So, what are some in-shore options come spring & summer?

Hah, fair enough.

Edit:
I made some comments that clearly werent going to play well with the audience here, they have been removed.  Again, I appreciate all the feedback above.

You'll learn that only a handful of people here are allowed to speak their mind.

You'll learn that only a handful of people here are allowed to speak their mind.

The fact that I'm sort of a dick (albeit a good natured one) does me no favors.  Point taken, regardless.

  Apparently I missed some comments on this thread. Maybe something was deleted while I wasn't looking...........oh well.

  diggingit......  I hope you weren't too offended by my response to your posts . If you were...... good luck in your future endeavors. With the attitude that I am hearing you will need all the luck you can get. But you have to make your own decisions in life. I hope you make wise decisions.

  DWB123 is correct that some of us are very passionate about kayaking and kayak fishing. We want to see other people new to the sport be successful. And not be a newspaper headline.                                                       
 

What you oh so rudely described as "exasperated and sanctimonious" feedback is actually immensely useful and generously offered advice from people who know what they're doing, because they have been doing it for ages. They have a diehard passion the sport, and want to make sure that newcomers such as yourself equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and equipment to survive on the water. When you start off by saying "I don't know what i'm doing and i've got a serious physical deficit" that rings a lot of alarm bells in people that don't want to hear about fellow kayak anglers needlessly dying on the water.

"Thank you," instead of "screw you," would've sufficed.

  That is what I didn't see............

  Hey Chris------this is an open forum. Do you really feel that only a handful of people can speak their mind ? I have to disagree.
  I know that I am guilty of being somewhat "outspoken" at times. But I do believe that anyone has that same right. And when I feel an issue needs addressed--- I will speak up.

  digginit--- you might want to come down to Hoodsport for the Salmon Slayride Derby . It is fairly gentle water, there will be a bunch of helpful people there , and if you are willing to pay some attention.... you just might learn a thing or two. That sir---- would do you some good.

       Mark

 

The comments I made were made with good humor and they were not interpreted as such.  Perhaps that's my fault, perhaps not.

It was good of you to respond to me at all, I just took exception with the tone, and someone clearly felt my response wasnt differential enough, so the hell with it, life is short, down went the comments.

Again, I appreciate the feedback.  And the invitation!  But honestly I think Id rather wait until late spring, when I have some kayak time under my belt.

I absolutely feel that way, I've witnessed it first hand.

I've asked some pretty stupid questions and have been hit with an encyclopedia of knowledge in response - and I've been mighty grateful for having my preconceptions and misconceptions shattered.  It makes no sense for me to ask people with so much more experience than me for help and then shrug it off and not listen.

Mark has been at the vanguard of advocating "safety first" for as long as I've been in a NWKA forum member.  Mark could tell me I'm the dumbest damn squat on the planet and I'd still listen to what he tells me.

The lure of getting out there and boating a few fish is a siren's song that's hard to resist.  Resist.  I trained in a coastal lake that gets strong winds and goodly chop.  I rolled the kayak countless times to practice getting back into it, and exited a few times with inadequate outer protective clothing to understand how that affects my strength and coordination.  I believe I've found all of the obvious flaws in my technique and rigging that could turn a minor crisis into a true emergency, but I don't fool myself into believing that I am prepared for all possible circumstances and scenarios.

From the information you've provided, it would be easy to believe that you've never been in a kayak, and folks suggested that you practice similar to how I practiced (and still practice).  They weren't being snarky - and neither am I.  It's life-and-death important to learn.

But if we're wrong and you know what you're doing in your kayak and in the water trying to get back into your kayak, please tell us, because this reads like a total newbie about to needlessly get in over their head.

At this point in the thread, I still don't know if you have any local fishing experience - bank or boat.  The species you hope to catch in the close-in zone you hope to fish suggested to me that you might not have local experience, but if that's not true, please correct our misconceptions.

In general, folks here are not afraid to reveal hot spots, and if they don't want to broadcast them publicly, they'll send you a PM.  But your original post, and your subsequent posts, surely do read as if you are an overly ambitious NOOB who might want to think about the bigger issues of personal safety before worrying about where the fish hang out.

I'm going to suggest that the best and easiest way to find answers to your questions are to take the offer to go out with someone near you, or find someone who'll go out with you.  Let them show you how to fish and where to fish in your local waters.  And, please, if they tell you that you aren't ready, listen up!

Kayaking is like base-jumping: it's fun as hell but scat happening is inevitable.

   Shannon and Tinker
  Thanks for the support and compliments guys. I will never claim to know it all when it comes to kayaking ,fishing , or anything else for that matter.
  But I have payed a lot of "dues" in my life. If my rants can help someone else avoid the mistakes I have made--- then--- mission accomplished.
  Some/most people can only learn by taking their own  path and making their own mistakes. Sad but true.
  This guy --digginit-- asked for advice ....... he got some from me. What he does with it.......... totally on him.

  Enough of this thread for me... getting ready to take my grandson out to the Copalis River hunting for silver.

              Mark

Again not trying to stir the pot but I already asked for safety advice in another thread and got excellent responses.

I asked this time about where I can kayak safely come spring/summer and I got a combination of redundant safety advice and 'stick with ponds' type provocation, delivered with something like forum eye rolling.

An appropriate response in my opinion would have sounded something like;

"Honestly, there arent any places in Puget Sound that are safe if you're not in decent shape and well experienced with self rescue.  But if youre capable and in minimum condition by then, you might want to try X Y and Z."

That's the tone I take with people I intend to help.  Perhaps a lot of this is my fault for deliberately under-stating my experience and condition and willingness to approach this safely and sanely, but thats part of being humble in a new community in my book; taking a cautious approach to something new. 

I wasnt looking to get spoken down to, and I certainly wasnt shopping for this Lord of the Flys style cult of personality vibe.  So y'all do your thing, it's your community and your party.  I'll shut up and lurk more.

I like guys like you, digginit...I dig it, haha.

Dude, cheers.   Honestly I have no doubt that everyone Ive spoken to on this site is pretty amazing in real life. I'm just not feeling the tone here on occasion.

+1

digginit, I can only speak for myself, but I don't go searching through previous posts to find out what you've asked before you start a thread; I read what you post and try to answer or ask questions so I can answer.  I presume that you didn't hunt through Mark and Shannon's previous posts, either, or you'd have known they always discuss folks' personal safety and fishing with integrity.

It helps other forum members to tell us what you already know, and you had a lot of chances to tell us "Hey! Thanks, but kayak safety was already asked and answered, and I've been studying the regulations" so others could move on.

The best advice you've received was "Find a buddy who knows the area you want to fish and go out with them" if I do say so myself.

Just going to lurk?  Think about backing away from your present frustration.  You're new?  Maybe you don't see that what you asked was so broadly worded that it was hard to give you an answer, nor see that you added superfluous information that was guaranteed to set off bells and whistles?  You've told us that you are/were a programmer - as was I - and just from our backgrounds we should know that we have to input enough information if we expect to get the answer we hoped we'd get, and that retyping the question without additional information is not going to give us the desired results.

Chris, if "I have first hand knowledge" of browbeating means it's happened to you, you persevered and I have enjoyed your daily posts.  Good on you.

Good luck to you all.

Thanks Tinker, points very well taken, and I appreciate them.

 Tinker has made some very good points throughout this thread.
 I'd like to add a couple.....

 If you are new to kayak fishing.... great !
 If you have questions about kayak fishing ... that's great  also.
 If you want to learn more about kayak fishing .... please ask away. The only stupid question is the one not asked. And this forum has a wealth of knowledge to learn from. Look to learn everyday. That is how we grow.
 If you need help getting set-up for kayak fishing--- ask specific questions so that someone who has the right answer can respond with the right answer.
 If you have questions about a certain area or species of fish and how to fish for them---ask away. Tap into the wisdom and experience available here. I truly believe we all want to see other fishermen be  successful. Even if that means we get jealous.
 Fishing with other people is not only more fun... but for someone new it can be a lifesaver. That has been proven way too many times.
 If you do not have a lot of time on the water in a kayak--- that's okay. None of us were born in one  (At least I don't think so). The best way to learn is by getting out there and spending the time.
 If you get embarrassed --- that's okay too. Turn it into a learning experience and grow from that.
 If you read a comment that doesn't agree with you--- buck up--- it's just the internet. Don't let someone else's opinion get to you. Life is too short to deal with bullshit. Eliminate that kind of crap...cause you really don't need it.

 On a more personal note-----digginit----
 If you can make it down to Hoodsport for the Salmon Slayride Derby I will be happy to take you out with me and attempt to get you into some salmon. The water there should meet your safety requirements , there will be plenty of people there to learn from, and catching a few dogs really is a lot of fun.
  And after all------isn't that why we fish from a kayak

  So come on down and have some fun, eat some great food , and meet some fellow NWKA members. You won't be sorry. If you need any equipment or gear-- let us know and that can be fixed as well.

   Mark
 edit------------and bring your fly pole..........