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Nootka Sound Report - Fishing Report

Fishing Report August 26, 2009

Inside Fishing: Guests who have put in the time here are being rewarded with catches of Chinook and Coho. Fishing has slowed down somewhat in the past two weeks however we are starting to see the fish surfacing as in previous years.  MOUTCHA BAY is beginning to produce, as fish are moving in for spawning.

Offshore Fishing: The offshore flood tide drift along BAJO REEF has yielded some nice Chinook; most of these fish are being found between 25-50 feet. Chinook have been found near Catala Island this week. Offshore (salmon highway) has been one of the best spots for Coho. There is a ton of herring massed offshore from Nootka Island right now, so the salmon have lots of reasons to stick around and feed.  Bottom fishing has been fantastic the past few days. As a result of fair weather, fishermen have had an easy run to the fishing grounds. Many Halibut caught have been in the 30 pound range, and some in the 100’s.  There have also been good numbers of Lingcod and Rockfish.

Great News! There has been a recent Halibut rule change: the new limits are 2 per day, 2 in possession.

Best Times to Fish: *First light
* An hour before to an hour after tide changes
* Evenings from dusk to dark

Catch of the week: Largest salmon this week was 56 pounds, caught within the last few minutes of the day. Largest released salmon was a 42lb. Chinook, caught at Bajo Reef.

Nature Lovers : Numerous Humpback and Killer whales have been spotted around the Island recently, occasionally swimming close to our fishermen. The large schools of pilchards along the Nootka Island shoreline have been keeping the Bald Eagles well fed, with dozens of birds swooping down to snatch these fish with their talons.

Special Events coming up:

August 28-30

Moutcha Bay Kayak Tyee Fishing Derby

September 11-13              

Gold River Fishing Lodge’s Ultimate Adventure Weekend for the Mentally Challenged

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2009 Fishing Outlook

The 2009 outlook for sport fishing on Nootka Sound looks very promising.

Modest fishing results in 2008 were directly related to the devastating escapement rate in 2004 which was the second worst recorded since comprehensive surveys began in 1940. Four year old fish, which usually provide a majority of the fish we are targeting, were almost non-existent in 2008 are forecast to return in much higher spawning numbers in 2009.

In 2009, the 4 year old contingent of the spawning run to the Conuma River is expected to be 55% of the total return. In 2005, the Conuma River Fish Hatchery released 2,274,489 Chinook (Kings) with fair to good ocean survival rates unlike 2004.

With 4 year olds returning in much bigger numbers it should prove to be an exciting year for Chinook (King) fishing. If last year’s much improved Coho (Silver) fishing was any indication, salmon fishing should produce the limit catches we have learned to expect. As an added bonus, it’s a pink salmon year, so anticipate the return of the “humpies”.

Two additional factors improving the 2009 sport fishing environment are; the Alaska commercial quota has been reduced by 15%; and the commercial quota on the west coast of Vancouver Island has been reduced by 30%. To date, there have been no substantial DFO regulation changes regarding sports fishing for 2009 season.

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Unguided Sportfishing Packages
OR
Guided Sportfishing Package

Corporate Groups and Families
always welcome!

World Class Salmon Fishing and Halibut Fishing
in the Gold River area of Nootka Sound,
Vancouver Island, British Columbia