Kalaloch disappointment

I have been going to Kalaloch for 20 years and while I have caught plenty of surf perch, I always dream of what I could catch beyond the surf.  There is even a thread on this forum of people discussing the fishing possibilities there with all of the rocky structure visible just offshore.

I got a kayak this year and one of my main goals with it was to fish offshore at Kalaloch.  I was camping there earlier this summer and had brought my Kayak.  The surf was big but I wanted to try launching to at least practice in the surf zone.  I picked a spot where the waves were smaller and gave it a shot.  The current was ripping south and pulled me over to the biggest section of waves in about 30 seconds. I got hammered; my kayak wacked me in the head and cut my ear open.  I called it quits that weekend and vowed to try again when conditions were more favorable.

This past weekend I was out there again and the surf was great (small).  I got geared up and punched through the surf without problems.  I paddled down to the Kalaloch rocks across from the lodge to try and fish for the hordes of lings and rockfish I envisioned there.  I could see surf breaking all around the rocks so I paddled out past them and cautiously moved in from the seaward side so I could gauge when the waves started breaking.

I got to within 100 yards of the outermost rocks and dropped a line…the water was only about 10 feet deep.  I tried casting toward the rocks and jigging the lure back to me.  The bottom seemed very smooth as I never once snagged on the bottom.  Then a large enough wave rolled through to start making me concerned about getting tossed onto the rocks so I bailed from that area.  To me, it just seems too shallow and lacking in enough structure to support any sizable fish.

From there I paddled about a mile out, stopping to bounce a jig off the bottom every so often.  The deepest water I got to was about 30-40 feet and as far as I could tell the bottom was fairly flat everywhere I tried fishing.  I did not get even so much as a bite anywhere I tried.  On the plus side, it was incredibly peaceful a mile offshore drifting among the rolling waves and I had a few dolphins (I think) cruising around me checking me out.

Has anyone else tried fishing out there and had any luck?  I go there several times a year and next time I plan to launch at Ruby beach.  That beach has much more rocky structure and is closer to Destruction Island if conditions are good for paddling out there.

Navionics shows the bottom as all sand until you get north of Destruction island.

Be careful getting close to the rocks, not because of physical danger, but you can get a ticket for disturbing the stupid birds.


Sent from my GD300

Well, it was definitely worth a shot. That is a pretty remote area that doesn't get much traffic. Unexplored territory! I wonder what the salmon situation is there.

This is interesting because last year we spent two nights at the lodge there and the ocean was as flat as a lake. I saw those rocks and imagined the fishing would be great but apparently not. Also hiked from Ruby Beach to the mouth of the Hoh and had more fishy fantasies there with the big rocks near Ruby Beach.

Thanks for the info Lee. 

My family and I go camping there a few times a year and I am going to give it one more shot at Ruby Beach and out to Destruction island before I give up packing my yak all the way out there.

C-Run, that sounds like an awesome hike.

Just thought I would say, that a couple of us made it out to destruction island.
Quick pic of one of the many ling cod caught that day.

I wonder what the salmon situation is there.

There was a silver hitting my rubber grubs I dropped onto the reef which extends from the north end of the island. It hit twice and followed the grub all the way to the kayak. It was kind of funny to see. But the salmon situation might be ok right now, as seeing is believing.

It's worth noting, wherever you decide to launch carefully check for rocks IN the surf zone. I might suggest you make note of where you launch (GPS or something low tech) because upon return identifying a small area might be more difficult than you imagined when you left. Sometimes the rocks are not so easy to identify in higher tide. I'd hate to hear about someone just getting crushed on one.

Dirk: nice catch.  It is on my list to fish Destruction Island.  I hoped to do it this year but a new baby at home put a hold on that.  Hopefully next year.

I'll second Ray's comment about hidden rocks out there.  I've been going to the various beaches at Kalaloch for a long time and its always amazing how much can be hidden by high tide.

I can honestly say that I have never had as good as fishing as i have had the 3 times I have been out there. If you can make it to the bottom you get an average of 30 inch ling cod. Most drops end up with blacks 17 to 21inch. You can catch your limit of rockfish in about 5 minutes. Everytime I've gone I've had them jump out of the water at my grub.

It's lights out, once you find the schools..... I'd recommend a day when swells are less than 4ft because of the conditions that we experienced on the north reef and our surf launch. A mellower ocean should make the surf launch more manageable. We went out on a 5.5 foot swell day and the surf was kind of nasty where we launched under those conditions. During a mellow day the surf might just be a cake walk. The rock pillars on the north end of the island were producing breakers every now and then as there was a primary northwest swell and a secondary southwest swell that would sometimes coincide with each other in that area. Those breakers were not exactly predictable, more like kind of creepy and we had to watch our backs. Anyway, I'll second the experience of some black rocks jumping out the water at my grubs and healthy sized fish, including good sized lings. Good times.

That's super badass, guys. Did you see any other boats out there? Seems like its pretty far from any boat launch.

I've been camping there multiple times every year since i was a kid (past 30 years) and I don't remember ever seeing any recreational or charter fishing boats out there.

You guys are making me depressed and jealous about not getting out there to fish this year.  Can't wait for next spring!