June Fishing Update 2

Derby, derby, derby!

June is one of our most favourite months, with two salmon derbies, lots of big fish hitting the docks, and amazing staff year after year. This past month has been no exception!  

Our annual staff derby took place on June 16, with the majority of our Moutcha Bay Resort staff headed out for a bit of friendly competition. For some of our team members, this was their first time on the water – an exciting time and a good way to welcome and get to know the newer staff.   

Each staff team consisted of 2-3 team members and 1 pro guide. Our big winner was guide Kurtis’s team with our housekeeper Camille reeling in an 18lb Chinook. Our dockhand Jordan experienced the thrill of reeling in his first-ever halibut (16lbs) during our staff derby. He also battled a double-header alongside our Marine Operations Manager, Steve, while the boat cheered them on. It was a wonderful day had by all and the staff are eager to get out on the water again as soon as possible! With fishing heating up in Nootka Sound we are all looking forward to the weeks to come.  

Fishing has been excellent with anglers heading out at 5am and returning with limits by 9am. Anglers have been trying out a variety of lures with success an hour before and after slack, particularly in the early morning hours. Bottom fishing has also been excellent, and we saw a 50lb halibut hit the docks this past Sunday.  

Local Chinook Salmon have only just begun to trickle in and with the predicted return being over 30 thousand Chinook, July and August are sure to be banner months for healthy, local chrome-brite sizeable salmon. Baitfish continue to be thick at all local fishing locations with a variety of squid, needlefish and juvenile Herring making up the bulk of the feed. This variety of baitfish allows for multiple lure and fishing styles to be highly effective rather than when only one type of baitfish is prevalent, allowing anglers to fish with confidence with any setup on their lines. 

Our annual Salmon Enhancement Derby was an incredible time with lots of big fish being caught. It was so nice to see the families with kids coming out to fish this derby. We had a ton of prizes up for grabs, but our first-place winner was Tommy Adamson with his team, the “Firetrouts” of the North Vancouver Fire Department (pictured here). Tommy reeled in a 28lb Chinook and won a whopping $2,300! We’re so grateful to everyone who came out for this derby and helped raise money for invaluable salmon enhancement projects local to Nootka Sound. 

The recent heat wave has slowed things down a bit – fish and anglers alike. We’re all looking forward to some more moderate temperatures returning soon.