2022 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

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Im heading up to Nootka July 27 to Aug 5. Staying at Tuta. Anyone else going to be at Tuta also. Hoping to meet someone and have a beer and discuss halibut fishing. I just have a regular anchor on a wind list on the bow. I don’t have a halibut anchoring system. Is this going to make it difficult for me to catch halibut. Can I simply troll down deep for halibut. Any must have gear I should buy before I leave?
 
Im heading up to Nootka July 27 to Aug 5. Staying at Tuta. Anyone else going to be at Tuta also. Hoping to meet someone and have a beer and discuss halibut fishing. I just have a regular anchor on a wind list on the bow. I don’t have a halibut anchoring system. Is this going to make it difficult for me to catch halibut. Can I simply troll down deep for halibut. Any must have gear I should buy before I leave?
What the road report for Tuta.. truck camper 18 ft aluminum
 
Sold my boat over 20 years and recently purchased one last year and fished Nootka 20 years ago in the 90s and will be my first trip back . Will be fishing with my son who was 10 at the time and caught a tyee at the Lighthouse with no help from me and now almost 32 years old . I always stayed at Criitter Cove in the 90s and will be again staying July 26th to 29th . Also going back Aug 11th to 15th and staying at Moutcha Bay . Always tried to go 2-3 times a year back then.
 
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Im heading up to Nootka July 27 to Aug 5. Staying at Tuta. Anyone else going to be at Tuta also. Hoping to meet someone and have a beer and discuss halibut fishing. I just have a regular anchor on a wind list on the bow. I don’t have a halibut anchoring system. Is this going to make it difficult for me to catch halibut. Can I simply troll down deep for halibut. Any must have gear I should buy before I leave?
On calm days you can drift. On winds that are low, just back troll. 3 days last week just drifted and moved maybe 1 Mile per hour. Our hali gear was almost vertical. Don’t put down your boat anchor. Not safe. Most areas we fish are 150-300 ft.
 
On calm days you can drift. On winds that are low, just back troll. 3 days last week just drifted and moved maybe 1 Mile per hour. Our hali gear was almost vertical. Don’t put down your boat anchor. Not safe. Most areas we fish are 150-300 ft.
I guess you are using spreader bars? Do I jig with the spreader bar as im drifting? Bounce bottom once in a while? Or were you using downrigger. Thanks so much!
 
Sold my boat over 20 years and recently purchased one last year and fished Nootka 20 years ago in the 90s and will be my first trip back . Will be fishing with my son who was 10 at the time and caught a tyee at the Lighthouse with no help from me and now almost 32 years old . I always stayed at Criitter Cove in the 90s and will be again staying July 26th to 29th . Also going back Aug 11th to 15th and staying at Moutcha Bay . Always tried to go 2-3 times a year back then.
Been fishing Nootka since 94. Expect the fish to be smaller than when you there. Back then my scale started at 20 lbs. i was there last week and the biggest fish for 3 boats was 19 pounds. Not to say there’s not some big fish. It’s just not the norm any more.
 
Sold my boat over 20 years and recently purchased one last year and fished Nootka 20 years ago in the 90s and will be my first trip back . Will be fishing with my son who was 10 at the time and caught a tyee at the Lighthouse with no help from me and now almost 32 years old . I always stayed at Criitter Cove in the 90s and will be again staying July 26th to 29th . Also going back Aug 11th to 15th and staying at Moutcha Bay . Always tried to go 2-3 times a year back then.
I'll be pulling in to Moutcha the day you leave. Leave some for us!
 
Been fishing Nootka since 94. Expect the fish to be smaller than when you there. Back then my scale started at 20 lbs. i was there last week and the biggest fish for 3 boats was 19 pounds. Not to say there’s not some big fish. It’s just not the norm any more.
I totally agree with you nothing under 20 lbs back then . I was thinking same size fish but less and back then nothing to go with 4 people and all limit out in 3 days with big springs .
 
I guess you are using spreader bars? Do I jig with the spreader bar as im drifting? Bounce bottom once in a while? Or were you using downrigger. Thanks so much!
Spreader bar 2 lb ball. Bounce off the bottom pull up 5 cranks. Salmon belly herring work great. Lots of oil and slime helps.
 
Just got back from fishing Nootka for the last 4 days, limited out on coho from the Lighthouse to Maquinna Point but managed to boat only 3 springs where the largest was 20lbs, lots of small springs that we released. Great weather except for early this morning, the main run of Springs doesn’t appeared to have arrived yet.
 
I totally agree with you nothing under 20 lbs back then . I was thinking same size fish but less and back then nothing to go with 4 people and all limit out in 3 days with big springs .
Smaller fish is the result of hatchery procedures where they mix up all the eggs and milt, which over a period of years, produces average sizes. Really small fish and really big fish tend to disappear. In nature big females tend to mate with big males and that produces bigger offspring.
 
Been fishing Nootka since 94. Expect the fish to be smaller than when you there. Back then my scale started at 20 lbs. i was there last week and the biggest fish for 3 boats was 19 pounds. Not to say there’s not some big fish. It’s just not the norm any more.
A friend of mine was one of the seine boats in Barkley last August. His catch was 2000 chinook. Average fish weight was under 15 pounds. They are getting smaller everywhere.
 
Sold my boat over 20 years and recently purchased one last year and fished Nootka 20 years ago in the 90s and will be my first trip back . Will be fishing with my son who was 10 at the time and caught a tyee at the Lighthouse with no help from me and now almost 32 years old . I always stayed at Criitter Cove in the 90s and will be again staying July 26th to 29th . Also going back Aug 11th to 15th and staying at Moutcha Bay . Always tried to go 2-3 times a year back then.
I’m at Critter july 27-30 ,good luck to us both
 
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