Northwest Fishing Reports

On a 21ft boat, is this to much (this Saturdays forecast):

S wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. A chance of showers in the morning...then showers likely in the afternoon.

Trying to be safe, and learn what is to dangerous.

I presume that you aren't taking a Bass Boat out on the Sound??

So what brand and type of boat?

This is the best shot i have of it, its a friends boat. its built for salt.

The experts on salt water boats will have to say for sure, but it looks ok to me.

My friend has a 18 foot and 2 foot makes for a very very .... stress the word very.... long and stress the word uncomfortable bumpy as hell ride.

Youll be ok just could get interesting. Make sure to keep the waves to the front..

Besides the safety factor it depends on how important a fish or two is to you. The older I get, the smarter I get (unless you ask my wife). Tired of getting my ass kicked on the water. If it ain't fun, I ain't goin'....just saying.

Pretty "nautical", not comfy for sure. I see the downriggers and in that much wind and chop, you'll prob have to troll downwind. Kind of depends on where you intend to go. You will maybe be OK inside Saratoga Passage, Racetrack, Elger Bay etc. But even there it will still be more trouble then it is worth. In really open water, subject to heavy tide currents, like Possession...NO. 15 is doable, 20 barely marginal.... 25 no. I always assume the worst, like 25.

This is the forecast for up inside Saratoga Passage. Doable but better to wait until Sunday.


Saturday

S wind 11 to 17 kt. Rain, mainly after 10am. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft.


Saturday Night

S wind 12 to 19 kt. Rain. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft.


Sunday

SSE wind around 8 kt. Rain likely. Wind waves 1 ft or less.


Sunday Night

S wind 9 to 19 kt. Rain. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft.


Washington's Birthday

S wind around 21 kt, with gusts as high as 27 kt. A chance of rain. Wind waves around 4 ft.


Monday Night

SSE wind 12 to 18 kt. A chance of rain. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft.


Tuesday

SSE wind 11 to 14 kt. A chance of rain. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft.

If you are not trained/experienced in that kind of wind/waves/weather, I would not go.

Wind waves to 4' are going to be as tall as your windshield and may be breaking - which could swamp you in an instant if you get cross ways. If the winds do get to 25 kts then they likely will be breaking.

Winds to 25 knots and 4' waves are going to be hell trying to fish in. You will have major trouble just getting around the boat, trying to hook up downriggers, netting a fish, etc.

You will find it fairly easy to go either directly with the wind or directly against the wind. Going with the wind could put those 4 ft waves possibly breaking over your aft end = swamped boat. Heading into the wind in going to be your only other option but you will only be able to go at a very very slooooow speed. If a wave breaks over that open bow, it could put several hundred pounds of water in the boat that will take time to get out again. In the mean time, the boat will be very very nose heavy and you will have a heck of a time controlling the boat and it will be running much lower in the water.

Cross wind travel will be very very dangerous to impossible. Turning around could be very very dangerous to impossible.

In those conditions its easy to get yourself into a position where you cannot get out of it safely.

I would build up to those conditions a little bit at a time until you are confident in handling the boat under nasty conditions.

Keep in mind that 4' swells and 4' wind waves are very different beasts.

Another HUGE consideration when looking at forecasts is the direction of the wind in conjunction with the tidal stage. If you are fishing a tide that is going AGAINST the wind you can guarantee it is going to be choppy snotty crap. If the wind is blowing the same direction as the current often times the waves won't build near as bad.

That being said, 25 kts and I am staying home. I like to go fishing for fun, not a chore, which 25 kts it likely to be.

Bring extra padding for your cushion, because it will be a slammer.

Good point. Thats another good way to get in trouble. You launch and go out a ways to check things out and it looks ok. Then a couple hours later, after you are several miles away, things change radically and you are suddenly looking at a very nasty ride back or you might be unable to turn around and even get back.

There was a recent discussion of just that thing happening to someone who launched out of Anacortes I think. They went out and then could not get back and had to motor around in nasty conditions for hours and landed in a completely different port from where they launched.

During the 70's, 80's and 90's I used to fish the ocean out of Tillamook Bay a lot. Also I've towed my boat to Ucluelet BC 14-15 times and lots in the Sound and the Strait. What gets a lot of guys in trouble is they just cant say NO. People drive a long ways, spend a lot of $, make plans and just cant say NO to other people cause the bar, the ocean or the Sound are too rough. Saying NO isn't easy and guys don't want to look whimpy. I had a few experiences back in the day and learned to say NO!