How far do you guys paddle?

I am looking at a 12-13 mile round trip on Sunday. If I had a pedal kayak, I wouldn't even second guess it. But I have a paddle kayak so it is all arms. I am young and in good shape. Looks totally feasible just want to get some insight from older more experienced guys. I'm fishing solo so that is always a concern, being 6 miles off shore in an emergency. Pretty heavily traveled area so I don't think it'd be hard to hail for help from a boat in an emergency. How far have some of you guys paddled? How sore the next day?

I have paddled long days like that, and yes, my arms, back, and core were beat by the end of it.

Just a recommendation - take it or leave it. I personally would not recommend heading ~6 miles offshore for your first long-distance paddle. Keep in mind that if your spot is 6 miles out you will end up paddling SIGNIFICANTLY more than 12 miles when all is said and done.

If the wind conditions change, you could find yourself in a bad situation if you’re 6 miles out and only able to make 1/2 kts or 1 kts headway. Think about it - at a 1 kts speed over ground, it could take 6 hours of struggling to get back in.

Short version: Learn your capabilities and limits by paddling some long days near shore before you head out like that.


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I have been out a ~2 miles before, with a couple of buddies. I am not sure i would attempt 6 miles out by myself, if i had a buddy that i was confident in (that is the key) i wouldn't think twice (but there better be some good fishing way out there!).

I have never thought about it for where i usually go, but maybe consider adding a flare gun or some sort of visual distress signal in addition to the standard safety. Make sure you have a good radio, and know how to use it. 6 miles may be pushing the range for some small handheld radios.

After pondering my response some more, i think my last thought is: if you are doubting yourself at all, please bring a friend or don't go at all.

I know I’ve put 10 miles paddling for salmon while trolling but not six miles out, just 3 and back plus all the paddling in between.  The worst miles are the ones when you know you cannot stop due to time, wind or current. 

Eddie wrote:

The worst miles are the ones when you know you cannot stop due to time, wind or current.

or all three combined, particularly when time = impending darkness

sounds like a trip to Soquel hole...

make sure if you are doing a long paddle and fishing, that you think about the effects of swell and wind.  Sucks to have to come home uphill and into the wind...

sounds like a trip to Soquel hole...

Lots of good advice here. I’d just add that the “kayak” fishermen who make the trek to the Soquel hole usually have a sail and a motor and lots of experience and can read the conditions and are willing to abort if things are not as expected and so on. I’m sure it’s been done on a paddle kayak but certainly not something to take lightly.

If it’s all arms you need to work on your stroke.

I’ve done 6+ Out  a number of times out of the cove and Trinidad, but only in the stealth which is makes that range pretty easy. I don’t think I would’ve even tried in my X factor.

Also keep in mind if you ride a current out you have to fight it back in, so you have to be aware of fatigue from trolling etc while out.

My farthest has been 12 miles while trolling for salmon but I was never more than about half a mile from shore.  That was in a paddle yack.  I could have gone further but was beat along with torn up hands.  I had decent gloves but wet hands on a paddle for hours were not friendly.

It depends on where you are launching and where you plan to fish from your launch.

If you were a little more specific as to where you plan to launch you could get better feed back for that area.

 I can tell you that if you were to chase salmon from moss landing your best bet is typically to head towards the soquel hole. When weather turns you are typically riding the swell and wind back. ( typically )  Know your forecasts. Now current is a whole different concern. Currents can be strong at times near moss.

Lots of great safety equipment out there. Sure there are topics you can search up here in the top right of the page.

Alex

It's doable, but as everyone else has noted, better be prepared and have a couple bail-out plans.  What kind of kayak are you paddling, launching, etc? 

Lotsa folks cover a lot of miles while trolling, but they know the area and conditions. Look up some past posts from LoletaEric... Eric gets after the salmon while paddling.

What I'd recommend is to study paddling techniques online.  You mentioned your arms... but if your form is good, your core will do the heavy lifting instead of your arms.  Ocean kayakers cover a lot of ground through paddle stroke efficiency (and a sleek hull).

Mark wrote:

Look up some past posts from LoletaEric... Eric gets after the salmon while paddling.

Indeed, Coho Joe and I have salmon trolled and rockfish hunted with ES, done 10-12 miles, not much more than 1-1/2 offshore but moving non-stop, up and down hill, across and back.

One day, while paddle trolling and jigging, a large pod of Rizzos showed up, so Eric lead and I followed, we added an hour or more sprinting after them. Amazing animals and experience.

I don’t even know how many miles we went that day. More than the usual I think.

Shelter cove is a great example of current. The handful of times i have been there i have experienced current changing from north to south from day to day. Had to make alternate plans while on the water after checking current on the water. Be ready to make adjustments.

Shelter cove is a great example of current. The handful of times i have been there i have experienced current .

Yeah, it can rip. Set your drift alarm, always watch your landmarks, have a plan.

One day last year around this time a friend and I paddled 6.5 miles directly out of Moss chasing salmon reports and the fleet. We hadn’t intended to necessarily go that far, but the radio was calling us out there. We had good visibility and stopped to check the drift/wind patterns multiple times. An ~3.5 hr paddle out only took 2 hrs on the way back, but I would hate to find myself in the reverse situation.
I should also mention I got one hook up as soon as we got to the grounds, but lost it at the boat.  We were pretty nervous about being that far out so didn’t really spend that much time fishing once there. Having other PBs around can be comforting but shouldn’t be relied on.

I think others have covered a lot of great advice and I strongly agree logging 12-15 miles is best done close to shore as you find your comfort level.