Tuta Marina has camping.
Was a little rustic when we were there years ago, the road in can also be a challenge.
Larry and Shirley are very nice people, we enjoyed it overall.
 
Pretry good for our first go. Kind of slow but landed 6 springs 20 to 24 lbs. The reports leading up to our trip didn't have my hopes to high though. The place is epic and pretty easy to fish. Critter cove is a Fisherman's dream. I can't wait to go back. I wrote a full report in the reports thread. THANKS for all the info fellas
 
Back
Top