Pacific City Report

A buddy and I went rock fishing at Pacific City on this past Sunday (4/13). Here's the report.

We met in the Pelican parking lot about 9:30. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, calm, but at first glance at the ocean we couldn't help but notice the surf. We knew that conditions were not going to be ideal (4-6 ft surf, 4 star surfing forecast  ) but felt that it would be doable. We both got dumped once on the way out. I was fairly close to shore and just lost my balance on a low roller. No biggie. My buddy was a little further out and closer to the rocks. He got stuck between his yak and the rocks but managed to extricate himself with no harm done. Still, was not a good situation and lesson learned. Even if it looks like surf is smaller near the rocks, stay away, the risk is too great. Anyway we both regrouped and managed to find our way past the surf without further incident.

We paddled out to our usual spot, using the rock and the buoy for reference. Upon dipping out lures we had action immediately. My buddy had a Ling and I had a Black Rock almost immediately. It quickly became apparent though that there was a strong southerly current, which meant we could fish for about 5 minutes before we had to paddle for about 10. But it was worth it as long as the fish were biting. At one point we drifted a little too far out and made a few fruitless passes before moving back in toward shore where the action was.

An offshore wind picked up around 1 PM and that was our cue to call it a day. The paddle back to the beach gives you plenty of time to observe the surf conditions and think about your inevitable demise. By this time the parking lot was full, the usual car full of teenagers was stuck in the sand, and beach was crowded, as was the water, full of surfers. We tentatively approached the rear of the breakers, my buddy about 30 feet in front of me. That was when a set came in. I turned sideways to watch the massive swells come in, just as a huge one rolled in under my yak. My partner was not so lucky as I watched him disappear in front of the wave and he did not bob over the top. He later described it as similar to an endo on a mt. bike. Right over the handlebars. He popped up on the backside of the wave, his yak about 20 ft. away, his paddle leash snapped. The current was moving him away from the beach and south. It was every man for himself and I let a few more giant waves pass beneath me, sensed a lull, and paddled like heck. Unbelievably I made it in with only small waves breaking behind me and did not exit my boat until the time of my choosing. I had been keeping an eye on my friend and had lost sight of him for awhile. As I learned later, it took him a few a attempts to climb back onto his yak. That's when I saw back out behind the breakers heading in for another attempt. After dancing over a few big waves he made it in far enough so that when he tipped he was able to drag himself to shore. Needless to say I got the better end of that ordeal.

Lessons learned: Stay away from the rocks, 4-6 ft. surf is not to be trifled with, get a better paddle leash. We didn't lose any gear accept for a pair of sunglasses, so that's an improvement.

The bounty for all our troubles: 2 23 inch lings, 4 black rocks. Sorry no pictures.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, I'm really glad to hear you two made it through the surf without a serious incident.  There is a lot to learn from your report and I hope other members of the site can notice that.  Most importantly that 'every man for himself' is a terrible policy to go by when kayak fishing on the ocean, especially in the surf.

I should clarify that when I say "every man for himself" what I mean is that there was no way I could help him. Unfortunately that was the reality of the situation. But your comment does make me pause to consider if I could have helped in any way. If you have thoughts on that I'd like to hear them. If I had a throw rope perhaps...

I should clarify that when I say "every man for himself" what I mean is that there was no way I could help him. Unfortunately that was the reality of the situation. But your comment does make me pause to consider if I could have helped in any way. If you have thoughts on that I'd like to hear them. If I had a throw rope perhaps...

Yeah a throw bag is also VERY good to have. In that situation you can try and keep an eye on your buddy, land, get the bag out and wade out to knee deep level to see if you can help. Having your radio at the ready is also good. A friendly surfer or dory boat may also be a rescue option if he can't get out of the surf.

I should clarify that when I say "every man for himself" what I mean is that there was no way I could help him. Unfortunately that was the reality of the situation. But your comment does make me pause to consider if I could have helped in any way. If you have thoughts on that I'd like to hear them. If I had a throw rope perhaps...

You are correct to a certain degree.  When you are dealing with the outside monsters of a set you really do need to focus on that and only that.  You are of no use to your friend if you get pummeled by a closeout too. However, if one should notice that their fishing partner has been taken out by a large wave and may still be in that area, one should decide if that is the best time to gun it an try to make it to the beach.  There are no definite steps that should be taken because every surf zone and every situation is different.  One thought that comes to mind would be flipping around once you are inside of the big closeouts on the outside edge of the surf zone, pointing your kayak to the ocean and working your way over to your friend while popping over the small spillers.  Once you are close enough, you could deploy a throw bag and pull him in while paddling backwards toward the beach.  Or you may find that he's fine and doesn't need any help.  I would suggest you and your friend pick smaller days to hit the ocean on.  After spending a summer of only going out through smaller stuff, you will naturally become more comfortable in the surf and have a better idea of how to manage situations in the surf zone when they arise.  The ocean is unforgiving and demands respect.  One way to show that respect is to start small, learn as much as you can about how the ocean works in a manageable way, then work your way up. 

Noah - Thanks for your advice. I did wade out and help him out of the surf, once he was close enough for me to get to him. A throw bag wasn't needed in this situation but would have been nice to have just in case. We didn't have radios with us so I'm going to look into the cost of purchasing one. If he had become too exhausted to climb back into his kayak he could have signaled a surfer for assistance. This was a wake-up call for us. We have been dumped in moderate surf before with out any problem recovering, but never as far out and by waves as big as we experienced Sunday.

Rawkfish - Your comments have made me realize that I could have held up outside the breakers and helped my friend back into his boat if he needed it. Every over time we have dumped, the surf has carried us in and I assumed he'd be pushed towards shore rather than away.  I was also freaked the same thing was going to happen to me. He fortunately had the strength to get back into his boat without needing assistance. We definitely found our edge as far as surf is concerned.

Noah - Thanks for your advice. I did wade out and help him out of the surf, once he was close enough for me to get to him. A throw bag wasn't needed in this situation but would have been nice to have just in case. We didn't have radios with us so I'm going to look into the cost of purchasing one. If he had become too exhausted to climb back into his kayak he could have signaled a surfer for assistance. This was a wake-up call for us. We have been dumped in moderate surf before with out any problem recovering, but never as far out and by waves as big as we experienced Sunday.

No problem, thanks for being open to listening. A standard horizon 280 or 290s can be had for about a hundred bucks. Great insurance, and in my opinion a requirement for the salt. Hope you get out there again soon!

Every over time we have dumped, the surf has carried us in and I assumed he'd be pushed towards shore rather than away.

One thing to be mindful of are what's called littoral, or longshore currents.  This is caused my swells hitting the shoreline at an angle instead of straight at the beach as we normally think of waves washing up on shore.  They usually aren't very strong at PC, but I have certainly noticed them on that beach before.  The main point is that instead of drifting into the beach, you could either be pushed south, and in a worst case scenario into a rip that could carry you right back out past the breakers, or north, which could be about as bad because you could get washed right into the rocks along the cape.  So don't always trust that what ends up adrift in the surf will naturally head straight to the beach.

Again, thanks for sharing your experiences. These discussions are good for people to see.  A radio and a throw bag are purchases that should definitely be in your near future if you plan on doing more fishing at PC. 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Sound like you were both fortunate.

I am curious for those who use Hobies when you are landing in the surf what do you do with your Mirage drive? I played around in the surf on the Long Beach peninsula with my Hobie and tried both pulling and strapping it in the rear of the kayak before coming in and I also tried pinning the fins against the bottom. I liked keeping it locked in and using the drive to power in but I could see easily destroying the drive if it caught a rock or something.

I am curious for those who use Hobies when you are landing in the surf what do you do with your Mirage drive? I played around in the surf on the Long Beach peninsula with my Hobie and tried both pulling and strapping it in the rear of the kayak before coming in and I also tried pinning the fins against the bottom. I liked keeping it locked in and using the drive to power in but I could see easily destroying the drive if it caught a rock or something.

I wish I could give you a short and easy answer to this.  It seems like the more time I spend in the surf, the longer my explanation to this type of question is.  If you're not used to the area in which you're launching/landing through the surf, pull it, secure it so you don't lose it, and paddle in.  However, if you're familiar with the area and know there aren't any hazards to smash your drive on you can make your surf landings pretty easy by utilizing your mirage drive, but if you want to avoid damaging your drive it isn't as easy as just pedaling to the beach as fast as you can.  I have been meaning to make a video on this, I just haven't taken the time to do it. 

  Here is one of our own "Jammer" making an outstanding surf launch and landing.


   It doesn't get much better than this. Except for almost loosing his paddle. Just kidding Micheal.

  I wish all my landings were as smooth... unfortunately they are not.

  Damhik--- link didn't work. Look up Jammers Pacific City Salmon fishing video on you tube. A good day for him and Steve.
  2nd edit-- should be linked to the right video ... this time.

Launching and landing in big surf definitely takes practice. Personally I enjoy the challenge. If you get to your launch and you think it is too big to go fishing it might be a good day to practice in the surf. Strip everything from your boat and some recommend a helmet.
It is the best way to get more comfortable in bigger water.
Have fun and be safe.

I am curious for those who use Hobies when you are landing in the surf what do you do with your Mirage drive? I played around in the surf on the Long Beach peninsula with my Hobie and tried both pulling and strapping it in the rear of the kayak before coming in and I also tried pinning the fins against the bottom. I liked keeping it locked in and using the drive to power in but I could see easily destroying the drive if it caught a rock or something.

I wish I could give you a short and easy answer to this.  It seems like the more time I spend in the surf, the longer my explanation to this type of question is.  If you're not used to the area in which you're launching/landing through the surf, pull it, secure it so you don't lose it, and paddle in.  However, if you're familiar with the area and know there aren't any hazards to smash your drive on you can make your surf landings pretty easy by utilizing your mirage drive, but if you want to avoid damaging your drive it isn't as easy as just pedaling to the beach as fast as you can.  I have been meaning to make a video on this, I just haven't taken the time to do it.

I surf land with my mirage drive in every time. I find that I can peddle as fast as 10 sec waves, and on most surf ride in.
In my humble opinion, it works better. you can almost lay flat with the boat lowering your center of gravity. Pick the wave, peddle like hell, lay flat, and use the rudder to keep you straight.

As far as what fungunnin said, if you are going to surf launch, practicing on a nice day over and over again.
The only time landing like this doesnt work is when the waves are over 10ft and your mirage drive slaps the bottom of your yak due to being out of the water, due to the angle.

That all being said, the safest way to come in is to turn you boat backwards and let the waves push you in while using the paddle to keep your nose into the wave.

I'm just wishing it would lay down a little for us to get out.