acceptable conditions to fish

How ya'll are!?
 I have added the NOAA site to my fav.s list and look at it every morning.
However I'm not sure how to cipher it all out!
Can anyone with some maritime knowledge help me out?
The info posted is for wind waves and swell, IE.. N. wind 25 knot...wind waves 6 ft...NW swell 4 ft.
My question is, do I add the two wave figures together to get an idea how rough it is out there? That would mean in this case 10 ft. waves!! I don't think that sounds right.
What are the limits that you will paddle out and into?
Thanks

What's doable is going to depend- especially your own comfort zone.

In your example, when wind and swell harmonize, you will get up to 10' waves.

The 25kt wind would probably be my biggest concern- that'll make it tough and cause you to drift at a rapid pace (assuming you're in a fully exposed site). Paddling back up wind would be a serious chore, if it's even possible. I'd probably be looking to fish some where inland, or in an estuary.

Wind waves are locally created and have a short distance between peaks (short "period"). They are steeper and tend to be more of a problem than swell, depending on local conditions. 6' wind waves sound pretty nasty. Up here, on the Sound or the Straits of Juan de Fuca, I'll usually bail when it gets ~15kt with 3-4' wind waves. I'll at least look for a nearshore spot that will get me near my launch, and out of the worst wind. (I  also fish out of an open rowboat, with a lot of exposed hull for windage. A drift chute makes a big difference in slowing down my drift.)

Swell are waves created far away; they tend to have a long period (long distance between wave peaks). Out in deep water, 4' swell will have minimal effect. It's when it approaches shore that swell will have it's greatest effect, and then it will be greatly influenced by the nearshore environment and beach structure. In a cove, or bay, it might have minimal effect, while on a steep beach with reefs it might make for a nasty shore break. Swells from different directions will have differing effects on different beaches.

In the long run, it's going to be your own experience that will tell you what's doable. Keeping a journal, or even simple little notes, may help make sense out of it, quicker.

Good Luck!

Depends ...

Swell period and direction, and wind direction comes into play.  You can have a 10 foot swell at 14 seconds and you'll barely notice it.  At 10 feet at 8 second, well, that's steep!!!  Swell and wind in opposing direction, the seas can get confused and ugly even with "small" swell and wind.  I'm comfortable planning to head out with a forecast <20 knots, but again, that depends on wind direction vs. swell direction.  For a forecast greater than 20 knots, I just plan on doing something else.  It may be fishable, but most likely is not comfortable.

-Allen

Boxofrain,
Having sailed for several years out of the Chetco on Pelican Bay, I can tell you that the NOAA forecast is not usually very accurate here. The NOAA predictions are for the open ocean from shore out to 20 miles and cover a huge area. Because of the shape of the bay and the irregular headlands around the N. California and S. Oregon coastline the wave action and winds can and usually are different than what you will find if you go out several miles.
Wind waves are created by local weather. Swells are created by weather from a great distance. The two will have different heights and periods, and quite possibly different directions. Therefore they create a mixture of wave action that can build to the height of the two added together. This is what creates sneaker waves that occasionally grab some unsuspecting tourist from the beach.
Wave period is the time interval between swells. The shorter the period, the steeper the waves.
Unless the water is very calm and the wind light, I don't take the kayak out. But you can only really tell by going out and looking for yourself.

-Chetcosailor

Thanks Chetcosailor,
 I do need to spend some time just observing the waves, I grew up on the shore looking out at sea but not watching the waves!
 Agreed about the conditions inside the bay as to outside! I have paddled around a few of the rocks and seastacks just North of town, you really have to pick the day for those trips.