2020 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports

[Crali2014]

Check your charts around Maquinna-lots of pinnacles with salmon-outside the main stroll of course-the bonus is you will catch a ton of bottom fish and lings. Along escalante point lots of places to jig where trolling is tough-(check regs). Not many people fish it because it is tough but excellent to move a boat in to jig

thanks spring!

 

[pacemaker]

Check your charts around Maquinna-lots of pinnacles with salmon-outside the main stroll of course-the bonus is you will catch a ton of bottom fish and lings. Along escalante point lots of places to jig where trolling is tough-(check regs). Not many people fish it because it is tough but excellent to move a boat in to jig

Escalante is closed for “fin fish” at this time... It’s open off-shore, but check your Reg’s and GPS co-ordinates to make sure it’s legal where you want to be... It ended poorly for a guy who was inside the no fishing zone last week..

 

[PlugLife]

Just got back and already planning another trip! Was wondering if it’s worth coming back for Labor Day long weekend if we planned to fish the inside?

 

[pescador]

Escalante is closed for “fin fish” at this time... It’s open off-shore, but check your Reg’s and GPS co-ordinates to make sure it’s legal where you want to be... It ended poorly for a guy who was inside the no fishing zone last week..

I wasn't aware that 125-1 was closed to fin fish. I know Estevan is and of course west of Bajo. But have not seen anything on an Escalante closing. Is this recent?

 

[pacemaker]

I wasn't aware that 125-1 was closed to fin fish. I know Estevan is and of course west of Bajo. But have not seen anything on an Escalante closing. Is this recent?

The surf line area closed from roughly half way between Burdwood and Escalante all the way “south” from there to Estavan... Burdwood is open, Escalante is closed.., That happened with all the other various July 15th restrictions ..Had been open before that, but closed now..If a person checks the DFO map for areas 25 - 125, entitled 2020 Coho Openings and other Closures, the part of area 125 that is closed for fin fish along the surf line is clearly displayed in that map.... The exact GPS co-ordinates for this closure can be found elsewhere in the Reg’s... This closure was also in effect last year too, maybe previous to that too.. I have all the co-ordinates plugged into my GPS which then clearly displays the open areas from the closed areas..

 

[SpringFever552]

The surf line area closed from roughly half way between Burdwood and Escalante all the way “south” from there to Estavan... Burdwood is open, Escalante is closed.., That happened with all the other various July 15th restrictions ..Had been open before that, but closed now..If a person checks the DFO map for areas 25 - 125, entitled 2020 Coho Openings and other Closures, the part of area 125 that is closed for fin fish along the surf line is clearly displayed in that map.... The exact GPS co-ordinates for this closure can be found elsewhere in the Reg’s... This closure was also in effect last year too, maybe previous to that too.. I have all the co-ordinates plugged into my GPS which then clearly displays the open areas from the closed areas..

 

[pescador]

View attachment 55290

thanks, must be because of the high concentration of grey whales there always.

 

[RiverBoy]

thanks, must be because of the high concentration of grey whales there always.

man you’re not kidding. had a close encounter with like, six greys in one morning, including one that “spyhopped” not 20’ in front of. my then 16’ boat. my nerves were completely shot after that morning

 

[pacemaker]

View attachment 55290

Thanks for posting the map Springfever.. I’m too technologically challenged to know how to do it, and too old to learn how to do it... I just knew what the rules were and where to find them..Wanted to help out by notifying others who may not have been aware of the recent changes to the Reg’s.

 

[SpringFever552]

thanks, must be because of the high concentration of grey whales there always.

We didnt venture over that way last weekend, but saw 3 straight out from Dollies basically in the middle of sound

 

[Redfisher]

Can anyone let me know if the squid are still around outside of Catilla? Going up on Monday and wondering if they are around to pkay with at first light

 

[TheHurtLocker]

We were in Nootka from Sunday to Thursday. Weather was unreal. We limited out on chinook, quit a few in the mid 20's which was good to see. Almost hit the 30 club with a 29. Coopte Pt was where all the action was for us. Small chovies and needle fish hoochies was all we put down. 49 to 69 ft. Steady action all around the tides.

 

[Port Eliza Fishing]

Fishing has been good in Esperanza. Guys have been getting halibut offshore when the wind cooperates. Salmon have started showing offshore too, the 80cm slot limit ended offshore today. Rosa has been hit and miss lately, but other areas from Grassy down to Pin rocks have had fish. Jellyfish and weeds have been a problem at times, esp at Pin and Rosa areas.

 

[walleyes]

Fishing has been good in Esperanza. Guys have been getting halibut offshore when the wind cooperates. Salmon have started showing offshore too, the 80cm slot limit ended offshore today. Rosa has been hit and miss lately, but other areas from Grassy down to Pin rocks have had fish. Jellyfish and weeds have been a problem at times, esp at Pin and Rosa areas. View attachment 55396

Darn nice stringer of fish there.

 

[Jacob Burton]

Fishing has been good in Esperanza. Guys have been getting halibut offshore when the wind cooperates. Salmon have started showing offshore too, the 80cm slot limit ended offshore today. Rosa has been hit and miss lately, but other areas from Grassy down to Pin rocks have had fish. Jellyfish and weeds have been a problem at times, esp at Pin and Rosa areas. View attachment 55396

See you in 1 day woohoo

 

[BCBill]

Back last night from a week at Nootka with two staggered groups of family.. Started with three in 45 minutes at Camel Rock last Sunday and ended with a quick 25 at the wall yesterday morning before calling it to pack up. Nineteen springs in the boat over the week, mostly at Camel and the Wall. Highlights included: grandson's face while playing his first 20+ screamer; seven in one morning for a personal best, a successful father/daughter double header of identical twin 18 chrome bullets, anda humpback surfacing several feet off the port side while while we were playing a fish just on the other side of it.

Best lures were cream glo teaser heads at 39 feet early, white/green/yellow stripe coyote or a gold metallic teaser head at 71 feet once the sun was well up.

More dubious highlights were turning the key to absolute silence at 4:50 am on the third morning then ten minutes later working fine the rest of the trip despite the fact that my only intervention was to teach my granddaughters some new words, and three successive sixty pound skate while anchored up for halibut. (I will leave out as many as five of us sharing one RV biffy because the Moutcha Bay washrooms were closed as TMI)

All in all wonderful family memories.

 

[Saicnarf]

Heading to Tahsis to fish Esperanzaand Nootka. Is there any Coho out there?? Sure not hearing much about them yet

 

[BCBill]

addendum to my post above. Used my lowering device on multiple rock fish that would otherwise have been seagull food. Other than putting a little milage on the down rigger it worked well. No excuses not to, (Closest thing to a political statement you will see from me )

 

[Doubleheader]

Heading to Tahsis to fish Esperanzaand Nootka. Is there any Coho out there?? Sure not hearing much about them yet

No Coho yet, there’s talk of coho closing...

 

[Doubleheader]

addendum to my post above. Used my lowering device on multiple rock fish that would otherwise have been seagull food. Other than putting a little milage on the down rigger it worked well. No excuses not to, (Closest thing to a political statement you will see from me )

Let dozens of yelloweye and a pile of others down as well, we should have had them things decades ago...