pescador
Well-Known Member
No work on road last Sunday. Road was fine. That’s the CR to GR leg that is.
2018 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports
- Thread starter pescador
- Start date
Paul Farrell
New Member
We also leave Monday!! What size white hoochie ? the smaller needle fish i would assume after reading all the small bait posts?
Drewski Canuck
Active Member
If the bait is small in the Sound, in past years I used with wild success a Gibbs Gator in Army truck (Green, red stripe, white). What works really really really well is to take off the supplied hook and put on a 5/0 circle hook. i have had big Springs jump 5 - 6 times 20 yards off the boat, and still landed them. Pinch the bar of course, but once the circle hook digs in, you do not need a barb.
Try a 5 foot leader of 50 # Florocarbon behind whatever flasher you have confidence in. A few years ago this spoon was the key to our limits, where other boats where scratching one or two fish and working hard for it.
Drewski
Try a 5 foot leader of 50 # Florocarbon behind whatever flasher you have confidence in. A few years ago this spoon was the key to our limits, where other boats where scratching one or two fish and working hard for it.
Drewski
crazycanuck
Member
Did you mean spring prawn?
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Fished July 16, 17 & 18 mostly around Maquinna and the wash rock near there.
Day One-quite slow over all a few small Hali in the blazing sun.
Day Two-unbelievable bite Coho & Springs both in the same area-amazing numbers of Humpbacks feeding heavily on super abundant small bait a whale show for the ages/never to be forgotten-had at least a dozen double headers and non-stop action all morning into the afternoon until tide change.
Ran across schools of super fat hatchery Coho and very few wild.
Day Three-good bite early again both Coho & small Springs then just scratching but left early for the drive back.
Overall if bait was money we'd all be billionaires Nootka is a gorgeous spot like I remember but Spring sizes were down and the inside a ghost town.
Key Words-small hootchies especially Army Truck & White, Tom Mac & Wonderbread spoons.
Was lucky to see the Elk herd on the Tree to Sea-have a pic but it was taken with a Potato in the pre-dawn darkness.
And Guess What?!
I got my first ever free ride on BC Ferries! (Me not the truck)
All my photos were deleted so it'll take some recovery work will try later.
Day One-quite slow over all a few small Hali in the blazing sun.
Day Two-unbelievable bite Coho & Springs both in the same area-amazing numbers of Humpbacks feeding heavily on super abundant small bait a whale show for the ages/never to be forgotten-had at least a dozen double headers and non-stop action all morning into the afternoon until tide change.
Ran across schools of super fat hatchery Coho and very few wild.
Day Three-good bite early again both Coho & small Springs then just scratching but left early for the drive back.
Overall if bait was money we'd all be billionaires Nootka is a gorgeous spot like I remember but Spring sizes were down and the inside a ghost town.
Key Words-small hootchies especially Army Truck & White, Tom Mac & Wonderbread spoons.
Was lucky to see the Elk herd on the Tree to Sea-have a pic but it was taken with a Potato in the pre-dawn darkness.
And Guess What?!
I got my first ever free ride on BC Ferries! (Me not the truck)
All my photos were deleted so it'll take some recovery work will try later.
saanauk
Well-Known Member
Fished out of Esperanza this morning and got 5 springs and a couple decent coho. Lost several other Springs at the boat. Anchovies worked well and small spoons and hoochies as well. When we cleaned the fish they were stuffed with decent sized 5-6 inch squid that were very fresh.
chromatose007
Well-Known Member
Pretty much the same today until the wind kicked up to 30+. Non-stop on the 90' contour for a few hours. Still scratchy inside as we did a show tour. One decent strike at Cooptee but, that was pretty much it. Huge bait ball at Hoise a big tinny was working...
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Saw that in one Spring-fresh Opal Squid looking just like a Tofino Turd.
==============================
Excuse my photography as you can see these are shots grabbed while underway and those red blobs in the last pic are the Elk herd.
fished 15th-18th out of critter...did ok. Lots of hrs inside at the usual historic hot spots; camel, hoiss, coopte, caught a couple of springs there (23 lb biggest) but really had to work for them. Very few boats fishing camel, I didn't get anything there. Lots of shakers and crud in the water inside. Didn't seem to be an area inside that caught fire like yrs past. I fished mostly 30-40' deep, maybe shoulda fished deeper. Had two separate run-ins w/ seals inside in diff areas...took a spring and my spoon from me the first time....frustrating as they will follow you a long way when trolling. Fishing good outside but bumpy conditions. Mostly fished spoons inside and bait outside. early morning bite was the best action everywhere. Very sunny and warm, but windy everyday. Compliments to Critter (again)...nice, clean place w/ everything needed for fishing and employees are all super friendly.
Irish Coffee
New Member
Hello all
Heading to critter cove first week of Aug (very excited)
Wondering if there are any inshore halibut options or does one have to brave the big water?
Only ever fished salmon out in front of nanaimo, just looking for a few local tips.
Thanks
Heading to critter cove first week of Aug (very excited)
Wondering if there are any inshore halibut options or does one have to brave the big water?
Only ever fished salmon out in front of nanaimo, just looking for a few local tips.
Thanks
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Halibut don't seem to come inside much but if it's not too rough in front of the lighthouse it's not rocket science to pick some up trolling Salmon gear on the bottom-one noted poster here caught three (3) in a row one day last week.
saanauk
Well-Known Member
Friday was good fishing out of Esperanza. Got a couple at Rosa first thing in the morning. Moved out to Pin Rock and got a few more springs and a couple nice coho before the wind forced us inside. Right before the afternoon ride change we got into the best bite of the trip. Three of us had our limits so my 7 year old daughter got to play constant fish for an hour. Lost a low 20# fish right at the net and lost several other decent fish but was great experience for her. All the fish were packed with tiny herring. Using the smallest anchovies seemed to work well. The ones that come 14 to a pack which is nice because you only need to take a few packs out.
Saturday- not sure what happened but the fish seemed to vanish. Got a couple small ones at Rosa. Spent several hours at Pin Rock and nothing going on there. Back to Rosa and broke of a decent one and that was it for the day. Super slow. The first couple fish were caught on a Kingslayer Fatboy. Tried anchovies, hootchies and couple other spoons but nothing seemed to work.
Anyways it was a great trip with a little more work than normal to get fish but the wind really hindered where we could fish.
Saturday- not sure what happened but the fish seemed to vanish. Got a couple small ones at Rosa. Spent several hours at Pin Rock and nothing going on there. Back to Rosa and broke of a decent one and that was it for the day. Super slow. The first couple fish were caught on a Kingslayer Fatboy. Tried anchovies, hootchies and couple other spoons but nothing seemed to work.
Anyways it was a great trip with a little more work than normal to get fish but the wind really hindered where we could fish.
hersheyburger
New Member
Thought I’d join the forum as a new member as I have found it to be helpful over the last couple of years while fishing Nootka so I figured I would chime in with a recent report.
Just returned from Critter Cove, fished July18-22. With a group of 3, we managed to get our limits without any problems - all on the inside. Seems like the fish are beginning to move in. Camel Rock was slow for us and very few boats there on thurs or Friday. Winds picked up on Friday and forced many boats to stay on the inside however Saturday and Sunday was flat. We moved to Hoiss and Coopte and really never left that spot after Friday. The morning bite was on at Coopte. 90% of the fish we caught were from that area and 90% were caught using bait (small size) with lines down between 51-71’. We also did well in the evenings too at Hoiss and on Saturday night Camel started to become more active- picking up a nice one and lost a real beauty at the boat. Heard of a few boats losing some hogs at camel on Saturday night too. All afternoon bites were very Slow. Sunday morning was on fire at Hoiss. We were on the water at 6am and off by 7:30 with 3 nice ones.
As far as gear went, we tried everything but found small anchovies were the most productive. Coho killer spoon was also very active and seemed to attract more of the shakers. Only one fish we caught was on a green/glow hootchie. We noticed that the salmon were smaller this year than last year at the same time. Our biggest was 21 and had many in the high teens.
For those wondering about the road into Moutcha it was fine. Pretty dusty and a few washboard sections but otherwise it was no problem. Some improvements done on the road since last year too.
Just returned from Critter Cove, fished July18-22. With a group of 3, we managed to get our limits without any problems - all on the inside. Seems like the fish are beginning to move in. Camel Rock was slow for us and very few boats there on thurs or Friday. Winds picked up on Friday and forced many boats to stay on the inside however Saturday and Sunday was flat. We moved to Hoiss and Coopte and really never left that spot after Friday. The morning bite was on at Coopte. 90% of the fish we caught were from that area and 90% were caught using bait (small size) with lines down between 51-71’. We also did well in the evenings too at Hoiss and on Saturday night Camel started to become more active- picking up a nice one and lost a real beauty at the boat. Heard of a few boats losing some hogs at camel on Saturday night too. All afternoon bites were very Slow. Sunday morning was on fire at Hoiss. We were on the water at 6am and off by 7:30 with 3 nice ones.
As far as gear went, we tried everything but found small anchovies were the most productive. Coho killer spoon was also very active and seemed to attract more of the shakers. Only one fish we caught was on a green/glow hootchie. We noticed that the salmon were smaller this year than last year at the same time. Our biggest was 21 and had many in the high teens.
For those wondering about the road into Moutcha it was fine. Pretty dusty and a few washboard sections but otherwise it was no problem. Some improvements done on the road since last year too.
Dan The Man
Active Member
Just got back last nite from Nootka. Fishing outside is really good from the lighthouse to wash . 42-55 ft on the downrigger , tight to the rocks. small bait and skinny g's worked the best for me. TONS OF BAIT around. Biggest was 25 , other than that the average was about 13-16 lbs. We where also lucky enough to see the whale show!! Sunday the wind finally died down , but we had to pack up and head home.
NootkaSounder
Active Member
Im heading to Nootka this weekend staying to Tuta Marina as per usual. pretty pumped.
SeaSport
Member
Short report here, awesome trip once again. Stayed at the 5 star resort called Critter Cove, class act for sure. I'm a bait fisherman, small anchovies worked, however the herring aide coho killer was on fire trolled 4ft behind the flasher. As for halibut, Mac Deep's work incredible and will outfish bait 3-1. Also good for kings and salmon.........
xavier
Member
Back today from annual Critter Cove trip...quick report. Inside fishing I would rate as average...better than last two years which I would have rated as below average. Outside...both the front and offshore were hot and cold. Maquinna, Wash Rock, Yuqout/Monument were great one day...bad the next.
For us, Thu sucked, Friday Good, Sat on fire out front, Sun Dead Sea out front. Fish are inside, usual spots and techniques...some boats getting a few in the am, others not. Evening fish was a slog for us inside. One fish in three night's at Hoiss. Skinny G's blue chrome and green/white were our hottest. Tried a white hooch before it got benched for the rest of the trip due to unacceptable performance.
Seems to be a tonne of small Jacks in the Conuma run. Three-year-olds maybe? I am no scientist but perhaps this is a good indicator for next years inside fishery.
For us, Thu sucked, Friday Good, Sat on fire out front, Sun Dead Sea out front. Fish are inside, usual spots and techniques...some boats getting a few in the am, others not. Evening fish was a slog for us inside. One fish in three night's at Hoiss. Skinny G's blue chrome and green/white were our hottest. Tried a white hooch before it got benched for the rest of the trip due to unacceptable performance.
Seems to be a tonne of small Jacks in the Conuma run. Three-year-olds maybe? I am no scientist but perhaps this is a good indicator for next years inside fishery.
fish brain
Crew Member
Seems to be a tonne of small Jacks in the Conuma run. Three-year-olds maybe? I am no scientist but perhaps this is a good indicator for next years inside fishery.[/QUOTE]
It's been two full years since the "warm blob" broke up. Two years into it WCVI fishing really seemed to slow down in my opinion. Now two years after it broke up thing are looking better. I'm no scientist, this is just my observation.
It's been two full years since the "warm blob" broke up. Two years into it WCVI fishing really seemed to slow down in my opinion. Now two years after it broke up thing are looking better. I'm no scientist, this is just my observation.
Gaffer II
New Member
Hi All,
hope everyone is enjoying their time on the water this year, I haven't been able to make it up to Nootka this season so far, i went out for a quick charter in Tofino on Sunday, the weather was great, fishing was so so, landed 2/3 fish on a 4 hour charter but the fishing bug bit and i need to get back out to the west coast this season. I'm trying to put together a trip in Early August to Nootka.
Looking for some recommendations on areas to fish, targeting salmon, in Early august (Aug 2,-4) in Nootka or Esperanza, I know most of the regular fishing spots in Nootka and Esperanza and I am able to go offshore. I have been doing fishing trips to Nootka the past 15 years usually in june/july. I don't have much experience fishing in August.
Any tips would be much appreciated i was roughly thinking about heading out to the highway off Esperanza early morning and making my way to other spots (6 mile, Pin Rock, Grassy) if that doesn't work out in the morning.
Hope to see you out there on the long weekend,
Gaffer II.
Ch. 6
hope everyone is enjoying their time on the water this year, I haven't been able to make it up to Nootka this season so far, i went out for a quick charter in Tofino on Sunday, the weather was great, fishing was so so, landed 2/3 fish on a 4 hour charter but the fishing bug bit and i need to get back out to the west coast this season. I'm trying to put together a trip in Early August to Nootka.
Looking for some recommendations on areas to fish, targeting salmon, in Early august (Aug 2,-4) in Nootka or Esperanza, I know most of the regular fishing spots in Nootka and Esperanza and I am able to go offshore. I have been doing fishing trips to Nootka the past 15 years usually in june/july. I don't have much experience fishing in August.
Any tips would be much appreciated i was roughly thinking about heading out to the highway off Esperanza early morning and making my way to other spots (6 mile, Pin Rock, Grassy) if that doesn't work out in the morning.
Hope to see you out there on the long weekend,
Gaffer II.
Ch. 6
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