2018 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

Any thoughts or info on the Lighthouse for this Friday and Saturday morning?

Absolutely crushed it there Wednesday - Monday.
Skinny g. 6’ leader.
50-90’. Tons of 10# + ho and plenty of springs.
Last 3 hours of light.
 
Here's my annual report. Just back from 2 nights at Nootka. Bite was really good this morning, 5am-6:30am at Hoiss Pt. 6 springs in that time. 5" chovies (glow white teaser, with or without flasher) and a 2 3/4" small green/white glow Gypsy spoon killed this am 30-35' down. Guys staying next to us went to the Lighthouse and it had springs and lots of cohos this morning too. Same story as us- as soon as lines down just before sunrise to 6:30am, then switch totally turned off. We got a couple springs at the lighthouse yesterday on a couple passes ~11am, 44', so some midday fish are available. There we got them on a Skinny G gold nugget with purple haze flasher.

Evening bite moved around each night for the inside it seemed. We doubled up both nights near Hoiss right at 9pm. Boats that made the early morning jaunt to off of Esperanza came back tubbed with springs and coho yesterday.

1/3 of boats staying at Critter Cove were fishing inside, 1/3 "outside" (Monument to Beano) and 1/3 made
The trip to off Esperanza.

We got our 12 springs (12-17lbs). But had to get up early for the first light (5:15am) spring bite, followed by brunch and a midday break/bottom fish, then last 2 hours of light for springs again.
 
Just finished 8 days at Tahsis. Fished off shore whale tail and 300 ft line for first part of trip. Lots of chinook and coho. 180 ft to 260 ft on the riggers. 5 inch anchovies, UV flash flies and glow hootchies. Got some chicken halibut and 2 lings trolling for chinook.

Limited on halibut offshore on anchor. Salmon bellies, Pro Cure butt juice and large hootchies were the ticket in 300 ft water.

Spent the last part of the trip at the surf line, Black Rock, Low Rock and Pin Rock. Tons of massive coho. Some close to 15 lbs. Had 3 days of exceptional chinook fishing. Yesterday and today really died off for chinook. Maybe they moved inside. Hooked 2 Chinook at Rosa Bay yesterday.

For surf line was using 5 inch anchovies, glow hootchies and green spoons. Got some chinook just straight spoon no flasher. Awesome fight. Green skinny G and some 4 inch green Great Lake spoon from Cabelas. 15 ft to 42 ft.

Yesterday had 45 mins of killer buck tail fishing for coho on the surface. The bite was quick but fiece. First light then dead. Had a coho snap 30 lb line on a take at the surface. Today broke another off as I was letting out behind boat. Tons of weeds today so surface bite was tough. Hooked 4 coho today at surface.

Over all Killer trip. The last time I saw so many coho was 15 plus years ago at Rivers Inlet. Really cool to see.

Had some unique experiences. Trying to troll for coho on light gear and get into a killer chinook bite. Trying to troll for ling cod and hook a 25 lb spring and 50 plus halibut.
 
Headed to Moutcha Bay Monday for the first time , any recent reports from inside?
Very slow on the inside. Was there Tues - Fri and inside fishing was spotty at best. Managed a 22# and 17# at hoiss pt and a few other coho. Camel, San Carlos and wall were slow. Outside towards beano was good. Morning bite and evening were best bets for action. Afternoon tides yielded nothing for us. Anchovies and small spoons were getting most action. Things could change with one tide.
 
Very slow on the inside. Was there Tues - Fri and inside fishing was spotty at best. Managed a 22# and 17# at hoiss pt and a few other coho. Camel, San Carlos and wall were slow. Outside towards beano was good. Morning bite and evening were best bets for action. Afternoon tides yielded nothing for us. Anchovies and small spoons were getting most action. Things could change with one tide.

Wow, still slow inside....We've been saying one more tide for 6 weeks. By now you should be slaying.
 
Headed to Moutcha Bay Monday for the first time , any recent reports from inside?

You'll get fish, but you gotta be motoring up from Moutcha Bay early early each morning. About a 20 min run or so to Hoiss Pt. Bite was happening there ~5:00-6:30am. Monument to Beanno same story, with Coho biting off and on throughout the day and the odd Chinook still biting too. Then same story for evening. Bite came on a bit later ~8:00pm. It can all change in a tide though. Those at the cleaning table will give you good current info. Have a great trip!
 
NOOTKA IS NICE BUT I THINK EVERYONE OVERSTATE'S THE FISHING UP THERE.WAY 2 MANY BOATS IE COMBAT FISHING ETC.I THOUGHT IT WAS REMOTE ENOUGH TO GET AWAY FROM THE CROUDS BUT NO...SEEMS I WAS WRONG..RATHER FISH THE MOUTH OF THE CAPILANO..MY 2 BITS
 
NOOTKA IS NICE BUT I THINK EVERYONE OVERSTATE'S THE FISHING UP THERE.WAY 2 MANY BOATS IE COMBAT FISHING ETC.I THOUGHT IT WAS REMOTE ENOUGH TO GET AWAY FROM THE CROUDS BUT NO...SEEMS I WAS WRONG..RATHER FISH THE MOUTH OF THE CAPILANO..MY 2 BITS

Hardly any boats here..... no combat fishing
 
Finished up a big group with an early half day. Camel coughed up a few with a 28#er. But, it wasn't on fire by any means. We got 3 smaller Springs and a Yoyo at Burdwood. OC today which was nice. White hootchie and meat, as well as a Skinny G all worked. Bait and fish are stacked up all over but, still need something to provoke a sustained bite. A few gill netters are now in the sound for a 'test' fishery...
 
NOOTKA IS NICE BUT I THINK EVERYONE OVERSTATE'S THE FISHING UP THERE.WAY 2 MANY BOATS IE COMBAT FISHING ETC.I THOUGHT IT WAS REMOTE ENOUGH TO GET AWAY FROM THE CROUDS BUT NO...SEEMS I WAS WRONG..RATHER FISH THE MOUTH OF THE CAPILANO..MY 2 BITS

That wasnt my experience. I fished the long weekend and there was 20 boats max in most places. That is far from combat fishing. Try Campbell river green can on a flat calm weekend or my personal favourite of port alberti sockeye if you want to see real combat fishing.
 
That wasnt my experience. I fished the long weekend and there was 20 boats max in most places. That is far from combat fishing. Try Campbell river green can on a flat calm weekend or my personal favourite of port alberti sockeye if you want to see real combat fishing.
Try the Russian River in Alaska for Reds , (Sockeye) with people fishing right at your shoulder
wearing side arms or with a shotgun over their shoulder!
 
got back from a 4 day trip to nootka. like people are saying it is very slow on the inside which has normally lit up by now. marking lots of fish but no good bites for night bites. tried San Carlos, the wall, 3 bay and camel for night bites. fished friendly cove or burdwood in the mornings. 5-6AM it was very good, hit around 10 fish every morning although they didnt always stay on the hook. have to love those single barbless hooks. nothing big here but most fish were around 15-20 lbs. anchovie and spoons were 50/50 and we fished from 25-45' that actually hit fish. a few nice coho as well around 10-14 lbs out there. 3 day trip and we brought home 13 salmon so not too bad, however we did go 0/10 one morning with 4 lost by the boat. we went 6/7 the next morning. found a few nice lings while we were out there and did really well crabbing so all in all a great trip. lets see what the commercial opening does to the fish inside. as i say we marked fish all over but nothing seemed to be biting.
 
Been in Nootka since the 8th. Only hooked up once inside, we’ve got a few Springs and Coho out by Maquinna. Chovie, Turd and blue live image have caught our fish.
 
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