Lower Marin Coast - blown out, un-yakfishable, borderline un-yakkable

John, thanks I appreciate your concern!  You are right about making the best decisions on land, and I did mention that next time I have to think a few times on shore about whether I should stay or go, I will just wait for another day.  I definitely hear you there.

It wasn't really that bad until I got a mile or so out, and I did check the buoys, waves, wind, and the updated forecast before I left (which they even downgraded for the better on Friday, those jerks).  If I was just seeking thrills, I wouldn't have brought tackle, rod, bait, and tried so hard to fish, and would not have paused periodically on the way out to check conditions at drift to see how doable it was.

And certainly if I had a crystal ball and, before I left, could have seen those morning buoy reports I posted, I would have just stayed home, slept in, gone to the coffeehouse, sat in the sun, checked out girls, and not have had to clean up all my yak stuff.

I just like to look at the bright side and learn from experiences when I can, that's all.  I don't feel I exceeded my limits, although I did get close enough, and I don't mind pushing them in growing and learning.    I rarely go out alone anyway, but i will still be careful and apply what I learn.

But it's gonna be awhile before I can wear the spurs like you and blue and other senior members here do, I'm not gonna deny or forget that!

Here's how the launch looked...  With salmon limits on my mind, it was too tough to resist this...  Didn't know someone was gonna turn on the washing machine after I got into it!

Kinda reminds me now of the "harmess little bunny rabbit" in front of the cave, from Monty Python's Holy Grail.

Things always look deceptively nice standing on the beach at Muir but that looks like a doable day

I probably wouldve launched too but if it was windy got a look first from up on the muir lookout or further up toward Stinson You probably would've found nicer water a bit to the north and inside

going straight out from Muir in wind and windwaves it's better to stay to the uphill side anyway

If you get blown downhill from straight out your landing options get dicey and if you have to go around the bend forget it

Also the inshore between Muir and Bolinas the two worst spots tend to be Muir out on a line west and the same thing from Rocky pt Probably something to do with the shape of the coastline

If you launch Muir in weather or you're offshore from there when the weather hits get uphill

all in all sounds like you had a pretty good time

blue, yeah, that's what I thought - so much for appearances.  staying in closer likely would have helped, aside from not going at all.  the wind was almost straight W and i wanted to go more north but the winds really picked up around 9 and i had trouble heading NW because the yak wanted to get blown around towards shore if I started heading towards stinson, plus I didn't want to get swamped by breakers.  I went submarine a few times just heading W into the wind.

if you have a GPS and are curious, you can punch in the coords and see where I stopped...
37.51.621
122.38.187

is there a rocky pt. launch?

not unless you have a really long winch

getting above that stretch of water from Muir west most of the time will put you in better water On most days I just whip around the corner even if it's not blowing

the south end of stinson is the closest but it can be a lot trickier than Muir

Most of the time pretty doable

Yeah, that's what I had figured, about Rocky Pt.  I have always wondered how the heck those people get down to red rocks beach.  if I had a giant yak airbag, maybe i could bounce it down there huh.

Yes I was just thinking that the bottom of stinson might have been a better bet yesterday with the low swells and calmer inside.  could have started trolling faster and been closer to the good grounds.

Thanks for the advice... Good plan for a less windy day and later in the year, turn the corner from muir, find 40 FOW and paddle up the coast and troll out from slide ranch NW to in front of stinson, then back in to the muir landing.  sounds like about 11 miles..? Maybe not bad in good conditions.

BTW, your ro-rows stayed in the tankwell storage where I had put them seconds before, so I don't need to buy more, sorry!  hehehe.

Dont forget. Even if they had fallen out; they float!
Glad to see you are putting them to good use.
And if something like that did happen and you lost them, don't worry, I got your back.

I think we all suffer, to various degrees, from logic like the following...



Ya got a good story, Craig!!

-- Dave

I think we all suffer, to various degrees, from logic like the following...



Ya got a good story, Craig!!

-- Dave

CLASSIC!!!!

That flowchart is funny as hell, Dave.  I will have to save that, for future rationalizations!
Thanks!

Dave-Now you are talking my language!   
 


Steven Scott
Global Process Owner
Strategic Operations & Planning

Autodesk, Inc
 
Direct   415 507 6105
Mobile     415 299 7900

Wow, Craig, that sounds like quite an adventure, and, just as you exhibited with your GWS encounter, you sound like the cool and collected reporter!  I know how it feels to really want to go out, and, maybe unfortunately, now that I have lots of experience on the water I am more likely to push the limits, as are you and many others here.  I've been in that position so many times alone that I have tried to "hookup" many times now, and have done so successfully with some nice results.  But that's only occassionally that I get to share the water with NCKA brethren.  Because the conditions are so often crappy up here I am a very careful study of the forecasts and trends, and I am committed to creating time to go when the conditions are right if at all possible - this is the better MO than making the available time fit the current window.  Be safe, but also keep the thrilling stories coming!   

Thanks Eric!  Yeah, I should have opted to stay in the bay for 'buts...  Next time if conditions look borderline when i am there, I'll opt to stay in.  I got my li'l return to big blue fix in, so I'll be looking for primo water for awhile.

As for the thrilling stories, I really want to keep them to thrilling catches   

Hope you can connect with or recruit more NCKA brethren to fish with up there!

See ya out there sometime!  Sorry I'll be missing Elk this year...

You know, if you only go out when it's primo you're missing out on some of the best fishing

and some of the best kayaking

blue, thanks for the counterpoint... hmmm.... I have this sneaking feeling I will agree with you next time the conditions are marginal but i hear reports of salmon limits   

just kidding guys!

(uh.. not.)