Most of the Chinook we are catching are in the 16- to 21-lb range, with at least 70% of these being hatchery-clipped fish migrating southbound to rivers in Washington and Oregon. Nootka Sound Fishing Report Archives June 2019 Salt Waterįishing remains consistent from the lighthouse at Friendly Cove up to Maquinna Point, and across from Burdwood up to Escalante Point (please remember we are confined to stay within the one-mile surf-line boundary until July 15). Tight lines, good luck, and safe fishing. We have now had a few different hatches throughout the summer, and fish diets have changed from chasing salmon fry to multiple bug and larvae hatches, requiring a change in angling methods from hardware to flies. Both conventional gear and fly fishing gear have been doing very well in the early mornings and late evenings. Local lakes, rivers, and streams remain strong for cutthroat and rainbow trout. We are going to start searching for them at the end of this month, so stay tuned for updates of school locations on our website and Facebook page, as well as in next month’s area report. Please remember we are restricted to stay within the 1-mile surfline for salmon retention until July 15.Īll indications show that the Albacore tuna will be in our offshore waters any day. Jigging, drifting, or trolling just off the bottom with cut plug herring has been producing steady numbers and varieties of bottom fish. Halibut, lingcod, and yelloweye fishing has been very good 3 to 4 miles off Burdwood to Escalante. Try the Tomic 5-in 602 or the new CRVP #294 for spoons, and go with the 4-in Coyote Watermelon or the Live Image. However, some spoons and plugs are starting to work as well. Lots of adipose-clipped Chinook are showing up on the dock thanks to the great hatchery programs efforts in the U.S.Ī combination of flasher and straight white or glow white needlefish hoochies and/or anchovy and flasher are still producing the best for salmon.
#NOOTKA SOUND FISHING REPORT FULL#
We are encountering bellies full of squid and needlefish in both species of salmon, so we have been sticking to small baits and glow hoochies.
Coho are anywhere from 25 to 85 ft on random feeding programs. Fishing on the inside is really picking up, but the fish are shallower, in the 35- to 55-ft range in the early mornings, then dropping deeper in the mid-afternoon down to 65- to 95-ft range. Spring salmon on the outside will remain deeper (in the 55- to 85-ft range) where the water temperature is 6 degrees colder. Popular areas continue to produce, with Wash Rock, Maquinna Point, Beano Creek, and the open area of Bajo Reef continuing to be the hot spots. Bottom fishing has also been on fire, with chicken halibut in the 25- to 45-lb range seemingly everywhere outside of Maquinna Point and out on the reef. If the forecasts are correct, fishing should remain excellent throughout the rest of our season both on the inside and outside waters. July fishing remains outstanding, with limits of Chinook in the 22- to 28-lb range, and Coho in the 8- to 10-lb range hitting our docks every day. The waters of Nootka Sound (along with many other locations along the west coast) were teeming with life as multitudes of mature Pacific Herring came to spawn on various kelp, gravel, eelgrass, and rock beds, producing what will become even greater opportunity for the resident and migratory fish alike- not to mention us anglers! We’re all very excited for another fantastic year out of Nootka Sound and Esperanza, and you should be too. The herring spawn along coastal regions was said to have been the strongest since the mid-1970s. The spring of 2022 marked something even more exciting for all things living in west coast Vancouver Island aquatic ecosystems.