Esperanza-time
Member
Just back yesterday, crazy fishing off High rock on that 125 contour. Weathers not great but you’ll limit out in no time then head to calm water and relax!
2024 Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet Reports
- Thread starter Denny Dolittle
- Start date
Drewski Canuck
Active Member
For other Nootka favs that are similar to the Skinny G's at least in productivity, try a Gibbs Gator in army truck. Take off the hook it comes with and put on a 5/0 circle hook. Much better odds of landing a jumpy spring on the circle hook.
Drewski
Drewski
The Green Bastard
Active Member
Oh I didn't know that. We loaded the cooler sunday morning on the way in and thursday back in Vic there was still lots of ice not melted and cooler/fish was still freezing cold so whatever it was it worked for us.
Tom Gordon
New Member
Thanks for the report. How deep on the downrigger were you fishing? ThanksJust back yesterday, crazy fishing off High rock on that 125 contour. Weathers not great but you’ll limit out in no time then head to calm water and relax!
MRW
Active Member
The ol’white hootchi is always a fave. Also ap tackleworks mvp has never let me down. Funny I don’t seem to have much luck with the skinny g.
fishinforever
Well-Known Member
The shell was out of ice on Friday, said it was too hot. We got ice at CR seafoods, 30 bucks for 2 big colemans
Esperanza-time
Member
Anchovies at 80 was the best, lots of bait around from top to bottom so fish all over!
Tom Gordon
New Member
Thanks. Coming out next week. Fishing with the kids so hopefully they’re right where you left them.
cohochinook
Well-Known Member
Just back from Port Eliza Lodge. Fishing was very good but challenging with the high winds which limited where you could go. Lots of Chinook out at High Rock.
Thanks to Jim and Sue Harris and their staff for being fantastic hosts! Had a terrific time!
Thanks to Jim and Sue Harris and their staff for being fantastic hosts! Had a terrific time!
Tom, unless things have changed in the latest few weeks, High Rock would be needlefish on the bottom. Think small and glow, such as West Coast Fishing Tackle Sex-E or Little Phat-E. Coho Killer or Wee Gee should also work.
Tom Gordon
New Member
Thanks for the tips. Really hoping to get the kids into some fish. It’s more fun than catching them myself.
Drewski Canuck
Active Member
Has anyone on here fished out of Zebellos? Technically it is Esperanza but I never see any posts? We are going in mid August as a group with Reel Obsession Charters, and it looks like it will be about 1/2 hour closer to the outside than running from Thasis, and it does have a river that should have returns of fish, but I can't find any posts on whether we will have any staging fish off the river mouth, or what the drive in is going to be like.
Hopefully the crab traps won't be pulled by every boat going past like in Gold.
It is a drive straight north of Campbell River, and it looks like a shorter run on gravel than going to Thasis from Gold, but no idea on how bad the washboard will be, how bad the hills are, etc.
Any help is appreciated.
Drewski
Hopefully the crab traps won't be pulled by every boat going past like in Gold.
It is a drive straight north of Campbell River, and it looks like a shorter run on gravel than going to Thasis from Gold, but no idea on how bad the washboard will be, how bad the hills are, etc.
Any help is appreciated.
Drewski
Yes. Road is pretty good. Drive to Campbell River, Woss, then in about 10 minutes after Woss.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
The road to Zeballos is part of the trip in my opinion. Used to run it for work all the time and therefore never really stopped to appreciate the views and beauty. there are breathtaking views of the mountains, lakes and streams that i always wished i would have packed a little 4 wt flyrod with me.
Having said all that, there are some steep grades and washboard sections. some of the steep grades when you start descending into Zeballos are quite sharp rock. carry a couple spares to be safe. a local taught me to keep your truck in 4wd climbing out of zeballos. even if your truck can physically make it, do it anyway. if you lose traction and your tire spins, that’s when you normally get the flat tire.
Adrian from Reel Obsession runs a good operation. his rooms are clean and very west coast
Having said all that, there are some steep grades and washboard sections. some of the steep grades when you start descending into Zeballos are quite sharp rock. carry a couple spares to be safe. a local taught me to keep your truck in 4wd climbing out of zeballos. even if your truck can physically make it, do it anyway. if you lose traction and your tire spins, that’s when you normally get the flat tire.
Adrian from Reel Obsession runs a good operation. his rooms are clean and very west coast
tubber
Well-Known Member
Looks like 9nm to Rosa, 17 to Sandstone, 28 to Whale's tail. I doubt you'll be fishing super close to town, but maybe in the stretch from Saltery Bay to Rosa to target Nootka fish. Obviously, offshore is best for switching over to ground fish especially if the swells are decent.
Best to look at the 2023 (and older) Archived threads here, but yes, I believe August would be inside fishing (Garden, Rosa, etc.) for Conuma bound Chinook and Coho. Offshore for hali and ling. You are in good hands with Reel Obsession.
Drewski Canuck
Active Member
Thanks guys!!! Normally I would be in the Mistress trolling from Hoiss Point to Strange Island, or beercan bay to San Carlos, but this is a trip organized with a group of friends, so we are going to Zabellos.
The Zabellos road cannot possibly be as bad as Cougar Creek to Tuta Marina. When you get to the summit from Cougar Creek you are driving through a "canyon" blasted out of sheer rock, about 30 foot deep and easily two hundred yards from start to finish.
Then there is the hairpin curve with the pull out that drops about 100 feet straight down overlooking Galiano Bay. We towed into Tuta the first time because Shirley told us that Larry pulls his 21 foot boat in and its no problem. Shirley did not mention that Larry is one tough cookie who worked logging on the Island all his life and 20 % grades where the norm. All the same, we towed in a number of years into Tuta and saw trailers with blown tires, trucks with blown tires, etc.
But yes, carrying a spare, or two, is a good idea when the road bed is blasted sharp rock with some sand sprinkled over top.
I hope that Zabellos does not have the big crowds we are used to in Nootka. It should be just a little bit more remote.
For those who are doing Hoiss to Strange this year, if things are dead, and there is a flood tide, put on a green spackle back glow hootchie to 120 FOW. Start trolling faster and faster until the downrigger cable is back about 30 degrees. Put the motor in neutral, and let the ball take the flasher / hootchie back down to 120. Then start accelerating again to the max your release clip will handle and again go to neutral and glide to almost a stop.
Squid escape salmon by going down, not up. This trolling technique has saved alot of afternoons when there were fish around, but not hitting bait or spoons run at usual depths. People thought we were having trouble with our kicker, but also wondered why we had limited and they did not get a sniff.
Drewski
The Zabellos road cannot possibly be as bad as Cougar Creek to Tuta Marina. When you get to the summit from Cougar Creek you are driving through a "canyon" blasted out of sheer rock, about 30 foot deep and easily two hundred yards from start to finish.
Then there is the hairpin curve with the pull out that drops about 100 feet straight down overlooking Galiano Bay. We towed into Tuta the first time because Shirley told us that Larry pulls his 21 foot boat in and its no problem. Shirley did not mention that Larry is one tough cookie who worked logging on the Island all his life and 20 % grades where the norm. All the same, we towed in a number of years into Tuta and saw trailers with blown tires, trucks with blown tires, etc.
But yes, carrying a spare, or two, is a good idea when the road bed is blasted sharp rock with some sand sprinkled over top.
I hope that Zabellos does not have the big crowds we are used to in Nootka. It should be just a little bit more remote.
For those who are doing Hoiss to Strange this year, if things are dead, and there is a flood tide, put on a green spackle back glow hootchie to 120 FOW. Start trolling faster and faster until the downrigger cable is back about 30 degrees. Put the motor in neutral, and let the ball take the flasher / hootchie back down to 120. Then start accelerating again to the max your release clip will handle and again go to neutral and glide to almost a stop.
Squid escape salmon by going down, not up. This trolling technique has saved alot of afternoons when there were fish around, but not hitting bait or spoons run at usual depths. People thought we were having trouble with our kicker, but also wondered why we had limited and they did not get a sniff.
Drewski
I drove out to Zeballos and on to Fair Harbour this past April, just to check it out. I will be up Esperanza in August as well, and first time for us as well. So wanted to check out the road to decide whether to tow the boat in to Zeballos and launch there, or launch in GR and run up. Decided on GR, but honestly that road to Zeballos is no big deal. Certainly easier than the one to Tahsis. I wasn't towing but had no issues in a stock F150. Putting it in 4wd never even crossed my mind, but I could see the logic for the reasons mentioned here already. If youre on a guided trip and not pulling a boat I don't think you have much to worry about. As far as the fishing spots, it will be my fist time too, but when I booked with Port Eliza they mentioned fish inside at Rosa to Saltery, and Tatchu or Sandstone being about as far outside as we may want to run for salmon. This is Aug 12-16 I am talking about. Looking forward to seeing how accurate their predictions are.
Alison2
Well-Known Member
When we've been up Esperanza and the typical north west winds are snotty, we've cut up the inside of Catela, to high rock and trolled down with the wind. When you get to low rock, reel in, zip up the inside of Catela again and troll down, repeat. Saves fighting the waves going north. Just east of Black rock can be good also if the winds are bad outside Catela.
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