quote:Originally posted by ItchyScratchy
Got out of Nootka on Saturday and again enjoyed the area. I have been fishing Nootka for about 20 years and it never seems to amaze me that just when you think you have everything "dialed in" it all changes again.
I alway enjoy cutplugging, however, this year I ran out of firecrackers half way through the week (I guess that was a good problem to have) and I had to switch to larger herring (which was sporatic) and then I decided just to experiment for the last few days as I had two fish in the cooler and I really didn't need anymore.
This is where the fun begins, not only did I try different artificial baits and combinations, I also tried different areas that had looked "fishy" during some of my previous visits.
The biggest discoveries were: bigger baits give you bigger coho, however bigger baits do not necessarily give you bigger chinook. I caught some high twenty chinooks on some very small needlefish patterns pulled through the water at fast speeds (up to 3.2 mph).
I also caught fish by being really agressive with the depth sounder. If I marked fish at 50 feet I would lower the wire and spin around and sometimes hookup, and if I made a couple of passes and marked fish at 20 I would repeat the process. It was suprising how you would hookup fish at 130, then 50, then 80 all within the same area.
I would also recommend bouncing your downrigger ball off the bottom (of a flat area!!) as it seems the halibut were where you found them, that is, I caught halis in 55 feet of water and deeper.
All the fishing I did was outside the lighthouse, however, I think the results would probably be the same inside as well.
I just received a call from my friend that guides out of Nootka and he tells me things are just getting better and better with lots of fish on the inside and outside.
If you have any other questions just post them here and I will try and respond.
Cheers
ItchyScratchy