Canceled halibut...

[C-Money]

Our Westport halibut trip on the Starfire was canceled. Dang. Some boats are gonna try and go out, but not ours. Hoping for a good bottom trip Wednesday on the Freedom.

[MLBowhunting]

Bummer but best to be safe then sorry. 

[C-Money]

  it's blowing pretty good out now. The boats have been getting a few halibut on bottom trips, hope we can get one Wednesday. 

[fishngamereaper]

Better safe than sorry. Those captains know their limits and the 12-14 combined seas tomorrow are not fishing friendly.

[2labs]

How many people have lost a slip in the the La push. Marina?  It's a joke.siting on a gold mine. 5 guys in five years. 

Bring back back Daryl and Daryl !

[h2ofowlr]

Better safe than sorry. Those captains know their limits and the 12-14 combined seas tomorrow are not fishing friendly.

What site do you use to see the weather conditions out in the salt?

[RadSav]

We used to cancel a lot of halibut trips on the ocean.  Our fish were at 50-55 fathoms.  Taking customers out when the drift is fast and the seas rough isn't much of a service to them.  We usually offered discount trips if they wanted or had the time to try again.  Safety was almost never an issue as our boats could handle some very nasty stuff.  But stealing someones money when odds were they would hit bottom three times and have to reel up 350-400' of line doesn't seem right, does it?

We would crab during the winter in horrible weather.  Cross bars with coast guard escorts.  Even run a few miles with breakers on the back deck.  Only once feared for my life and that was on the Columbia bar when we were late after helping the coastguard search for survivors of an earlier capsized vessel.  If people wanted to pay that much money for a boat ride we would take them darn near any day.  But if they expect to catch fish for that money the threshold is much lower.

We have cancelled a few trips due to mechanical issues.  Those were always embarrassing.  Best most modern boat in the bay and we can't keep a return fuel line from clogging   Sometimes crap happens!

[RadSav]

How many people have lost a slip in the the La push. Marina?  It's a joke.siting on a gold mine. 5 guys in five years. 

Bring back back Daryl and Daryl !

LaPush could be a whole different story.  That can get nasty rather quick!

[h2ofowlr]

Red,
What wind speed, gets the trip cancelled?  8-10 mph?  Or higher?  Fridays forecast appears to be 8-10 mph for the opener of halibut.

[2labs]

That bars not the question, they tell you you have a slip than you don't. If ya can't cross that bar you probably should go catch trout.

[fishngamereaper]

Better safe than sorry. Those captains know their limits and the 12-14 combined seas tomorrow are not fishing friendly.

What site do you use to see the weather conditions out in the salt?

Pin point forecast on NOAA, Swell watch 3D weather and Magicseasweed...look at them all and find the middle ground,

[fishngamereaper]

Red,
What wind speed, gets the trip cancelled?  8-10 mph?  Or higher?  Fridays forecast appears to be 8-10 mph for the opener of halibut.

8-10 is a whisper breeze. 12-15 makes 1-2' wind chop depending tide. 15-20 is bumpy and not much fun, 20 plus is stay home. Then add swell onto any of the above winds. My rule is anything combined much over 9- 10ft and I don't go. Thats in a 24ft boat.

[RadSav]

Red,
What wind speed, gets the trip cancelled?  8-10 mph?  Or higher?  Fridays forecast appears to be 8-10 mph for the opener of halibut.

Unless it has changed small craft advisory flags will be issued if winds are expect to reach 20 knots within 12 hours,  Gale force flags raise at 34knots and storm advisories at 48 knots.  Fishing much deeper than 20 fathoms is difficult under small craft advisories, but if you have enough boat you can manage by backing into the current.  Gale are darn near unfishable and not at all pleasurable for charter fishing.  We have crabbed under gales before, but it's not overly enjoyable doing that either.

Big thing is liability.  If a customer falls, gets thrown into something or gets injured in any way while a charter skipper ignores a gale flag - penalties can be steep! 

My mentor used to say, "Customers first, my boat second, you and I last!"


We have cancelled trips when wind was not very high at all.  Really depends more on current than it does wind.  With twin screws, good hull design and large props you can back into wind rather well.  But current is going to make or break hitting bottom at more than 30 fathoms.  We always figured if a novice can not jig at least 10 pulls before losing bottom then drift is too fast or the water too deep.

[h2ofowlr]

Here's what the tides look like for Friday and Saturday this week.
Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon
           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

F    8      Low   1:45 AM     5.9   5:40 AM    Rise 12:04 AM      86
     8     High   6:25 AM     6.5   8:35 PM     Set  9:33 AM
     8      Low   1:38 PM    -1.1
     8     High   9:25 PM     7.7

Sa   9      Low   2:50 AM     5.9   5:39 AM    Rise 12:52 AM      77
     9     High   7:13 AM     6.1   8:36 PM     Set 10:37 AM
     9      Low   2:28 PM    -0.8
     9     High  10:17 PM     7.6
Winds appear to be 8-10 mph around noon.

[buckhorn2]

My friend is working on a 450 foot dredge that is doing the Westport bar and he called me this morning saying the Westport bar is nasty so sunday should be a better halibut day.

[C-Money]

I saw that dredge out there this morning.  At one point, The ships aft went way down and the bow came up, then alarms went off. Not sure what was up, but strange.

[sirmissalot]

How many people have lost a slip in the the La push. Marina?  It's a joke.siting on a gold mine. 5 guys in five years. 

Bring back back Daryl and Daryl !

LaPush could be a whole different story.  That can get nasty rather quick!

With Lapush basically having no bar its one of my favorite places to fish out of. I dont really think its any different than any other coastal fishery, the weather can get nasty quick anywhere. Just yesterday I was fishing around copalis and when the wind began to pick up we called it a day, before we knew it the wind was blowing a steady 25 and had to be gusting into the mid 30's, really was cooking out there and from the south. The fun part was pulling pots on the way in, one of very few times I've ever had my crew put their life jackets on.

2labs you are exactly right about the lapush marina. It has become an absolute joke. I don't know who's currently running it but I know for a fact that previous guys were taking cash on the side. That is why you're losing slips is my guess... absolutely ruined the halibut fishery for us out of lapush. I'll be down there for the opener but just for the day, not looking forward to the launch line but what do you do!

[2labs]

That's what I was getting at. You call at 7.59 for a slip, they take your money, call too confirm. No spot! Tell you to find someone to double tie with. Lets not even get started on the fuel dock, the boat ramp.or the line up to launch! Last time I was there you couldn't power on your trailer! Really. You winch on a 10k. Boat! Those clowns are sitting on a gold mine.

[Bill W]

We went bottom fishing with Rocky's one time when there was small craft warnings out.  It wasn't fun and was too hard to get a good drift.  The only person who really made out was the boat owner.  I was so sick I puked on someone's leg trying to get to the rail and didn't even say I was sorry.  Even the baitboy was sick.

Three people drowned when their boat capsized that day.

[2labs]

That's what the light at the coast guard station is for. Kinda a go no go gauge.

[buckhorn2]

Going out Friday with Rhett on the slammer and was hoping to take my boat out for halibut on sunday but that does;nt look like a good forcast now. I have fished in the ocean enough to know its more fun on the nice days.

[cohoho]

Going out Friday with Rhett on the slammer and was hoping to take my boat out for halibut on sunday but that does;nt look like a good forcast now. I have fished in the ocean enough to know its more fun on the nice days.

With your salt experience Del, if you aren't going, I not going near it...

[Blacktail135]

 I've been 3 boat's to a swell and a 1-1.5 foot chop on the way out in a 16' footer (north end of Vancouver Is. westside) and breakers on the way back in.....Freddy's has hali for sale at $20 a pound. Pretty good deal in my book. Pick your fight's boy's. The older I get the more I see thing's differently. Challenge's are kinda fun though when you're a young feller......eh. 

[Blacktail135]

 Have your gear/boat/knowledge up to snuff and have fun. Don't take an irresponsible chance.

[C-Money]

We did great on the Freedom Wednesday.  Limited on lings & rock fish.  Guy next to me got 30 lb halibut, and a lady got a nice king that was released.  I had large fish bust my herring liter twice. Great day on the water. The Freedom crew was outstanding,  I think I found a home on the Freedom.

[cohoho]

We did great on the Freedom Wednesday.  Limited on lings & rock fish.  Guy next to me got 30 lb halibut, and a lady got a nice king that was released.  I had large fish bust my herring liter twice. Great day on the water. The Freedom crew was outstanding,  I think I found a home on the Freedom.

Good job, yummy Lings!