Heading to Shores Sat.

 
   I recently got a call from the friend that I used to build kayaks and mini-drifters with.Some of you have seen pics of my mini.It is also the same boat Jammer and I fished the upper Kenai River in last summer.
   He will be in Ocean Shores this weekend for his 30th class reunion and wants to fish the jetty there on Saturday.Kevin (my friend) started me kayaking out there in the early 90's.Twenty years ago we would never check on-line for tides,swell,or any other conditions.We'd just go for it and damn the torpedo's--full speed ahead.
   We have had many adventures out there.Some great--some not so great.And we nearly always caught fish.So this should be a good time to do some catching up (we haven't crossed paths for 7 years).
   I asked him if he is still making the mini-drifters (polepole pay attention) and he said that he does still have the molds.He would be willing to start making the mini again if there is a market.So,I'll find out more this Saturday.
  If anyone wants to meet up for some jetty fishing this weekend--we will be launching from the channel marker area (that's on the north side ,behind the sewer plant).Come on out and we'll see if we can't find some fishes.
   I'll be in my Outback--Kevin will be in my SINK (that's the camo boat).

I've been thinking about trying Westport, but don't know the area well so I keep giving it a miss.  Is there good parking/launch on the north side of the bay?  Will you head offshore or stick near the jetty? I'm reading that a lot of salmon are in 50' to 100' of water north of the jetty...just keep going north until you see the birds...is the advice.  This could be a long day.

   
   Check out this earlier thread  http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=7348.0 

   A lot of reading--but if you can weed through the non-relavent stuff there is a lot of good info here as well.
   I have only caught a handful of salmon inside the sunken jetty,but we have often squirted to the outside and caught a few just within 100 yards of the jetty.You can't get outside at low tide through the rocks.Low tide is around 9 am on Satuday.High tide 6 hours later.
    We usually target rock fish and lings inside the jetty.
    Parking---plenty around Damon Point State Park.We go to a lesser known spot.
    Come on out and give it a shot.........

The link returns and error message. Do you know how low the tide is in feet (-2, +1...) before you can't get thru the rocks to the outside? I assume if your out there too long you'd either wait for the tide to rise, or take a few lumps thru the surf and hike to the car.

    Yaktrap,
  Google Oyhut Wildlife Recreation Area in Ocean Shores.That map will show you access spots off Marine View Drive and if you look closely you can see the trail I'll be going in on on the SW side off of Ocean Shores Blvd.
  The low tide 07/21/12 is -1.0 at 8:44 am--high tide of 7.8' at 3:10 pm.
   As far as getting through the rocks-------there are places that you can get through if you go to the end of the jetty on the east side.I'm not sure what level the tide needs to be to get out at other spots.What I used to do was just find a spot and shoot the gap.That got a little exciting at times.In that camo SINK I could get through some pretty skinny holes that wouldn't be possible in the Outback.Bounced off a rock or two more than once.
   Unless you are specifically going after salmon--there is no need to go outside.There  are plenty of fish inside.
   
   The link works for me.......If it isn't happening for you..search back through the members only reports for Washington for a post dated Jan 5th 2012 titled "Ocean Shores Jetty 1st week of Febuary.That will get you there.

Aha! got it.  Thanks, I'll watch the weather and decide Friday if its Westport on the Sound.  I got slapped around by swell and weather on the coast last weekend.  I'm ready for a nice calm summer weather high pressure system to settle in.  Any day now....

Mark,
Looks the the weather will clear up Sat morning. I'm still looking for that first King and will head offshore. The best launch looks like Halfmoon Bay in Newhaven state park, south side.  I can avoid that sunken jetty issue.  It looks like it starts getting deep >200' just a few miles out, but reports are decent for Kings in 75'. I'll be doing the bird search. I'll look for you on the jetties when I get back in.
Todd

Don't recommend navigating the grays harbor Bar during an outgoing tide.

   Yaktrap,
   Me thinks you might be a bit confused....
   If you plan on launching at Half Moon Bay---that is out of Westport at Westhaven State Park.
   At 75' deep you will be a long way offshore--in open ocean.Be advised-that could get real nasty in a hurry.

   I am going to be on the Ocean Shores side of Grays Harbor,that's the north side.It's about a 50 mile drive around the harbor from Westport.Odds are pretty good you will not see me if you're going out of Half Moon Bay.Be sure to take a working VHF if you execute your plan.   

Yeah, thought that might raise a few eyebrows. Thanks for the advice and concern, I'll stay within my limits.  But I train hard for long offshore paddles and have been at it since Nixon was in the Prez. Equipment is key, but that won't save you or make up for a bad mistake. I'm always weighing the odds, and so far I've always won. The pic is from last Sat off Tatoosh Is., a 10 to 12 hr day is fairly standard to reach the 50 fathom curve out there. Not bragging here, it is a life and death matter and if you know how serious offshore kayaking is then I hope you never leave a beach without knowing how to get back home again. When it hits the fan, and eventually it will, you have only yourself to rely on.

Good that you're experienced.  We tend to give warnings because it seems like every other week we get some new guy that thinks he can catch moby dick from his new LL Bean pool toy whilst wearing board shorts.      

And on the weeks we don't get a new guy, we get a tragedy story.

No kidding. Far too many kayak deaths around here. I think the industry puts the hush on most stories as it's bad for biz, but last year we counted 8...then stopped counting. Weather turns fast here. I've even seen the Sound go from 5 kts to 30 kts sustained in 10 minutes, from open sprayskirt to whitewater up to the armpits. The ones that aren't thinking about those changes are statistics in waiting.

       Made it out to Ocean Shores this morning.NOAA and Magicseaweed were both calling for 5.5' swells pretty much all day.
       They were wrong.......it was flat as glass at least til 2:00 pm.
        While my bud and I didn't get a whole lot of action ,I did manage to pull out a 29" ling.
       It was a keeper of a day.

    Caught this guy on a Big Hammer (brown top,white belly) sorry DTS--not a red one.
    Couldn't get much action with some new white worms recently purchased.Hmmm.

Mark, that's a fantastic fish and probably around 33 inches if you straighten it out.  Hey it was great meeting you at the ORC.

Great fish Mark!  Love the colors.  Wish I could have made it out!