I know someone who is in the process of buying a house in the town of Tahsis BC on Vancouver Island. Just wondering if anyone has fished any of the rivers(other than the Gold)in this area for either salmon or steelhead? Also, any info on Nootka sound fishing would be appreciated as well. Thanks very much!

I don't think there is any worthwhile fishing in that area.

Sorry, that was a lame attempt at a joke.

There is a ton of fishing in and around Nootka Sound. I am not so sure about the rivers, but I can only speculate that all the salmon that come into the Sound have to go somewhere ...

http://www.nootkasoundfishing.com/
http://www.riptidestriker.com/KingJigger/nootka.htm
http://www.nootkasoundfish.com/

Etc., etc., etc. ad nauseum.

Just do an Internet search on "nootka sound fishing"

most of the smaller streams in the area have steelhead but just small returns. If you hit the water right, it can be good fishing, just pretty spotty. On another note, our fish & wildlife branch here (WALP) swam the gold to do a steelhead count recently and found a grand total of 30 fish from the town to tidewater. Their worst swim count ever.

If you fish the salt in Nootka find the biggest herring you can for mooching or troll a very small brown and black spotted sandlance hootchie. Silvers and kings end of July until Seafair weekend in Aug is when I used to go.

Don't know much about the river fishing except that there is a river that flows into the Tahsis Inlet right in town. During the summer when I've been there Tahsis Inlet has been closed to fishing so its a 20-30 minute run from the town to open fishing waters. Overall....seems like a nice place to kick back and I suspect house prices are inexpensive. You should be able to find lots of info on the web.

The news I picked up at the sportsman show from a couple of lodge owners is that they are expecting another banner year. Apparently last years fish were 3-4 year olds and this years stock will be 4-5 year olds. I don't know how they know this but I'll let you know July 23 when I get back.
I did very well last year with sardines on a 6' leader behind a flasher trolled very fast.
Look for the Canadian boats and match there speed, if you don't get out of there way!
That was advice I received hope it helps.

Pillarking,

Thanks for the info. Any particular area that was producing over the others and and how were the boating conditions. Would I be safe in an 18ft flatbottom alumaweld? Thanks.

PK:

I would love to hear how you fare this year, and what works. I'll be up there a week after you.

If you are going to be out on the salt at all bring your shrimp gear. They are thick up there!

Lunatic,
Last year the fish were thick.....everywhere. If you are concerned about open water conditions you can always run down Tahsis Inlet to the main part of Nootka Sound. In the mornings its calm, but will get windy/waves in the afternoon. I fish the inside in my 16 foot boat with no problems, but am reluctant to venture very far outside (open ocean) although I have done it.

I've found most people to be extremely helpful and friendly so you should be able to get good information about areas while you are there. If you fish inside Nootka the fish are no longer feeding, but will still hit an anchovie in a hood.....or my prefered setup (1/2 hour or so after sunup): white or green glow hootchy approx 42" behind a hotspot flasher.

Little fish,

Thanks for the info. Any specifics on where and when you were there and what you were catching? What was you best day numbers wise? Just curious what to expect. Thanks again.

Thanks for the question and the info. I am headed to Nootka sound this year instead of Alaska in my new boat.

Hi All

I fished Nootka last year in Mid-Late July. had a great time. Saw lots of Whales, Bald Eagles etc. Caught lots of Coho, a few Sockeye and we boated 1 King and lost a couple of others.
The bad thing is we missed the Kings showing up in #'s by a day. We left on Wednesday and my brother (he lives on Quadra) called me on Thursday and said the Kings had shown Thursday morning. That weekend the Critter Cove Web-site said" fishing is great, lots of them". By the next weekend, it had "Fishisng is Fantastic, best in years and FISH are everywhere". Hopefully this year our timing will be better.

If anybody is looking for a great Guide out of Nootka let me know. My brother has a friend that has guided up there for years. They have a cabin that sits on the water in a secluded cove and his wife is a FANTASTIC cook and they are all around great people.

When you leave Tahsis head out Esperanza Inlet until you get to open ocean. Right as you come out of the inlet there are a series of rock piles to look for. Look for Catala (sp) Island to the North and directly to the South there should be a group of boats running around a large rock. This is 'The Pinnacles'. It's a series of rock spires that come from a 60' bottom to about 20' from the surfaces. learn to fish your downriggers at about 20' to 40' deep around the pinnacles. In August you can usually limit the boat within about 2-3 hours there, starting early in the morning about 6:00 AT the pinnacles. Anchovies were my choice of bait, not herring. From there you'll be able to troll South to the point West of Nuchatlitz Inlet. You'll see the routine at the point too. Fish the rock wall CLOSE to pick-up the Chinook that hang and feed on the wall. This can be a fairly dicy affair in 8 foot swells but you can pick big fish up quickly when they're in.

I was there the last week of July...it sounds like right about when the big wave of fish hit. Last year I fished inside at/near San Carlos Point, Hoiss Point, the Wall/Camel Rock (across from Critter Cove) and along the shoreline East and West of Critter Cove. There wasn't really a good reason to head to the open water since fishing was good inside. Most of what we caught were kings ranging in size from 14-34 lbs although I have caught pinks in the past. Day to day fishing varied. Some days we caught 1 or 2 fish, other days you could catch and release half a dozen or more fish.

I fished the same areas littlefish just mentioned. The larger fish that came in were mostly caught out at the light house, they were only a few pounds heavier. Plus staying inside was a lot less crowded. A 17' would be fine but you may have to move around and find a sheltered bay if the wind kicks up. If you put in at Gold river you may have to adjust to the weather. Last year we had great weather but the wind nailed us on our way back.
My favorite spot for the morning bite was just west of critter and then Hois point for the nooner. Catching kings like silvers at sekiu in september.
I did hear about the shrimping in nootka and as a result I bought a pot puller at the sportsman show.
At critter cove they will post daily catches and weights on there web site. Check it out!
And by the way... If you are headed to the island you should reserve your ferry trip now!!!! Go to BC Ferrys and book it. My preferred boat in July was already booked full.
Hope this helps.

whoops! I need to correct my first post on this topic.
I used anchovies not sardines behind a flasher and 6' leader.
My bad.

I could be mistaken but fishing the end of Esperanza Inlet at the Pinnicles is closer to Tahsis than going down to Critter Cove and the Lighthouse area isn't it? My .02 cents.

Titanium....I believe you are correct. I was staying at place called Tuta Marina so stuck close by.