The Outdoor Line Forum

Had a great time fishing and catching. Left dock at 5:00 both days and had our chinook by 7:00 and back at the dock by 8:00. Monday we caught hatchery hens and Tuesday wild bucks. Fished south of the jetty down to the windmills in 60 to 80 feet of water with the riggers set at 35 feet. Tuesday I fed a sea lion a nice one, only saw it as he tossed it in the air. Beautiful weather on both days.

Very nice!!! I'm trying to get enough courage to go out there. It would be my first time out in the open ocean on my own boat. Any Tips?

How big is your boat

Find a buddy boat to run with.

Learn how and when to cross the bars
http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/washington-state/214363-lets-talk-bar-crossings.html

Hey,

That looks like Denny holding up a fish..... and calm waters. Haven't taken my C-Dory to Westport or crossed the bar yet. Good go'in' Denny!!!

Jeff Day

Very nice!

I have a 22' North River Commander. Im pretty sure I could do it, just need to hook up nwith someone with some know-how.

Your 22 should be fine, just pick your weather and tides!
Good luck!

You need to help me out more than that Nelly. What's the formula?

First, make sure you take your boat to a CoastGuard Auxillary station, and get your "Saftey Check" and sticker. Not only will they make sure you haven't forgotten any critical saftey items, it will also save you some time at the dock when the County Sheriffs Marine Patrol is conducting random inspections as you come in from fishing.
Next, check the swell prediction here: http://forecasts.surfingmagazine.com/
Your looking for low swell (2-5ft), with long intervels (10-15 secs.)
AS WELL as Wind speeds. This will equate to additional "chop" added to that swell.
I don't go if swell is predicted to be over about 6ft. with any wind.
Next check the Tide Table here: http://www.softseas.net/WashingtonTides/Default.aspx
Only real thing to watch for here is an extreme low tide heading out in the a.m., or at your predicted return time in the p.m. Also taking into account the weather.
You will almost always ecounter choppy water at "the bar", unless you happen to hit the perfect "slack" on a calm day. Regardless, take it slow, keep your bow into the swells, and ease over the big ones. My first few times out, I just left around the same time as the Charter boats, so I had some help around, plus they will give you a pretty good idea of where the schools have been.