Want to Try the Salt!

  Laker29.

  Several people have already suggested coming out to ORC. I believe it will be held July 11th this year.
  Fish the salt , meet a bunch of NWKA folks, fish the Siletz River for steelhead, and enjoy a great time.
  Take a look at past threads and you will see the enthusiasm the rest of us feel for this event.
  It is a great time
  You should try to make it happen.

ocean? have a dry suit?. vhf radio?  for if anything annoucing going in or out of the slot at depoe bay. i think both should almost be a mandatory thing for alot of reasons, as well as a gps and backup--its a rush being in the fog out there, something about that that i really like. but without a compass/gps could be fricken scary. so far so good on that one. how rigged up are u? rod/reel for the salt? definetly should plan for the orc. awesome kayaker event plus there is the sunset beach angler of the day tourney in august....the salmon derby  too.

Ok just to show my lack of ocean fishing knowledge, I had to look up what the heck ORC is!
Found a video of last years event, Pretty cool! Looks like a good time with a bunch of fun people!

As far as equipped for ocean fishing...
I no longer have a VHF radio, sold it when I moved west away from Lake Superior.
I don't have a dry suit, I use breathable waders and a semi dry top.
Would this work out there or do I need to add this to my wish list?

I do have some good size rods that are for big (fresh water) fish. Have 20 lb braided line on them.
I haven't had a need for GPS on my yak yet, although I did get lost on a very small lake years ago in extremely thick fog! 
Was more inconvenient than dangerous!

I figured if I started my recon this early I might actually be able to get outfitted correctly by then. (with your help of course!)

I have been fishing with a Hobie Quest for many years, but I just picked up a 2014 Trident 13 last summer.
Just getting my act together to get it rigged the way I like it. any ideas that I might incorporate for ocean fishing that might be different than lake fishing would be appreciated.

I usually set up my yak for trolling two rods and I think I'll move my downrigger from the Hobie to the Trident.

I do a bit of vertical jigging for Lake Trout, but it looks like you guys use a bit heavier jigs than I usually do. (2-3 oz max)

Keep the ideas and info coming, I'm making a list! 8-D

i am no expert, to give u an idea of what to use so far am using 2 to 8 ounce out of depoe bay. my lines are 50 to 65 lb braid to a barrel swivel, from there it`s 20 to 40 lb mono, lose the leader keep the mainline, plus the zero stretch factor.  two rods come in handy, one breaks grab the the other, amazing how easy it can be to break off 40lb test but with that mainly still use the 30lb mono. as long as ur pretty water tight u should be ok. mostly seem to catch black and blue sea bass  and lingcod with the occasional cabezon.....all of which make awesome fish n  chips. heavy duty deep sea rods and big ol beefy reels are def not needed here. along with orc videos look up barbie pole competition.... so far i really like the med heavy trevala rods 6`6 that i have for rockfishing, for reels i like the star drag baitcasters. revo nacl, calcutta 400....... reels are used for salmon too.

Ok just to show my lack of ocean fishing knowledge, I had to look up what the heck ORC is!
Found a video of last years event, Pretty cool! Looks like a good time with a bunch of fun people!

As far as equipped for ocean fishing...
I no longer have a VHF radio, sold it when I moved west away from Lake Superior.
I don't have a dry suit, I use breathable waders and a semi dry top.
Would this work out there or do I need to add this to my wish list?

I do have some good size rods that are for big (fresh water) fish. Have 20 lb braided line on them.
I haven't had a need for GPS on my yak yet, although I did get lost on a very small lake years ago in extremely thick fog! 
Was more inconvenient than dangerous!

I figured if I started my recon this early I might actually be able to get outfitted correctly by then. (with your help of course!)

I have been fishing with a Hobie Quest for many years, but I just picked up a 2014 Trident 13 last summer.
Just getting my act together to get it rigged the way I like it. any ideas that I might incorporate for ocean fishing that might be different than lake fishing would be appreciated.

I usually set up my yak for trolling two rods and I think I'll move my downrigger from the Hobie to the Trident.

I do a bit of vertical jigging for Lake Trout, but it looks like you guys use a bit heavier jigs than I usually do. (2-3 oz max)

Keep the ideas and info coming, I'm making a list! 8-D

VHF and some kind of GPS system are so strongly recommended by those who frequent the ocean that they are essentially requirements.  Fog on the PNW coast can be CRAZY thick. 

Waders and a semi-dry top will work but it isn't quite up to snuff as far as safety goes.  Upgrading to a dry top to pair up with your waders will get you good to go.  Dry tops can be found for a pretty reasonable price if you look around for deals.

Leave your downrigger on the shore.  Once you get really comfortable on the ocean you can decide if you really need it.  Most people fishing off the OR coast don't use a downrigger, especially kayakers.

One more thing to throw on your list is a tall safety flag to fly from your kayak.  The higher the better.  I use an 8 ft. ATV fiberglass whip flag pole. Kayaks can disappear very easily between swells and boaters like to know what's around them.   

one more bit of friendly advice. while the waders and dry top will keep you dry they will not keep you alive if you have to make the big swim. A dry suit or wetsuit are the only way to go on the North pacific. happy fishing

I fish lighter gear for rockfish/lingcod/cabezon than most guys around here, so I'll suggest that you don't need to change your gear to do that kind of thing. I use 30# mainline. I rarely use more than 2oz at PC because the good fishing is shallow anyway. I do have some 4oz jigs for when the current and wind are at odds or if I'm trying to aggressively work a specific feature. Food for thought: I caught my largest PC rockfish in less than 30 feet of water on a 2 inch grub.

Lot's of good advice guys!

Since I'm not independently wealthy yet, I'll try using my existing rods and reals, but I will see about picking up a VHF radio and a GPS.
I need the GPS for Elk hunting anyway. I do have a wet suit that I can use instead of the waders and semi dry top.

Any recommendations on a VHF?
I assume floating model would be best...? 

Any recommendations on a VHF?
I assume floating model would be best...? 

I was thinking of this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Horizon-HX851-Floating-Handheld/dp/B0036EW94C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423709660&sr=8-1&keywords=hx851

Hey Ray,
This looks like a pretty cool unit!

Have you used the GPS much?
Just wondering if it's good enough to set waypoint for fishing spots or basically just to get you back to the landing.

if you're in the market for a gps and don't yet have a fishfinder, why not get a FF unit w/ gps? it's very doable under $300.

Laker29, I don't own this radio... yet.  It was refered to me by another member on here.  This is a really good price for this radio too.

Having a GPS in the depth finder would probably be the most convenient.
My dilemma (besides limited funds) is that I need a GPS for bow hunting too.
Also I'd only have the GPS in the one kayak. (I own 3 ...so far!)

I'll have to do some research on the Horizon radio. Looks like a good unit judging
by the reviews I've read so far.

Even if this radio has decent GPS I would still pick up a different one for hunting...eventually.

Here's a nice review on a similar radio.  I'm thinking of getting one to replace my cheap POS VHF.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=5292.msg77645#msg77645

This looks like the same unit that hdpwipmonkey recommended.
The Horizon HX851.
So far everything I'm reading shows it's a good quality easy to use radio.