Brookings, where to launch?

Oh gosh, I'm just dying to get some lings in the kayak. Live in between Crescent City and Brookings & this year I picked up an Oregon license to double my fun.

Does anyone know a good place to launch in Brookings? The weather & surf looks like it may be cooperating this week. I'm a bit spoiled with the protected coves and harbor around Crescent City - usually stay dry and short walk, but dry with no legal fish = no fun. 

Welcome to NWKA Raz, "boxofrain" is from brookings he can show the ropes. Im sure he'll be jazzed to have someone from that area to fish with..

Hah!, where not to launch is easier to answer!
Most any where you can get yer Yak to the water...fish are nearby.
 I paddle out the mouth of the river and swing right and fish the nearshore reef behind the protection of Chetco Point. Take a left out of the river and drift that current to Ca., Butts hang between the rocks in the sand pockets there.
 Mill Beach, behind Fred Meyer....kinda hard to find if you are not local but you can park near the sand and walk short to water. This is where I like to hang when the Osprey return, they fish with you side by side.(awesome)
Lone Ranch, put in and head north around the bend, its all good there!
Whaleshead, just get it in the water, fish every where as this is not fished by PB's at all.
I can go on and on till I get to Gold Beach!!
You are correct in the fact that CC harbor is very protected and Brookings is a bit more out in the wind and waves.
some of these areas you do not want to be in when there is much swell as you can get pounded into the rocks pretty fast as they are in small holes within the rocks.
always take a buddy when fishing the Ocean around here or I don't go.
Welcome to NWKA RAZ!!!!

Thanks!!!!

Sure, get me going... I already feel life is too short to enjoy all the wonderful outdoor opportunities our area offers and now you present me with more. Oh well, I'll just have to blow work off this afternoon and check out some of the places you've mentioned... That is if I don't get distracted by the surf perch at the first one I check out!

I've been watching the mouth of the Chetco when ever I drive by and notice even when it is rough elsewhere there aren't any breakers there. How is the current when the tide is coming out? Are you able to paddle back in? Or is it a tides game when fishing the mouth? The incoming tide is looking too late this week unless there is no afternoon wind - but 2 ft swell, not going to get calmer than that!

this time of year you do have to watch the river level as it can rush out the narrow mouth pretty good. I have seen paddlers have to beach it in front of the Motel and hike back.
Once the river level drops, it is no prob at any tide. I crab in and out of it all summer.
The South bound current can be very swift out of the Chetco as well at any time of the year, but worse now than later.

Had to go to Coos Bay early yesterday...Gawd it was flat! Coming home in the afternoon..still no swell, but quite a wind chop developed.
 I am thinking of paddling Lake Earl/Tolowa tomorrow. Cabin Fever!!!!

Have you ever fished up around Port Orford/Cape Blanco Box? what areas?, if so.

Oh my, blowing work off this afternoon was such a good idea I'm gonna have to do it for the rest of the week. Poked around Brookings and found Chetco point. Dang, thought I was in Hawaii! Put on the waders and grabbed the ultralite surf perch rod but a fish would have to have been blind not to see the shrimp was threaded on hook & line. Some kids were on the rocks and said they catch rockfish and lings there all the time, but that is a long downhill walk with a kayak... They pointed out the place you can get to from Mill Beach Rd to me, but it looked too potholy for my little car today. Real protected from the wind though.

So I put the kayak on the roof tonight & am thinking to head north. NOAA CA forecast is 5 ft swells and light wind, OR forecast 2 ft swell and high winds. Go figure? Think if there is wind @ Whaleshead I can just go all the way to Port Orford...

But anyway will play it by ear. Boxofrain if you go to Lake Earl go to the end of Lower Lake Rd first. If the boss calls and I don't go to the ocean you will see an unhappily dry kayak atop a car at the last house on Lower Lake Rd. That's me, feel free to stop by and say hi. If you have a CA license there is supposed to be cutthroat at the narrows this time of year.

Too bad your not a little closer, you could fish with us at Sunset Tomorrow.. My buddy Ralph finally heard enough of my bloviating about the blast im having, so hes gonna go out, finally.

Coosbay,

Poor Dorford and Cape Blanco....fish em early! Those places are where the wind only dies down, never stops!
it is  said "if the wind stops in Poor Dorford....folks fall over.
If you stop at the bridge on the South end of Poor Dorford, you can get to the beach via long walk 1/4 mile or so. I have seen whales within 50 yards of the beach and is a known rest over for mom's and calves when on Northern migration. check that out next season. POWERFULL BIG!
 when it's windy I stay behind Chetco point and other LARGE seastacks for the protection.

  RAZ, I grew up in yer area! Redwood school and all.
we used to catch a lot of those cutty's back in the '60's and '70's, many were over 30" back then.
 I lived off of Parkway (now, 101 then) a few blocks from Jordan Creek which crosses Lake Earl Drive just South of the Drive-in.
 We smoked all of them as they taste like .....like Lake Earl!!!!
 I know that house and have seen yer boat before!!!
 As a home inspector, I travel and work that area as well. I will stop by next time if I can.
 Larry

Yeah Coosbay, with gas over $3.50 a gallon that's a bit too far. I forlornly paddled w/o a fishing pole in California today. Beautiful flat calm water. All the ling cod were rising to the surface and sticking their tongues out at me. : (. They opened ling cod from shore here for April. Now there is a good way to hurt yourself, clambering over slippery rocks while the tide comes in.  Sounds like you are having a blast though. Ever fish the shad run on the Umpqua? I hear that heats up in May.

Larry, if you know that house you know why I haven't had any time to fish in the past few years. Curious, were you the one who performed an inspection on it 4 or 5 years ago? Then you definitely know why I hadn't had time to fish!
-Ron

: (. They opened ling cod from shore here for April. Now there is a good way to hurt yourself, clambering over slippery rocks while the tide comes in.  Sounds like you are having a blast though.



Ever fish the shad run on the Umpqua? I hear that heats up in May.

I used to fish off the rocks alot i can relate, fell on my butt more then once, been about washed off the rocks and stepped into some deep holes..

Actually caught one shad ever. It was the first fish i caught in Oregon.At a dock at Sterdivant park on the Coquille river. There fun to catch Cat food, they swim real fast.