2015 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

The fishing last year was unbelievable for us and I tend to stay away from the crowds . Mostly on bait but caught a fair share on hootchies and a couple on plugs,multiple doubles and a few triples.
 
Ill be staying at critter this long weekend. Come by and say hi if any members are there. Ill be in the grady named "Rox-ley" , cheers!
 
Short report. Arrived at Moucha last Wedensday night at sunset. Cleaning table and fish processing was very busy. Had a freind from Ontario with us, so we wanted to show him as much of the area as we could. Thurdays we went offshore of Esperanza, got 2 Halis but never got the third for the 3 of us. Quick troll at Rosa heading in, no action for us saw 1 landed. Fish processing that night busy. Friday did inside of the light, no action early. Moved to Burdwood lost a couple, rookie on the rod nothing too big. Went to Bajo, brown water like Spring Fever said, no salmon 2 lings, and striped a DR belt. Saturday started at Burdwood, little action no fish a couple seen landed in other boats. Landed a 20 inside late afternoon, lost another. 20 was the biggest according to Fish Processing at Moucha for Saturday. Sunday we lost one early inside and trolled with little action saw a few caught. Again cleaning table slow and Moucha staff said little came in. Talked to a pair of guys on a charter that got 2 low teenagers. Weather changed to rain over the middle of our trip. Hopefully the fishing improves with the return of good weather. Managed to send my friend home with a full box of fish, but mostly Halibut and Lings. Echo of what Spring Fever was reporting.
 
For the guys going to TUTA, PLEASE USE GOOGLE EARTH so you know what you are getting into. Once saw a 29 foot tandem axle trailer with 3 of 4 tires flat, and they could not get one lug nut off. No torch, and no way to get a nut breaker in the tight rim face.

They drove to Campbell River to buy the tires that they could get off, returned, and limped it out of there. Another trip a guy had a hub seize and lose the tire into "middle earth". Single axle trailer and it needed a new hub and tire.

Drewski
 
This was my 6th year to Nootka....Fri/Sat/Sun....by far the slowest of all the years...but i was a week earlier than previous. Only ended up with 5 springs and 3 coho. Weather change I assume counted for the sparcity. Of the 6 years only this one and one other that we didn't limit out. Nootka seems to be a hit or miss region..... Couldn't believe the amount of jellies this year! Constantly cleaning gear...fingers still burning! ;-) ......Hope the weather change changes the fishing. All in all a disappointing trip...may decide to try Quatsino next year......
 
Was in nootka from thurs until Sunday. It was what I expected for late July. It was hit and miss and when you found them and you fished early, late and the tides you did well. I fished alone released over a dozen and kept my 4. As usual early was best and it tended to slow down later in the morning. I used mostly chovies and fished the popular spots, mainly focusing around the wall, camel and San Carlos. 27 and 37 feet to start then 37 and 47 after around 730-8am worked for me. Should just get better as the fish move in heavy!

Cheers
 
For the guys going to TUTA, PLEASE USE GOOGLE EARTH so you know what you are getting into. Once saw a 29 foot tandem axle trailer with 3 of 4 tires flat, and they could not get one lug nut off. No torch, and no way to get a nut breaker in the tight rim face.
They drove to Campbell River to buy the tires that they could get off, returned, and limped it out of there. Another trip a guy had a hub seize and lose the tire into "middle earth". Single axle trailer and it needed a new hub and tire.

Drewski

Hey Drewski Canuck. Im headed to Tuta on Friday. Have the roads not been graded...Never been there before. Am towing a 22 foot lifetimer (5K lbs) where in Nookta is it. Do I take the tree to sea road? is it near Moutcha Bay? Would you recommend leaving the boat trailer in gold river and driving the boat there via water? Can anyone else provide some input. Im getting nervous about this whole thing.
 
I think you nailed it. IF you aren't seeing fish caught....move. We did way better inside...Camel and the wall. FWe were the only ones catch fish at Hoiss. Fished the light house and Burdwood.....no fish there.

Working in our 10th plus year fishing Nootka. It has taken time to figure it out. Still not sure I have.

Dom


I was there from wed thru Friday last and it had slowed down considerably from say earlier in the week. We got our limit but as I said in my report it wasn't about where fish were it was where they weren't!!! Guys get perplexed because they plan to hit a certain place for first bite-bite doesn't materialize for them and they aren't prepared to change tactics or move. They make bad choices of where to go for first bite- I like to fish it the night before-if I get nothing and see nothing I may rethink going there in the morning.I personally do not believe there are as many fish in the sound as usual this year-this may have changed since I left on Friday as it rained heavily thurs night and when I left fri. Bajo was a desert for salmon on thurs-perhaps because of a large brown bloom in the water-same as last year, nothing at the monument or Friendly cove-loaded 3 days before. You had the right numbers as far as last week-I was getting all our fish at 38ft with a dummy running at 46. I like your choice of hootchy-I run bait myself but a 602 hootchy is one of my nootka go to hootchy colours. To explain for those who are wondering a 602 is basically an ivory white hootchy with the Tomic 602 colour bands through it-maybe wrong but I think Yamashita has it-SeaFever will know. You have a lot of boats in Nootka-not everyone is prepared-not everyone is as dialed in as you seem to be or has fished there as long as me so of course guys will be perplexed. I like to give them a bit of a hand if I'm able and hopefully they will not be as perplexed next year. Congratulations on a good trip-let's hope we both stay out of the perplexed column and I'll find out again on thurs. Hopfully this great fishery will continue and guys will enjoy the beauty of Nootka-and by and by get out of the "perplexed column!! LOL
 
Hey Drewski Canuck. Im headed to Tuta on Friday. Have the roads not been graded...Never been there before. Am towing a 22 foot lifetimer (5K lbs) where in Nookta is it. Do I take the tree to sea road? is it near Moutcha Bay? Would you recommend leaving the boat trailer in gold river and driving the boat there via water? Can anyone else provide some input. Im getting nervous about this whole thing.

If you're going to Tuta, I would launch at Gold River and then run out to Hanna Channel where Tuta is located.
Its only a 35 min run and then no damage risk to your truck, trailer or boat.
5000lb is too heavy for that crappy gravel road.

Bring your bug repellant too as camping at Tuta is a little rustic.

We were there last week, came home late Sunday, hot spot was Camel Rock and San Carlos Point on the tide changes only 2 min from the Tuta dock.
 
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Hey Drewski Canuck. Im headed to Tuta on Friday. Have the roads not been graded...Never been there before. Am towing a 22 foot lifetimer (5K lbs) where in Nookta is it. Do I take the tree to sea road? is it near Moutcha Bay? Would you recommend leaving the boat trailer in gold river and driving the boat there via water? Can anyone else provide some input. Im getting nervous about this whole thing.
If you have the choice and are going to TuTa marine by all means put your boat in at Gold river and run down-The road from Cougar creek to Tuta has always been an ADVENTURE!!! then launching and recovering a boat can be another ADVENTURE!! it is not worth the risk and hassle so if at all possible-avoid it.
 
Launching at Gold River is "Adventure" enough for me..... but, clearly nothing like Tuta...I still don't get why the last two times I launched at GR in July they had a couple of tinnies tied up the both sides of the launch. Guess they want to test our ability to maneuver our boats. Also, last time I ran up Muchalat Inlet there were a lot of deadheads. I think log barge had gone in there the day before and left a bit of a mess so beware and keep a close lookout for logs...
 
thanks all for the advise. I have decide to launch at GR and have the wife take the truck minus trailer there by her self. If anyone sees a woman on the side of the gravel road in a grey ford f150 broken down, please help.

Thanks again everyone
 
thanks all for the advise. I have decide to launch at GR and have the wife take the truck minus trailer there by her self. If anyone sees a woman on the side of the gravel road in a grey ford f150 broken down, please help.

Thanks again everyone

Please be aware the road into Tuta is an active logging road.
They have those big butt 10' wide blue monster logging trucks working them and they are very scary.
I had one run me off the side of the road on a blind corner.

Please be careful.
 
You will want to head up the inlet to Tutu before the afternoon winds pick up otherwise it is a wet and bumpy ride.
 
It's a magical place but you have to plan ahead. I've been caught a few times going up that inlet.
once your at Tutu it's smooth sailing and great fishing.
 
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