#Nootka island fishing plus#

With their aggressive attacks and great fights, they are a lot of fun to catch. We are fortunate to have an abundance of ling cod over the 65cm minimum size limit. If you’re not having any luck in a location with good structure, try changing your depth – generally going deeper. You’ll find ling cod hiding amongst underwater rock structures and ledges, waiting to ambush your bait or lure. Despite their appearance, this fish has a very delicate meat with a sweet flavour. One of the most highly prized bottom fish is the ling cod. Bait such as herring, octopus, and squid work very well. They are usually found near bottom structure and are caught on jigs or while trolling. Pacific rockfish are abundant in Nootka and Esperanza Inlets. Slow-trolling does the same, but also allows the angler to cover more ground. This brings the bait past the waiting fish, but the must be attentive to avoid hang-ups and lost gear, as well as maintain a vertical line. Halibut are huge fighters and bringing one in is an experience you’ll never forget.Īnother halibut fishing technique is drifting. Once you get a hit, things get very exciting, very fast. Once the bait is in the water, it is a matter of waiting the halibut out. This technique involves using a special ring-and-float anchoring system. Our guides usually anchor and bounce bait on the bottom, which creates a scent trail and is extremely effective.

#Nootka island fishing plus#

The nutrient-rich waters of Nootka Sound and attract small baitfish, which in turn attract hundreds of thousands of salmon each year: the enormous southbound salmon runs plus the tens of thousands of homebound salmon returning to our local rivers. The three most widely used halibut fishing techniques are anchoring, drifting, and slow-trolling. Saltwater salmon fishing Vancouver Island’s Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlet is famous for good reason. The fish frequent depths as shallow as 110 feet and down to as deep as 300 feet of water, although they are sometimes found in even shallower water. Anglers often target areas such as Estevan Point, Bajo Reef, Maquinna Point and many other of the numerous underwater structures, ridgelines, drop-offs, and reefs in the area. These baitfish-filled offshore banks offer fantastic halibut fishing grounds all season long. Most of our halibut are caught in the open ocean outside of Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlets. Our region of Vancouver Island offers a long halibut fishing season from March until October.