A Few Lakes To Check Out For Great Freshwater Fishing Opportunities Some of the lower sections can be accessed via hwy 28 with some pullouts in place for you to park. Cutthroat can be caught up to 5 lbs in this badly aggraded watershed.īecause of the gravel deposits it is a fairly easy river to walk to find the best holes to cast in a fly. This is a catch and release fishery also. Char (Dolly Vardon) are catch and release for all freshwater unless specified in individual watershed regulations.Ī popular river for fly fishing only is the Elk River which runs into Upper Campbell Lake. All trout fishing in rivers and streams for wild trout is catch and release. All trout fishing is restricted to single barbless hooks and a bait ban in all rivers and streams. Trout fishing in the rivers and lakes of Nootka Sound is also very popular for species like Cutthroat, Dolly Vardon and Rainbow. These two rivers have a good escapement of Chum Salmon in the fall so check the regulations for openings. There is a small run of Steelhead in the Canton and Sucwoa Rivers and both rivers are also aggraded from upper watershed logging in the past. All these systems can be accessed via the Head Bay Forestry Road that leads to Tahsis. Other systems in the Nootka Sound area for fishing Steelhead are the Canton River, Leiner River, Sucwoa River and Tahsis River. There are lots of species of salmon returning every fall to this river thanks to the hatchery so check regs for openings. All the gravel is from the upper portion of the watershed. The river banks themselves are treed with second growth and some old growth timber all the way to the mouth. There are large gravel areas throughout the system thanks to past logging and heavy rainfall in the fall and spring. Most of the Steelhead fishing is done below the canyon to the mouth. The Conuma River is short river compared to the Gold River. This is done to preserve the unique and most renown wild Steelhead system on Vancouver Island. The river is a catch and release system that only allows single barbless hooks to be used on your gear. No power boats are allowed on the Gold River but belly boats, drift boats and pontoon boats can be seen regularly making their way down through the fast water looking for various deep pools that occur frequently. Fly Fishing For Steelhead on The Gold River

The province swims it to do a survey of the escapement a few times during the winter season. Wild Steelhead between 10-20 pounds are common in the Gold River depending on the year and returns to the system. Both of these rivers have an excellent return of Steelhead every year with larger sized fish being present in the Gold River. Two of the more popular river systems to fish for Steelhead are the Gold and Conuma Rivers. All the local rivers provide excellent Steelhead fishing opportunities for those who will dress warm enough and don their waders or jump into the belly boat. It starts in the winter months of December through March when the brave will venture out here in search of the mighty Steelhead. This article will focus on the freshwater adventures available in Nootka Sound specifically in the general area of Gold River and Strathcona Park. Every year thousands of anglers converge on Nootka Sound to try their luck and skills to land or catch and release a trophy fish. Anyone who knows fishing, knows that Nootka Sound is a fishing mecca both for freshwater and saltwater species.

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