4/30 PC Report

Only once in 2 years have I ever seen anyone else launch there.  I like to think of the pack out as a character building exercise.....kind of like the wilderness hikes I used to put my son's thru growing up.  You can also launch off Beverly beach, although you have more surf to contend with.

Couple things:

What, no pics of the post-sesh beers and fish fry?  Looks like a sweet day, dudes.  Well done!

Nanook - how'd that hand line debut go for ya?  I'm curious about that new toy of yours.......

I didn't get to use the hand line...The day turned out very different from what I had hoped (once the girls invited themselves along)

Waves were to small to surf, so we paddled north out of manzanita, checked out the caves, paddled back and hung out on the beach.....no fishing.

Waves were to small to surf, so we paddled north out of manzanita, checked out the caves, paddled back and hung out on the beach.....no fishing.

any consistantly easy surf launch spots through out of manzanita that you know of or was the surf just that small?

I had a great time meeting you guys and learning the ropes.  Great weather and great fishing!  We'll have to get out and do it again the next time the weather cooperates.  I got a few undersized lings this time, but I want a daddy ling now.  I didn't catch one myself, but the Cabs are a really cool fish.  They remind me of oyster toadfish on the Atlantic coast.  I have never eaten a sculpin, but I can't wait to try the one Pelagic Paddler let me take home! 

 (By the way Jeff, I won't be headed out tomorrow.  It looks like it will be getting pretty gnarly offshore through next week like you said.)

Waves were to small to surf, so we paddled north out of manzanita, checked out the caves, paddled back and hung out on the beach.....no fishing.

any consistantly easy surf launch spots through out of manzanita that you know of or was the surf just that small?

I've never launched there before, but it was pretty easy off the beach there, but there was no surf that AM. Tide was outgoing until 1 or so, some other friends got on the water around 2PM and had 3-6ft waves. It was all ankle slappers when I put in. I can imagine it being more challenging when the swell is up. There's not much protection.

Yeah, I've checked out that spot, had the sore legs to prove it! I was just curious to see if there was another access to that beach that didn't involve those stairs. Those things are killer!

I posted this a while ago, on this thread- http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2788.0.html

There is an alternative route to the water at Devil's Punch Bowl/Otter Rock, and it doesn't involve stairs. It leads to the cove around the point, to the north, to the cove that is actually Devil's Punch Bowl, if I'm to believe Acme Mapper/USGS. To the NW of the signed parking lot there is another parking lot. If you follow the road between the lots, to the N, you will see a paved trail (on the left) that leads down to the water. There's a bit of a drop at the end, where it dumps on to the beach. The day we were there it was nasty with 20+ winds and about 10' swells. I'm not sure what it would look like on calmer days, but there are some rocks offshore that might give some protection from the surf.

The drop to the beach.


The last bit of the trail.


Looking to the SW, South side of the Cove.


On a flat day this would be a piece of cake compared to the stairs on the other side!

Great to see some nice chunky lings finally! Excellent work guys.

Z

I checked out the north side (devils punchbowl) but there's alot of tide pools along the headland (the pics don't show them).  Exposed at low tide, I thought would be a hassle dragging over the rocks. Considered it, but opt for the stairs.  Better protection on the south, in my opinion.