West Coast Vancouver Island WCVI July Trip Planning

[PDX Hutch]

Hi Guys,

Hoping for some help here. Trying to plan my first trip up to the west coast of Vancouver island WCVI. We are looking @ a Mid to Late July trip and deciding between Winter Harbour (Qualicum) and Nootka (Moutcha Bay). We are BYOB'ing it.

Looking for any advice on what makes one area better for this specific time frame. There looks to be some closures that happen on July 15th, and I am trying to see how/if they effect each fishery. We would definitely be traveling after those closures.

Fishing from a 24' Edge OS (similar but slightly more big water capable than a North River Seahawk OS) and hoping to hit all species while up there, not just Salmon.

How rough is it up there? Should we expect to get offshore / Nearshore to target some of the bigger halibut and ling cods? People have experience in these areas? And how was the water?

Timing really seems to matter for the local hatchery return fish, any insight?

Thanks in advance for any info you guys can provide.

Relocated Canadian to PDX,
Thanks,
Matt

 

[Islander57]

I've not fished Moucha Bay or Nootka, but I have fished Winter Harbour. I like Winter Harbour because there is plenty of places to fish if the weather blows up. Good ling and halibut fishing without going off shore and good salmon fishing on the inside too. Not as many hatchery fish in numbers in mid July as there are in mid August. Now depending on which way the new regs will go, if Plan A is the regs, going offshore for salmon may not be an option, as there would be a non retention of chinooks in Area 127. However, if Plan B become the regs, there would be no restrictions in 127. Your right close to the salmon highway fishing out of Winter Harbour.

 

[spoiler]

Hi Guys,

Hoping for some help here. Trying to plan my first trip up to the west coast of Vancouver island WCVI. We are looking @ a Mid to Late July trip and deciding between Winter Harbour (Qualicum) and Nootka (Moutcha Bay). We are BYOB'ing it.

Looking for any advice on what makes one area better for this specific time frame. There looks to be some closures that happen on July 15th, and I am trying to see how/if they effect each fishery. We would definitely be traveling after those closures.

Fishing from a 24' Edge OS (similar but slightly more big water capable than a North River Seahawk OS) and hoping to hit all species while up there, not just Salmon.

How rough is it up there? Should we expect to get offshore / Nearshore to target some of the bigger halibut and ling cods? People have experience in these areas? And how was the water?

Timing really seems to matter for the local hatchery return fish, any insight?

Thanks in advance for any info you guys can provide.

Relocated Canadian to PDX,
Thanks,
Matt

End of July would be prefect timing for Nootka. inside waters are super calm and the reason my sister's boyfriend has been fishing it for the last 30 years. He says last week of July/ first week of August is prime time. You would probably have to head off-shore for your bottom fish but if you pick the right days it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Bamfield Fishing]

End of July would be prefect timing for Nootka. inside waters are super calm and the reason my sister's boyfriend has been fishing it for the last 30 years. He says last week of July/ first week of August is prime time. You would probably have to head off-shore for your bottom fish but if you pick the right days it shouldn't be an issue.

Only bad thing about Moutcha bay is you can have a pretty long run to the fish if you go offshore or even to the mouth of the Sound where you might have to go. With a 24 foot boat you should be able to go offshore most days, some days will be more comfortable than others. You ay want to consider Esperanza inlet as well Last year it had better fishing than Nootka , Port Eliza is right on the fishing grounds in area 25 and less crowded than Nootka inside spots can be. It's a short run to the highway if area 125 is kept open.

 

[TipUp]

Only bad thing about Moutcha bay is you can have a pretty long run to the fish if you go offshore or even to the mouth of the Sound where you might have to go. With a 24 foot boat you should be able to go offshore most days, some days will be more comfortable than others. You ay want to consider Esperanza inlet as well Last year it had better fishing than Nootka , Port Eliza is right on the fishing grounds in area 25 and less crowded than Nootka inside spots can be. It's a short run to the highway if area 125 is kept open.

X2 on esperanza. We stay at critter cove for our annual trip ( August 7 - 12ish) and the last few years the salmon fishing has been slow inside Nootka Sound. Even offshore it has been a grind salmon wise. I think you'd be better off staying closer to esperanza where the fishing has seemed to be more consistent. Having said that though, Critter Cove is a great place to stay with lots of wildlife - i.e whales, sea otters and if the fishing is on all the spots are close by.

 

[PDX Hutch]

Thank guys all very much for the info, really helps to hear peoples first hand knowledge.

I do have a more specific Nootka question about the bajo reef area, is this usually included in the July 15th closures? If so, how far do you have to run for decent spots for halibut/bottom fish?

 

[dmurph]

I’ve taken my boat and family to critter cove, awesome spot and very reasonably priced. Has everything you need and very close to fishing spots if the inside is good. When I was there the best fishing was on the outside, beano in particular. We fished banjo also, it’s a bit of a run for sure. Nootka is s good spot, parking for the truck and trailer right by the launch and then I think it was a 30, 40 min run to critter. Lots of scenery and spots to fish and get a real west coast experience in Nootka without feeling to exposesd or remote with lots of other boats around in case of an emergency. I’ve never fished winter Harbour but hear good things, just that much further out there. Winter Harbour has legendary reports for bottom fishing.

 

[eriks]

Esperanza rocks. I believe @Twinstrike could get you sorted out, he ran a great operation last year when we were there early July. They are helpful in telling you where and how to fish the various areas.

 

[profisher]

I would also pick Nootka and look at staying at Critter Cove as it is central to the best spots to fish and has fuel on site. Bajo is not effected by the July 15th regs. Just along the beach on the outside.

 

[pescador]

I would also pick Nootka and look at staying at Critter Cove as it is central to the best spots to fish and has fuel on site. Bajo is not effected by the July 15th regs. Just along the beach on the outside.

Do we know what the regs are going to be this year off the West Coast? I know the usual slot limit changes happen up their July 15, but I'm still not clear on what's going to happen anywhere on the west coast.

Moutcha Bay's facility is first class. Never stayed overnight but I stop there yearly for dinner or lunch a few times. Great place and the foods excellent. Critter is closer to the action for sure. If inside Nootka Sound has activity, Critter is 10-15 minutes from good action spots. Also, if you want to run up Tahsis Inlet to get to Esperanza, from Critter its a 60 minute run in usually flat calm scenic landscape. The run to Bajo from Critter is 45 minutes via the Lighthouse (assuming you're in a planing hull at 25+ mph). So Critter is a really good option.

 

[Cmiles]

Fished both critter and winter harbour in the last couple years and found the fishing hot and cold at both my vote would lean towards critter just to avoid that 6 + hour drive from victoria

 

[PDX Hutch]

Thank you all very much for the helpful information about fishing on Vancouver Island!

We ended up booking @ Moutcha Bay starting July 16th. Fit best with our schedule vs availability at the handful of places we reached out to.

We will definitely be following this forum, and checking for regulation updates.

thanks again

 

[donnie d]

What does the “zero” in your avatar mean?!?



I guess I’ll have to fly my purple that weekend to balance things out...

Thank you all very much for the helpful information about fishing on Vancouver Island!

We ended up booking @ Moutcha Bay starting July 16th. Fit best with our schedule vs availability at the handful of places we reached out to.

We will definitely be following this forum, and checking for regulation updates.

thanks again

 

[Christl Waters]

Great info. I swung a last minute cancellation for the first week of August and am looking forward to giving it a try.

 

[Dogbreath]

Salmon University is a great resource for the area.

 

[Tailwalker]

I would also pick Nootka and look at staying at Critter Cove as it is central to the best spots to fish and has fuel on site. Bajo is not effected by the July 15th regs. Just along the beach on the outside.

I thought Bajo IS closed after July 15. At least it was last year. Please correct me if I am wrong since I would love to fish that spot!

 

[Islander57]

Salmon University is a great resource for the area.

http://salmonuniversity.com/regions/british-columbia/nootka-sound