Fort Ross - 8/20 (PICS)

Mooch,
That area is poplular for shallow water salmon at times.  Driving home, a long 1, its not uncommon to see the sport boats are working the area.  

No idea how good the rockfishing is.

Are you thinking of dumping in at Jenner and paddling out the mouth???

Also, notice the seals on the beach.  They look like logs from the HWY.  I wouldn't be surprised if the area is sharky.

However, I'd be more worried trying to paddle in against the outflow when a big wave comes from behind.  Make sure you land at high tide for less current flowing out.  I'd have to pass on this high risk launch.  But then again, you and GTO went out into the whitewater at LM.

Stuart

the legalities of giving abalone to restaurant are murky, be careful

The abs were served to us with no charge...all the chef did was prepare it for us to consume = that is legal.... right?

...and I always thought that "gifting" abs is legal  

Last year a kayaker got attacked by an elephant seal in Jenner (Russian River mouth).  Then again Jenner is also the place two christian camp counselors got killed by an unknown gunman while they were sleeping on the beach.  Oh, yeah and it's sharky.

Actually, I've never fished the river mouth from my kayak but a lot of power boats head up that way from Bodega Bay.  It's a popular spot for salmon and dungeness.

Brian

Pidotti's reef is a totally easy paddle from Fort Ross... about a mile or so... I do it all the time... fishing's good through there as it is in many other spots... I still like the direction you guys were headed on Saturday... except go farther around the corner.

2.  I've often considered launching at Russian Gulch (small beach at the foot of Dramamine drive... you know what I'm talking about).  That gets you close to the Russian River and salmon territory and access to the "lost coast" portion of the sonoma coast.  I've heard Ab diving is great down there, but the shore break can be nasty on big days... looks like it would be do-able with a very small swell though.  

You can launch by Goat Rock as well... the location of one of the shark- kayak interactions that is documented on the web.  But also close to the salmon action later in the fall.

A yak got chomped by the taxman at the mouth of the Russian a few years ago...launched the lady like ten feet in the air!  They have the account at http://www.bask.org

There is supposed to be some pretty good fishing for kings outside the mouth of the Russian.  Pretty soon you'll see boats trolling the shallows and shore casters tossing spoons.  I've contemplated launching the yak from goat rock and fishing this area, but the sharkiness of the area has me concerned.  I am thinking about drifting the lower river in a few weeks.

-Allen

UNBELIEVABLY flat conditions.
Had I known you guys were headed up there I would have turned you onto a party directly up the hill from where you were fishing on a 16,000 acre ranch.
LOVE seeing those conditions in that area. A lot easier to fish than when the swell and surge are pounding.
Tote

Parasitologists don't eat sushi.

MolBasser

Notice that despite the beautiful triangle waves there, nobody is ever surfing the mouth of that river.  Must be some BAAAD mojo there or it'd be crowded since it looks similar to the bolinas lagoon mouth surf-wise.

Pedotti reef is my fav area at fort ross, it's very scenic too.  I've yet to dive for abalones on the outer part of the reef, but I bet it's great because it'd take some serious balls to dog-paddle all the way out there.  Looks like the jawbone of a five mile long dragon laying the the water.

I want to launch at goat rock this winter and go crabbing out there.  The sharks don't scare me. I will beat them down.  

I have fished the beach from a PB many times, and it is good.  The crabbing is outstanding.  

People do surf there, but generally on the backside of Goat rock, the shape is better.

Pole-once the salmon are in the river they are protected by the ESA and they are serious no-touchy.  Chinook generally don't enter in decent numbers until Sept., with the main run in mid Oct. to early Nov. We are hoping for a big return this year, this is the 2002 year class, which had the best smolt production of any year since I started counting the little guys.

Ah scwafish, you go me there.  Last fall when I was in the fishing store in Guerneville, I asked the guy behind the counter if there was anything going on in the river.  He said they were catching salmon up by Mirabel so I just assumed there was an open season.

BTW, if they are so protected, why don't they close an area around the mouth of the river.  Most of the fish that come in shallow are migrating up the river, aren't they?  I was kayaking the lagoon the same weekend last fall and saw many snaggers working the beach.

-Allen