2019 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

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Hi Mervillite...Appears that we will be there at the same time. We arrive on Sunday July 7th for a full week, leaving on the 14th. Staying in one of the Lodge rooms, can't remember the room #, the one at the far end.....Then back again on the Saturday of the August long weekend for another full week, Come on by for a "pop" one day and we can compare notes. Our Monaro is the EXL version with the hard top and a Suzuki O/B on a pod if you see us......Pacemaker...(John)
 
Hi Wayne....Good to hear from you....Good luck to you and Dale again this weekend, hopefully for another repeat......See you in July at camp if not sooner.....
 
Hard slogging out there the last few days. Up to gale force winds blowing making offshore areas of Esperanza tough to access. There is good fishing for springs from Ferrer all the way up to Grassy, and despite the weather we have had halibut up to 60lbs hit the dock this week. Getting out there is the tough part right now, the fish are there!
 
The winds moderated today, allowing much better access to the fishing grounds. Good spring fishing at all the usual beach spots. The inside at Rosa has still been pretty quiet. One guest jigged up a 40lb halibut with a spinning rod and a zinger at a reef on the inside in 75 feet of water.
 

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Finished a week out @ Critter, including Jack and Jill Derby. Fishing was really quite good, with only the weather limiting fishing opportunities. Fish are in great shape and the tide changes and early morning produced some great opportunities. The usual suspects were quite good at times: Beano, Maquinna and Wash really good and busy at times. Escalante and Coopte also produced some stellar results. Burdwood doesn’t seem to be ready to give up the goods just yet, timing will make it happen.
Skinny G’s, needlefish hootchies and anchovies seemed to be good for most. I like horse collar herring and it had great results.
Heading back in for the Children’s Heart Weekend. Will try and get some report on my return.
Play safe out there. Cheers
 
Drove back from Tahsis Westview marina-guiding for 6 days-wind was a real problem so fished Esperanza and Nootka. Road from Tahsis was exceptional with one notable exception-the one big hill that is not paved before the Nesook dump is a Bast**d. Very washboardey to the extreme-had been graded but I was in my 1 ton and was down to 3 or 4k an hour. Eye watering. Fishing-good to very good-had 3 around 26 and lots of 19-20<s In Nootka -wash and Beano were the ticket, chovie, skinny G, mini skinny G, coho killer and bigeye spoon in small size were good-Irish cream and no Banana.s. swim tails and Turd was good for lings although saw 3 trollers working the Ammo dump was slowed things a bit. Up in Esperanza, Ferrier was good to very good,outer black and behind Catala all held fish, Flatties were ok and some good ones came into westview. Lings were very good and I had some good ones on lighthouse Max Shad and Mega bite jigs. Here are a few pictures and I know one guy has his hand on the scale-(not my first rodeo) Just to keep you inspired. Should be a good season-haven't seen Beano produce like this for several years. PS you might want to try running a bare chovie one side and a flasher spoon combo on the other side at the same depth. Worked for us when the bite died--just saying!!
 

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Drove back from Tahsis Westview marina-guiding for 6 days-wind was a real problem so fished Esperanza and Nootka. Road from Tahsis was exceptional with one notable exception-the one big hill that is not paved before the Nesook dump is a Bast**d. Very washboardey to the extreme-had been graded but I was in my 1 ton and was down to 3 or 4k an hour. Eye watering. Fishing-good to very good-had 3 around 26 and lots of 19-20<s In Nootka -wash and Beano were the ticket, chovie, skinny G, mini skinny G, coho killer and bigeye spoon in small size were good-Irish cream and no Banana.s. swim tails and Turd was good for lings although saw 3 trollers working the Ammo dump was slowed things a bit. Up in Esperanza, Ferrier was good to very good,outer black and behind Catala all held fish, Flatties were ok and some good ones came into westview. Lings were very good and I had some good ones on lighthouse Max Shad and Mega bite jigs. Here are a few pictures and I know one guy has his hand on the scale-(not my first rodeo) Just to keep you inspired. Should be a good season-haven't seen Beano produce like this for several years. PS you might want to try running a bare chovie one side and a flasher spoon combo on the other side at the same depth. Worked for us when the bite died--just saying!!
Thanks for the report SP. we come up on 8th of July for week cheers
The 3 Amigos
 
Also thanks for the report, We leave on our long drive north on Sunday for a week at Critter Cove! First time going EXCITED!!!!!!
 
Drove back from Tahsis Westview marina-guiding for 6 days-wind was a real problem so fished Esperanza and Nootka. Road from Tahsis was exceptional with one notable exception-the one big hill that is not paved before the Nesook dump is a Bast**d. Very washboardey to the extreme-had been graded but I was in my 1 ton and was down to 3 or 4k an hour. Eye watering. Fishing-good to very good-had 3 around 26 and lots of 19-20<s In Nootka -wash and Beano were the ticket, chovie, skinny G, mini skinny G, coho killer and bigeye spoon in small size were good-Irish cream and no Banana.s. swim tails and Turd was good for lings although saw 3 trollers working the Ammo dump was slowed things a bit. Up in Esperanza, Ferrier was good to very good,outer black and behind Catala all held fish, Flatties were ok and some good ones came into westview. Lings were very good and I had some good ones on lighthouse Max Shad and Mega bite jigs. Here are a few pictures and I know one guy has his hand on the scale-(not my first rodeo) Just to keep you inspired. Should be a good season-haven't seen Beano produce like this for several years. PS you might want to try running a bare chovie one side and a flasher spoon combo on the other side at the same depth. Worked for us when the bite died--just saying!!
What is a Skinny G? BigEye spoon? Can I please see pictures?
 
The wee G is the smaller version -kind-of like a coho killer only stronger! The big eye spoons are from Lighthouse lures and are good -check out the website for colours etc-most stores carry them.
 
The last few days the winds have died down, making fishing spots more accessible in Esperanza. Ferrier had been producing well but the fish seemed to have moved on yesterday and it was slower there. The morning started off with 15+ boats but it thinned out as the morning wore on. The biggest fish of the season at 33lbs was caught in that general area a couple of days ago.
 
15 boats wow! More then all of Vancouver and it was flat when I went out the other day!

Thanks for the reports!

Hi WMY, It's a busy week here, we will have 9 boats running out of just our lodge guided and 2 BYOB. We are allowed 2 chinook per day which makes a big difference in the number of boats going out!
 
We are starting to see larger numbers of coho showing up in in the Esperanza inlet area. Predictions are that it will be a good coho year, and we are seeing more than in recent years already. Thursday and friday produced good numbers of coho to 8lbs. Springs are still being caught at the usual beach areas all the way from Ferrer point to grassy island. The inside spots like Rosa are still slow, mostly shakers or barely legals inside the inlet itself. Waiting for the Canuma fish to show in numbers there.
 

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How is nootka for hiding from the wind if the wind picks up? Similar to bamfield being able to hide behind a point ?
Hoping to camp at friendly cove and fish near and around.
Running a 17 whaler, not worried about a bit of sporty weather just don't want to be un fishable. Do have common sense as well...
just curious if it's worth the risk of getting stuck out there with to much wind or if I'll be able to find some tacks.

Running from gold river, run in the morning or evening for best conditions ?
 
Best to run out of Gold River in the morning. You get inflow up the Muchalat Inlet East bound typically in the afternoon with short snotty waves. Its not impossible to navigate, its just a bit of a sporty ride.. Be mindful that the launch at Gold River has apparently had Spring runoff that has caused more sand/silt in the river than in past years. I'm told this year best to leave on a 4 ft or higher tide. It used to be 3 feet. I'll find out on Monday I guess when I launch. Lots of places to duck in out of the wind in Nootka.
 
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