Big River, Mendocino Bay

Anybody here tried going in at Big River and out to the bay this fall? The configuration at the mouth of the river seems to create some nasty currents and I've been wondering if it's kayakable. Looks like the channel hugs the rock face at the south and there's a big shoal. Maybe ride the tide out?

Last week some guys tried surfing there when the swell was running 15 to 17 feet. One of them died. Definitely not a place to be when the ocean is riled up.

I’ve kayaked there and kayaked surf there.   Paddle over to the sand bar and pick your spot to enter.   The waves degrees going towards town.   I would guess it would be good crabbing in the bay.   Paddle the caves and the sink hole

Have you been there this fall? The sand bar is really wide and shallow - inundated at high tide, but huge at low tide. All the river flow and tidal current is going through a narrow channel on the south up against the cliff, then there's a crazy-looking potato patch where it hits the bay. Maybe I'm just timid because I'm new at this, but it looks like a great place to get dumped and then slammed. (The fact someone just died there is a bit daunting too.)

Tomorrow the tidal range is like 7 feet, so I think there will be a lot of current. The SW swell probably has a clear shot at the mouth, too. I'm hoping to catch a better tide and swell setup some other time... tomorrow I'll hit Caspar again.

I saw it this year and surfed it,  different than last year.  Would not got out that channel if I were you and loose it.  dump all your fishing or crab gear and get pounded on the beach or up against  the cliff.   You could paddle on the lagoonish inside the sandbar all the way towards town and then pull you Kayak over the sandbar as the break there is much smaller.  Let me know how Caspar is.

In wondering if the bar there has changed or will be changing with the current storms and forecasted 11'-15' swells. Weren't there even bigger ones recently, too?

I work at the mouth of Big River at Catch A Canoe, And Bicycles Too. We get a lot of kayakers asking this same question. You're right to be a bit nervous about exiting the river mouth there. Several kayakers were pinned up against the rock face on the south side of the river earlier this year and had to be rescued. It's doable according to some advanced sea kayakers in the area, but personally I wouldn't attempt it myself. The sand is moving around so much that it's tricky to find a clear route out past the breakers right now.

Hey Mendoyaker, good to hear from another local! You basically echoed what I just heard from Cate at Liquid Fusion (definitely an advanced sea kayaker).

FishermanX - Yeah it does change a lot, especially this time of year. It looked a lot different today than it did last week. Wicked tide currents really shift a lot of sand around.

There were 17-foot swells recently (when a surfer was killed) and there are 20-footers in the forecast this Sunday. No telling what the mouth will be like after that.

I think it's a matter of watching and waiting for a better configuration and a low tidal range. Maybe next year.

Tim, I know Cate as well and get a lot of information from her as well. She usually paddles around on Big River once or twice a week and chats with us from time to time about how the sand and river mouth keep changing. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of chaos this storm arriving tomorrow brings to the area. The latest swell report I saw is calling for 25+ foot swells through Monday!

Cate and Jeff rock at Liquid Fusion.   Your go to source for information and training.  She can even fish.  Have her show you the pic of the big ling she hauled in.  They have posted some video from Noyo harbor today,  it is rocking and rolling.  Stay on the beach for awhile and watch the show.  Safe travels.

I got surf training from Cate last week, it was awesome! Still not very good at the landings, but now at least I know what I should be doing...

Watched the sunset at Big River today - the big swells and king tides have really moved things around. Now the river cuts through the bar, but it still looks rough. Will continue to watch and wait.

Surf training? I need to check that out. I usually pucker up and go for it. Usually get lucky but not always when heading back in.

Surf training? I need to check that out. I usually pucker up and go for it. Usually get lucky but not always when heading back in.

Yeah getting out is the easy part... landing and getting out of the surf zone before the next wave dumps me out of the yak is the hard part! Cate taught me what to do, now I just have to get better at doing it.

I highly recommend taking one of their surf training workshops. If you get 3 to 5 people together it's pretty reasonable.
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