Nootka Sound Chinook

C

C-Dawg

New member
Just finished cleaning up from my annual Nootka Sound trip. Fishing was tougher this year; didn't get our possession limit until the last day. We rounded things out with a few rockfish to eat with chips. Because of the high winds offshore, we only got out one day for halibut and lings, but didn't find any. We did see a huge shark while out there, though.

:shock:

Our fish went from 14-23 pounds. Lost one that we didn't even get to see; broke a 25# leader. I'd like to say is was a big 40-pounder, but more than likely there was a nick in the leader. :? We had a few other heartbreaks, losing fish just seconds away from the net. Those are tough to take, especially when the fishing was so tough.

Can't wait for next year.... planning has already begun. :)

Here's a little fish porn:
C_Dawg.jpg
C-Dawg ready to do salmon battle from Critter Cove, Nootka Sound, BC.

Scar_fish.jpg
A high-'teener with scars from getting wrapped in fishing line.

Traci_s_23.jpg
Fishing partner Traci with a 23# Spring.

Bear.jpg
Hard to see, but in the center is a bear sow with two cubs. This was near Camel Rock, in Nootka Sound.

Trolling_at_Hoiss.jpg
Trolling Hoiss Point before sunrise. Salmon fishing in this rugged beauty is amazing.
 
Way to go Rick and Tracy! Dwight, Caryn and I are thinking about doing Nootka/Critter Cove next year. We'll make it a mini C-Brat gathering!

Peter
 
I'm thinking of heading towards Nootka tomorrow. C-Dawg, where did you launch and store the trailer? I've seen parking rates that vary from $5 to $12 a day with "secure" being relative. Launch fees from $0 to $10, but I'm more concerned about secure parking.

Mark
 
I launched at Gold River. The prices for launching and parking have gone up this year. I launched on Saturday and retrieved on the following Friday. It cost me $65 to launch and park along the road; it would have been $95 inside the fenced area. The attendant said they (First Nation) actually patrol both parking areas. Since the First Nation folks only work with cash and don't recognize a conversion factor between CAD and USD, take CAD cash.
 
I am going to Nootka or Barkley Sound around 8-13. Has anyone fished it this late? I am thinking the further down the island the better.
 
I think the Chinook are running late this year, so I believe there will still be a lot of fish up and down the island next week. Plus there should be some coho in the area. I heard reports of 10-12 pound coho being caught outside Nootka already.

You can check reports for Nootka or Barkely here.
 
Great info on the forums.
Hopefully, the fish are late.
Hopefully if they are not, this year is just a blip on the salmon radar.
Hopefully we have a better year next year with pinks coming to Puget Sound, hopefully coho retention and more chinook.

I hope and pray to the fish gods :D
 
Salmon Fisher":3i6c44ds said:
Great info on the forums.
Hopefully, the fish are late.
Hopefully if they are not, this year is just a blip on the salmon radar.
Hopefully we have a better year next year with pinks coming to Puget Sound, hopefully coho retention and more chinook.

I hope and pray to the fish gods :D
Click to expand...

Ditto buddy! Spoken like a true fisherman. :thup
 
A little more fish porn. The white salmon was pretty interesting. That's a vacuum sealed portion of the others we caught sitting next to it. We were told that they are truly wild fish from some river near Gold River, but I can't find anything to corroborate that story, so I ain't buying it. I found some reference to white salmon from the Fraser, but this was caught way up inside by Camel Rock. Supposedly the meat is fattier and oilier, so I'm hoping it's more like a Columbia Spring Chinook than a Chum. :?

White_Spring.sized.jpg

This is a super bright 20 pounder; just an absolutely gorgeous fish. Of the 8 Chinook we brought home, 6 of them were hens. We take egg-cure with us, so we've got quite a bit of cured eggs for river fishing, now.

Bright_20.jpg
 
I've caught white king on three different trips to AK. The first two times, we looked through the fish when we got home and no white kings. I've heard that some of the fish processing sites don't keep real good track of which fish are actually brought in by which party, but this was a little odd. I've also had nice big halibut cheeks go missing. Funny thing is, fancy restaurants in Seattle always have halibut cheeks and white salmon on the menu. I'm guessing that could be where mine were ending up.

Last trip when the guide asked us if we wanted to take fish for dinner (we always stay where we can do our own cooking), I said I wanted the white king. Six of use ate a king. Yes, it was a little oilier and a little milder. Not super better, but very, very good. That would have cost us $600 to eat that fish at the Canlis restaurant.

I just got back from Nootka and the recreational fishermen were all saying that it was slow. I only fish for dinner, and if I don't catch a salmon in a few minutes, I switch to rock fish. So for me, the fishing was fine.

I first drove down to check out the Gold River launch and it was a zoo. Since I wasn't in a desperate need to launch, I proceeded on to Moucha Bay. I was going to go to Tahsis, but after an hour on that road anybody would be ready to stop.

Moutcha Bay has one of those ramps that makes you think "how hard can designing a ramp be?" It has an awkward approach and the ramp isn't steep enough. Everybody that I saw launch had difficulties. Burbling exhausts and submerged electrical connectors. And no dock along side the ramp. Lauching solo, I had to motor down the beach to the fuel dock and then run back and pull my trailer out. To top it off, parking was more expensive than Gold River. But it was laid back. And there's a restaurant. And cold beer.

No pictures of the Moutcha Bay ramp, but lots of other pictures in my Travels folder under Nootka Sound. No fish porn.

Mark
 
Back
Top