Open For Business

Regarding the DFO regulations announcement on April 16, 2019:

Area 25/26 will continue to provide exciting fishing for Chinook, Coho, Halibut and Lingcod throughout the 2019 season. 

***UPDATE: Please click here for an update on offshore waypoint limits, with links to important DFO regulations.

With all the work that has been done, in part by our local hatcheries and the Nootka Sound Watershed Society, we will again be experiencing excellent returns for this coming season. West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) has been showing some positive trends for 2019. While we continue to see improvements on Wild Salmon returns in the Northwestern regions of Vancouver Island, hatchery stocks that migrate past our doorstep at our resorts in Nootka Sound and Esperanza remain very strong. Over 195,000 Canadian Hatchery Chinook Salmon are anticipated to return to the WCVI area this summer. In Nootka Sound and Esperanza, we are anticipating exceptional salmon fishing for this season. With the Northern Troll Fishery closed until August 1, there will be an abundance of migrating salmon traditionally intercepted by this fishery. The department of Fisheries and Oceans have taken special measures for the early season to allow as many of the early migrating Fraser River Chinook to pass through Canadian Coastal waters as possible, opening retention of 2 Chinook per day, July 15 to December 31. This change should provide the necessary support for sustainability of this salmon species.

Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlet

Inshore Fishery: Area 25-26 Excellent fishing is forecast again for this season with all of the hot spots in this inshore fishery: Beano, Bajo Reef [July 15], Burdwood Pt. Wash Rocks, Maquinna, Escalante, Ferrer, White Rock, Catella, etc. Retention remains status quo at 2 Chinook/day, 4 in possession. Please refer to updated DFO regulations for all location, size and species.

Offshore Fishery: Area 125-126 Coho, Halibut and Lingcod will be our main focus for the early part of the season, until Chinook retention becomes status quo with 2/day on July 15th. Our excellent offshore fishery will continue to deliver exciting experiences for our guests which will continue through the day with a Chinook inshore fishery.

The overall 2019 limits of Chinook Salmon in Nootka Sound and Esperanza remain unchanged from 2018: 2 per day/4 in possession, with the only change being the location of where there is Chinook retention.