PC first time this coming Monday ( 7/21 )

Hey!

I am new to the forum and new to kayaking. I recently bought an old Malibu XL tandem. I've taken it out on the water a few times but not in the ocean yet. I am hoping to go out to PC this coming Monday and try it out.  I have nothing on this kayak besides a couple of bad seats. What do I need to make sure I bring? I have some dry suits for scuba diving, however I think they would be way to hot to paddle in so I will probably wear a wet suit? Also I will have a hand held radio.
So far this is what I will bring:
radio
air horn
possibly flag

It will be me and my friend going out on the kayak. We are both new to kayaking, only a few trips down the river.

I will just be doing some jig fishing this first trip, but soon looking to try for salmon, and spearfish soon.

Any tips would be great! If anyone else is free and would like to show us how its done that would be great as well!

Thanks,
Nick

You'll find lots of good advice searching through the forums. It sounds like you're a diver so you should understand immersion gear, which is great. "Dress for the immersion temp, not the air temp" is a common piece of advice around here.

I used to have the same boat so I'd suggest watching the wind forecast. That thing was kind of a bear in the wind, for me at least. It's stable and has a ton of weight capacity, though, which is great for hauling fish. It seems like it would make a good dive platform if paddled solo.

Do you have experience launching at PC? If you park down with the dory boats make sure to put a sign in your window explaining that you're a kayak launch vehicle to avoid getting a ticket. Try to stay out of the dory boats' way as they ingress and egress but you have a right to launch there too. I've been told most of the dory folks are nice... YMMV. Most powerboaters around here highly prefer kayaks run flags so that they can be seen in the swell.

Good luck and report back, with pictures of course!

What!  You want to go in the ocean with a kayak??  Are you freakin crazy?  Don't you know there are sharks out there?  Just kidding, wish I could go to but I have to work to support my fishing habit.  I would take a vhf radio though, especially if your going out alone.  And make sure to check the surf forecast at magicseaweed.com.  Have a good time and get lots of pics.

Thank you guys for the tips. I wouldn't have known about putting a sign in my car, thank you! What should I look for as far as the ocean reports? How about wind? is 5/10 mph to much? As far as swell goes, I really want to go out in some mild ocean for the first time. Don't want to get to crazy the first time!

Oh another question, do most people bring the fish into the boat, or leave them in the water on a stringer? Ever have problems with them getting eaten hanging of the kayak?

Thanks again guys!

Thank you guys for the tips. I wouldn't have known about putting a sign in my car, thank you! What should I look for as far as the ocean reports? How about wind? is 5/10 mph to much? As far as swell goes, I really want to go out in some mild ocean for the first time. Don't want to get to crazy the first time!

Oh another question, do most people bring the fish into the boat, or leave them in the water on a stringer? Ever have problems with them getting eaten hanging of the kayak?

Thanks again guys!

General suggestions for conditions (these work for me, let your own abilities, limits, and goals decide for you):

Swell height (ft) should be less than half the swell period (seconds). Example: I'd hesitate at 5ft. @ 10s. Personally I don't go out in much more than 5 ft. swell ever.

I found that 10mph with gusts was at or beyond my comfort zone with that boat in open water. It was doable, but if the current switched on me or something quickly in the direction of the wind I might have had to work harder than I want to to maintain a line. So for me, 5/10 was pretty doable in that boat.

Surf height is important too, especially for coming back in. My rule of thumb, earned the hard way: If it isn't tied to your boat, you'll never see it again. For an "easy" day I'd suggest 2-3 ft. surf, but that doesn't happen very often.

Where to put your fish (and why) is a subject of much debate. In the ocean I hang my fish off the side of the boat on a stringer. I pull them up if sea lions are close by. I've never seen a shark in Oregon. I suspect I'd never see it if stole my fish until it was too late. I guess I'll have to learn that one the hard way. Other options include a cloth sack that you keep damp (evaporation will help keep it cool), in the hull, or in an insulated bag.

Fwiw the Monday forecast is looking pretty good but that's a long ways out... keep watching it every day to see how it evolves.

Thank you guys for the tips. I wouldn't have known about putting a sign in my car, thank you! What should I look for as far as the ocean reports? How about wind? is 5/10 mph to much? As far as swell goes, I really want to go out in some mild ocean for the first time. Don't want to get to crazy the first time!

Oh another question, do most people bring the fish into the boat, or leave them in the water on a stringer? Ever have problems with them getting eaten hanging of the kayak?

Thanks again guys!

If going out of PC look for a 3 foot or less swell with a duration of at least 6 seconds, more duration the better. Your wind cut off should be 10 MPH, usually the wind won't get going until around noon. Leave the fish on the boat, you can bring a burlap sack to put them in to keep the cool. There are sea lions in the area and wouldn't hesitate to take an easy meal. You can probably skip the air horn, I sometimes carry one out of Depoe because of all the traffic, but PC has a whole lot less traffic. I'd say a safety flag is a must. You should also assume you'll flip/huli on launch and landing and dress for immersion. Don't see like you need to go out very far, there is good fishing just north of the rock, like 50-200 yards.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=38

Thanks again guys! Really helpful! Can't wait to get out there and give it a shot.  On average how many ounces do you run on your bottom jig? I am definitely going to have to try for Salmon soon. How much further out to you need to paddle to try for them?

4 ounces is what I fish 90% of the time. You can catch coho around the rock but they're thicker further out. Ask the dory guys where they are but probably at least two miles out right now. They should be moving further in soon.

I rarely run more than 2 oz. I find I snag less and catch more fish on lighter gear. Most guys disagree with me. If I were fishing deeper I would step it up to 3 or 4 ozs but at PC you're rarely fishing more than 60-70 ft. and for me 1-2 ozs works great at those depths with 30lb braid mainline.

I guess that I am one of those people who disagree, I like to use a 6-8 oz jig.  That way I can keep it near the bottom when trolling around.  I can cover more ground that way.  But what do I know?

I guess that I am one of those people who disagree, I like to use a 6-8 oz jig.  That way I can keep it near the bottom when trolling around.  I can cover more ground that way.  But what do I know?

Too each his own as they say but you can still keep 2 oz. on the bottom trolling just let more line out...

I rarely run more than 2 oz. I find I snag less and catch more fish on lighter gear. Most guys disagree with me. If I were fishing deeper I would step it up to 3 or 4 ozs but at PC you're rarely fishing more than 60-70 ft. and for me 1-2 ozs works great at those depths with 30lb braid mainline.

I'm with you giving the conditions don't call for a more heavy gear.I always keep a few 3-6oz with me but I haven't had to use them yet.the jigging spoons I use get down fast in 60-70 ft.

Looks like Monday might be to rough out there :/