2019 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

[Port Eliza Fishing]

Area 125 (offshore of Nootka and Esperanza) is open to two chinook per day with no upper size limit. Was open to two chinook maximum size 80cm from July 15 to August 1. Getting them right now is a challenge. There have not been big numbers offshore. If you can find a school you can do ok, but they do not seem to be out there in any big numbers. Also not seeing big numbers of coho as predicted off shore. Near shore areas have also been slow for chinook. You can grind a few springs out of the low rock or pin rock area using smaller spoons or anchovies. Grassy has been slow. In the inlet itself Rosa has never really turned on, The odd fish has been caught there. There are coho showing in the near shore areas, and they are getting bigger, quite a few are over 10lbs.

 

[steve lawrence]

Area 125 (offshore of Nootka and Esperanza) is open to two chinook per day with no upper size limit. Was open to two chinook maximum size 80cm from July 15 to August 1. Getting them right now is a challenge. There have not been big numbers offshore. If you can find a school you can do ok, but they do not seem to be out there in any big numbers. Also not seeing big numbers of coho as predicted off shore. Near shore areas have also been slow for chinook. You can grind a few springs out of the low rock or pin rock area using smaller spoons or anchovies. Grassy has been slow. In the inlet itself Rosa has never really turned on, The odd fish has been caught there. There are coho showing in the near shore areas, and they are getting bigger, quite a few are over 10lbs.

Thanks Jim see you tomorrow

 

[FishBear]

Fished Esperanza, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (i.e. today).

Sunday - fished Pin Rock, Low Rock, 6 Mile Reef and Rosa. Aside from 1/2 dozen small chinook (4-8 lbs), plus some coho and pinks at Pin Rock in the a.m. the other spots did not produce. Did see 1 caught at Rosa though in the afternoon. As mentioned in a prior post - inside Esperanza was slow. Guys going off-shore (Whales Tale) were catching their limit.

Monday and Tuesday - fished Cooptee. Was able to pick up 2 chinook both days (15-22 lbs) plus a couple < 6 lbs. Today, saw probably 3-4 fish caught at Cooptee. (There were a lot of boats out, so I imagine more were caught, but that is all what I saw).

Also fished slightly deeper than usual with the anchovies. Usually I am around 50-55' in the inside of Nootka, but this trip I was more like 60-70'.

Also had to use the seaquilizer for the first time........and it worked.

What/where is Cooptee?

 

[208 Adv]

What/where is Cooptee?

Coopte Point (spelled it wrong in prior post).

It is located at the mouth of Tahsis Inlet or west of Hoiss Point.

 

[The Weasel]

Report from Wednesday/Thursday

Hoiss point was not good. Only a few nets out after several hours of hitting that area hard.
Camel was the same.

Beano was not good either.

Spoke with fisheries and they indicated that the commercial fleet netted 7,000 fish in the window they were given.

Sorry. Wish we could report something positive with respect to fish.

 

[Crsalmon]

Wankers finally posted the map

 

[queensalmon]

Didn’t Beno and McQuinna used to be area 25. Now it looks like it’s 125 or am I dreaming? Thought you had to be mile out to be in 125?

 

[Port Eliza Fishing]

Report from Wednesday/Thursday

Hoiss point was not good. Only a few nets out after several hours of hitting that area hard.
Camel was the same.

Beano was not good either.

Spoke with fisheries and they indicated that the commercial fleet netted 7,000 fish in the window they were given.

Sorry. Wish we could report something positive with respect to fish.

Pretty similar to the north at Esperanza. Weather has been blowing so pretty much restricted to inside the inlet, which has been slow all year. A few springs and some coho were picked up at Rosa yesterday. White hootchies and anchovies got the few fish that were caught. With winds becoming lighter some boats will get offshore and we can see if that has picked up.

 

[Dogbreath]

Fished Lighthouse, Maquinna down to Beano Wednesday, Thursday & Friday-saw No Nets At All fishing was dead.

Picked up a couple nice Coho daily 40'-60' down off the Lighthouse saw a couple others do same otherwise No Action None.

Saw a Mola Mola off Beano and hooked a Salmon Shark at the Lighthouse he rolled in the heavy leader & line/wrapped his head that pissed him off since I was pulling hard and he actually jumped about 3' out of the water from the look I got he was closer to 300# than 200#.

It ate a flashy little Yo Zuri plug like the one pictured behind a Deep Six if you can believe it.

 

[RiverBoy]

Fished Lighthouse, Maquinna down to Beano Wednesday, Thursday & Friday-saw No Nets At All fishing was dead.

Picked up a couple nice Coho daily 40'-60' down off the Lighthouse saw a couple others do same otherwise No Action None.

Saw a Mola Mola off Beano and hooked a Salmon Shark at the Lighthouse he rolled in the heavy leader & line/wrapped his head that pissed him off since I was pulling hard and he actually jumped about 3' out of the water from the look I got he was closer to 300# than 200#.

It ate a flashy little Yo Zuri plug like the one pictured behind a Deep Six if you can believe it.

wow. only seen a salmon shark once and it was dead and it still scared me. too many shark movies i guess. heard the commys laid a serious beating in the sound. surprised it was so slow outside especially for coho. glad i stayed in CR instead of making one last trip west

 

[JC42]

How is the fishing typically this time of year? My family and I have made an annual trip for a long time - but typically in late July because I have to report for football. Well, this year I tore my acl early and now I can’t get Nootka out of my mind haha. I really want to head up this week or next but have no experience this late in the year

 

[Dogbreath]

I wouldn't bother-come to Vancouver instead-catch Salmon all day and eat Sushi at night.

 

[Aces]

How is the fishing typically this time of year? My family and I have made an annual trip for a long time - but typically in late July because I have to report for football. Well, this year I tore my acl early and now I can’t get Nootka out of my mind haha. I really want to head up this week or next but have no experience this late in the year

Ucluelet/Tofino/Bamfield is hot right now

 

[savy]

just got back from Port Eliza lodge spend time from June to August there and have to Thank Jim, Rob, and Suzanne and Staff for a excellent time up there
my best moment was when i got a double header of halibut that turn out a double header of killer wale who said killer whale dont eat halibut only spring salmon ???
i highly recommended the lodge for many reason like close to fishing ground like 10 minutes they have fuel there again save time and cannot explains how great my summer was with the staff up there 2 tums up guys

 

[Port Eliza Fishing]

just got back from Port Eliza lodge spend time from June to August there and have to Thank Jim, Rob, and Suzanne and Staff for a excellent time up there
my best moment was when i got a double header of halibut that turn out a double header of killer wale who said killer whale dont eat halibut only spring salmon ???
i highly recommended the lodge for many reason like close to fishing ground like 10 minutes they have fuel there again save time and cannot explains how great my summer was with the staff up there 2 tums up guys

Thanks Serge. I look forward to a few more whiskey sessions next summer!

 

[Port Eliza Fishing]

Fishing is heating up again in the offshore areas. General area of the whales tail has been hot. With limits if springs at 150 to 200 feet. Spoons and hootchies doing enough damage you dont have to run bait. The size has gotten smaller right now, mid teens mostly. Occassional fish in the low 20s. Esperanza Inlet is still slow. Has been some morning bites for a few springs.

 

[Gearbox Paul]

Fishing is heating up again in the offshore areas. General area of the whales tail has been hot.

Would someone be kind enough to share where Whales Tail is ? GPS coordinates would be ideal. Thanks in advance.

 

[RiverBoy]

Would someone be kind enough to share where Whales Tail is ? GPS coordinates would be ideal. Thanks in advance.

WT. 49.8301. -127.005

 

[Gearbox Paul]

WT. 49.8301. -127.005

thank you.

 

[sharrontime2]

Hi All,

My wife, Sharron, and I are back and from our trip to Critter Cove and beautiful Nootka Sound, after a 16 year hiatus. This was trip down memory lane for us, we fished Nootka from 1995-2003. The only thing missing was my son who couldn't finagle time away from work to join us during this trip. We have such fond family memories during those times and the staff at Critter Cove is as friendly and helpful as ever.

I just want to thank all the contributors to this forum and all the great intel received prior to our trip, the information was greatly appreciated and very helpful. We also had a wonderful family, from the Delta area, in the cabin next door to us, that helped get us dialed in early and made it a fun trip for all. So nice to share information and talk with families who are as passionate about the sport and resources as we are.

Fishing was good for us, Springs to 25# and Coho to 10. We worked the morning bite at Coopte Pt and then ran to the ocean for tide change and the afternoon troll. Wash Rock and Maquinna were the best for us producing Springs and Coho. All our fish were super bright and all native. Chovies were the answer for us, caught and released a smaller Spring on a watermelon spoon, but every other fish came on a chovie in a Krippled Anchovie head holder, glow green scale pink stripe and a 68" leader. Smaller chovies, salted, that we brought with us, worked better than the larger chovies that were being sold in the store at Critter. Water temperatures were unusually high so the key was getting your gear down below the thermal layer, 45-70 feet on the rigger depending on which location we were targeting.

This was a nice break for us from fishing the crowds at Buoy 10 on the Columbia River. Hard to beat waking up and stepping out the door onto your boat. And no Columbia River bar to cross.

Thanks again to all the contributors. Good luck and good fishing.

Fireball
SharronTimeII
CCA member Washington