Gotcha John- Sorry for not understanding you better. You are right, you do want to be in the center between the tip, perhaps shading to the South, but you do not want to run along the South Jetty out. You make a good point as during specific swells you will actually encounter breaking waves that roll along the inside of the South jetty.
My approach is running along the north side until the USCG tower. Once at the tower I angle towards the middle, then when past the tips and outside of the sunken portion of the South Jetty, head due South. I typically make that turn well inside of the Bell.
Upon return I do the same thing in reverse, and as soon as I get past the tips I angle directly to the USCG tower and will go almost all the way to the jetty. I stay well away from running down the inside of the South jetty. More often than not this is when the swell is coming directly out of the West.
Bar lights for Tillamook are located at the boat ramp in the harbor, also located on the side of the USCG boat shed after you exit the harbor, but still in the now wake zone as you head westbound (North side of Bay) and then also located on the USCG lookout tower halfway out the North Jetty, but can be seen way inside.
Bar lights for Depoe are posted at the boat ramp, and located on the North side of the harbor just below the bridge.
I don't run the CR but rarely and would need someone to tell me the location based on each port.
One more thing about the South hole. Depending on swell, the conditions change. With a typical summertime NW swell, the swells have to cross the shallower shoaling in the middle grounds, so if they are going to break, they break there first. When running out the South with a NW swell you have a good visual of what is coming at you. Those waves will often break outside, then lay back down as they hit the deeper water. This changes with the change in the swell direction, and is why the South hole is not always the guaranteed way to go out or return.
I would like to tell you a story about a bad situation that really happened. Some of this story involves running out of the sound @ Neah Bay. However, there is much more to the story, with several lesson learned, the hard way.
Opening day of Halibut, Neah Bay about 4-5 years ago. My buddy boat and myself planned to run out to Swirftsure for our Halibut. We looked at the water/weather conditions and decided running out through the main channel was not an option.. The deep water was very sporty. The dump was un-fishable. We decided to run outside using the safer, but small channel just north of Tatoosh Island and south of Duncan Rock. As I followed my buddy boat through the channel and next to Tatoosh Island, the water was very sporty. The waves were large enough that much of the time I could not see the radar on my buddies boat that was less than 100 yards in front of me.
After getting outside of Tatoosh, I radioed my buddy boat and informed him that I was not taking the chance to run to Swiftsure. We were going bottom fishing in the safer waters just south of Tatoosh. He radioed back that he was going out to Swiftsure for Halibut. We split up.
After a few hours of good, not great, bottom fishing, the Coast Guard made the ""small craft advisory"" radio announcement. Water conditions were getting worse, not better. We tried to radio any boats @ Swiftsure, but no response. We waited a while and finally returned to NB running through the safest route. The small protected channel between Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery. We then hugged the south shore back to Neah Bay. After docking we waited for our buddy boat, and waited, radioed again with no response, and waited some more. Near dark we were getting ready to go talk to the Coast Guard when my buddy boat showed up at the dock. Every face on that boat were white as ghosts. First thing the skipper said was. ""We should not be here now. The boat was on it's side twice and rolling over. Not sure what brought her back up.. My new boat sure handles much different than my old boat.""
Lesson learned #1. Know your boat. The skipper of my buddy boat had many years of experience running boats out of Neah Bay. However, this was a new boat for him and the maiden trip out. It is a 26' Striper. It is as important to have first hand knowledge of how your boat handles under different water conditions. Just as it is important to have local knowledge of the bar crossings and outside waters in different conditions. What happened to my buddies boat was. After finally limiting on halibut in very sporty conditions, he began his return run in. He ran south to safer water to avoid the very dangerous main channel. However, when he toped over a large wave, and he started to "surf" the face down. The bow dug into the green water and spun his boat parallel to the big wave. This happened to him twice. Both times the boat went over so far on its side, he thought they were capsizing. Both times the skipper said sorry and goodbye to his crew.. Know your boat. How a boat handles in following seas may save your life someday. In a new boat, start with small water and work your way up to larger water, no matter how many years you have been boating...
Lesson learned #2. Live to fish another day. Just because you can get out over a bar, does not mean you should cross over, and that you can get back in. Getting back across a bar is harder and more dangerous than running out. Too often I have seen skippers take a chance and run a bad bar into conditions predicted to get worse. It is one thing to get caught outside with a surprise thrashing and survive. However, to intentionally run into bad conditions shows a serious lack of responsibility by the skipper. My buddy boat skipper pushed the limits due to the limited days of halibut season.. Thankfully, they all survived, but all crew were scared to near death.. No fish is worth losing a boat for, or worse, losing someone's life.
I have never done this, but I have read about sail boats towing small drogues in extremely bad following seas to keep from surfing down wave faces and broaching. Is this ever done on power boats? You couldn't go very fast, and you might run the risk of fouling your prop, or filling the cockpit with water if a really big wave crashed over your stern?
There are very limited conditions when attaching a drift anchor sock or a drogue anchor is the best option on a power boat.
A drift anchor sock is sometimes used when a power boat loses power in sporty conditions. They help keep the bow (sock attached at the bow) into the wind waves while drifting. Drift socks are also used by boats that are on an overnight drift. I carry two different sizes of drift anchor socks on my boat. However, I have not used either, and have no personal experience using one on any boat.
I have used a drogue anchor one time about 6 years ago.. This was a drogue anchor passed to my boat by a Coast Guard 47' MLB. I was being towed back into the Depoe Bay, OR. after losing the starter on my main engine. The Coast Guard waited until they had towed me inside of the buoys before they shortened the tow lines and radio instructions to me to deploy the drogue anchor. The idea of the drogue in these conditions was to act as a break in case they needed to stop while running the "Hole in the Wall'. That way I would not run into the back of the 47' MLB that was towing me.
Could a drogue be used by a power boat while under power in sporty conditions as you described???? Not sure about this??? Open to hear if anyone has personal experience doing this. It may be one of those "MacGyver" situations that could save a life someday.
Loved perch fishing as a kid.. My best buddy and I fished almost every day. We lived on a small lake just off Lake Michigan, and had to negotiate a small channel into the "Big Lake". It was about 20' wide and had a couple of jetties that ran out into Lake Michigan 60 to 80'. There was always a bar across the channel and the water was usually 14 to 16" deep on the bar.
My buddy had a little 12' Alumacraft with a KG-7 Mercury that we used for fishing (We were 10 year olds and this was 1952). Our "trick" for bar crossings was to run full blast down the channel, cut the power & kick the engine up when we hit the bar, slide over the bar, then hit the power again when we hit deeper water. Always worked like a charm!
On the day in question there was a brisk breeze and 3 to 4' waves. Using all the judgement that 10 year olds can muster, we decided to go for it... I even decided that it would be a real kick to ride the bow seat on the way out. I grabbed on to the gunnels and away we went. Full blast down the channel, hit the bar, engine up, slid across the bar (so far things are going great) then we hit the first breaker,,, The bow went up, I went way UP, then the bow came down. Somehow I defied gravity and stayed up in the air (Damn that boat was a long ways down) Then the bow hit the next breaker and up it came, just as I was finally coming down. We met somewhere in the middle of going up and coming down!!
Results, a broken arm a couple inches above the wrist, three broken ribs, and assorted knots & bruises and a ruined summer. Fifty-eight years later I can laugh about it, but at the time it hurt like a SOB!
Even the little ones can getcha' if you use poor judgement.
I just want to think you all for your good input, Im fishing the La Push halibut opener. Im familiar with all the bars except La Push, so I appreciate the advice about staying close to awash rock.
A little story about Tillamook, abuot 10 years ago I was on the ocean fishing when the coasties closed to bar to recreational vessels under 24 ft., I had a 20fter. I watched those 20' commercial sea dories as they timed the waves and crossed the bar. I contacted the coast guard and asked told them I didn't have enought fuel stay outside until the tide changed and wanted to cross. They told me if I did I was on my own. After watching a couple more of the dories about the same size I decided to go for it. We made it across with no problem, but the coasties didn't like it and the boarded me as soon as I hit the dock.
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Preparing To Cross:
You checked the Tides, Currents, Bar Reports, Swell, Etc and decided it is a GO.
Secure all loose items in your boat such as coolers, downrigger weights, tackle boxes, tools, etc. Keep them secured where they can't suddenly shift and cause the boat to loose stability or injure someone. Keep heavey objects low in the boat to keep the center of gravity as low as possible.
Tightly close all hatches, portholes, doors, windows, etc. to help maintain watertight intergrety. Even 100 gallons of water can swamp a boat or greatly reduce it's performance!
I like to have all passengers come out of the cabin and find a secure seat. They also help to serve as extra lookouts for crab pots, vessel trafic and sneaker waves. I keep people off the decks to decrease the chance of someone slipping overboard.
Keep safety gear in readily accessible location
Have all persons wear life vests
Make sure your vessel is running good with no engine, throttle, fule, drive problems, etc.
Adjust your trim before getting on the bar. Once on the bar is too late.
Outgoing: Check your speed: This is not the time to show how much testosterone you have. Many swells on the bar are steep with little or no backs. If you have too much speed you will launch and break things, hurt people onboard or much worse. You will want to keep one hand on the wheel and keep one hand on your throttles. Keeping a moderate speed throttle up as you climb the face of the wake. As you near the top, pull the throttle back and allow the wave to pass underneath you. Depending on how steep the wave or the crest of the wave, you may almost have to stop forward motion for a moment at the crest. Each situation is different and different for each vessel. Know your boat and ability!
You may find that slightly quartering the swells is the most comfortable instead of directly on the nose.
Once you have committed to the bar, turning around in very dangerous and the incoming swells may catch your boat broadside and cause you to broach. It is probably better to continue, get across the bar and then set up return across the bar if safe to do so.
Incoming: Raise trim tabs fully when running before a following sea. This keep the bow as high as possible when coming down a wave and keeps the bow from stuffing into the next wake ahead.
The object is to use enough power to stay on the back of a swell and ride there, paying attention to sneaker waves from other directions and waves that overtake you from the stern and can break on your boat swamping it.
Depending on sea height your visibility while riding in on the back of a swell may be limited. This can be un-nerving especially in narrow channels where there may be other traffic.
Often the swell direction, currents etc, will be at such a direction that will be pushing you towards a jetty or out of the deep channel. You will need to need to be sure you lined up on your preferred course and stay on your course. You can be pushed off course very quickly. (I've noticed this especially when entering a bar with two jetties extending out quite a ways like Newport, OR or Eureka, CA)
Many of the areas just outside or even in the direct channel and bay have numerous crab pots as well, so be on the lookout for them. Fouling your running gear on the bar is bad.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS AS OPERATOR, KNOW YOUR VESSEL'S LIMITS, KNOW THE CONDITIONS, WEAR YOUR LIFE VEST!
Job:Highly Sophisticated Fish Terminator Sent Back In Time To Change The Future For Some Lucky Fish
Posts: 5,355
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldfisherman#1
I just want to think you all for your good input, Im fishing the La Push halibut opener. Im familiar with all the bars except La Push, so I appreciate the advice about staying close to awash rock.
A little story about Tillamook, abuot 10 years ago I was on the ocean fishing when the coasties closed to bar to recreational vessels under 24 ft., I had a 20fter. I watched those 20' commercial sea dories as they timed the waves and crossed the bar. I contacted the coast guard and asked told them I didn't have enought fuel stay outside until the tide changed and wanted to cross. They told me if I did I was on my own. After watching a couple more of the dories about the same size I decided to go for it. We made it across with no problem, but the coasties didn't like it and the boarded me as soon as I hit the dock.
The one place I've never been to is La Push. I always hear: Be very carefull on a Southerly Swell / Wind and it shoots straight into the entrance.
I've gone out of LaPush a few times, if you have a southerly wind/swell don't go out. Todd you heard right, the southerly swell/wind does shoot straight into the very narrow entrance. You'll also fight the swell and wind all the way back in from the fishing grounds. I made this mistake once and it was unpleasant enough that I won't be making the same mistake twice.
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