hey folks, I am new here, and tryed to search the archives as is custom prior to posting this, I am simply looking for a little reassurance I think. I have a 16 foot mirrocraft pro fisherman, it is pretty high sided, but seems really tipsy with even the slightest waves. I have been puckered a couple of times out by possession and off jeff head when the water picks up. my question I guess would be is this type of boat suitable for short runs of 4-5 miles out of neah bay or sekiu for lings and rockfish? I don't have a kicker, but the motor is an '04 honda four stroke so it is reliable enough I think. just looking for a little insight before I become prop lube for the rest of you guys

It's just my opinion but if you feel uncomfortable at Jeff Head and Possession I'd say don't do it.
Neah can be real flat but you still have swell and when the wind comes up it can get hairy.

If what you've encountered on the inside waters rattles you, what you'll run into in the straights will terrify you, especially when you're 4-5 miles from the dock and the tide is running against the wind. After doing a search for mirrorcraft and reading up on them I might try it out of seiku on a windless day but then I felt comfortable in my old 14' valco in some pretty big stuff. I would recommend trying a charter out of either of those places to get a feel for the kind of conditions you'll encounter there or maybe hooking up with someone who's got a boat and has been there.

We took a 14' aluminum boat out at Sekiu last August. It worked just fine. Rollers are no problem as you just ride them and you don't even notice them. If the weather is good, and there is little to know wind (which happens quite often on summer mornings in the Strait) you would have no problem at Sekiu.

BTW: Bring a GPS if you hae one. That way you can go out in the fog. Foggy days in the Strait mean flat water.

Ditto what most others have said. I might try a boat that size out of Seiku on a nice flat day but I've been at Neah Bay enough to tell you even on a flat day I wouldn't venture too far out of the harbor in a small boat. There are really strong currents and winds come up in a flash there at the entrance to the Straits. Go with a charter out there.

I ;ve taken my 14 ft aluminum since 2001 about 15 trips and all I can say it be careful around neah bay, dont venture to far from the green buoy unless your certain, been caught in some nasty rips and it sucks. stick to the edges of kelp and you'll be cool

The good thing about Neah Bay/Seiku is you can stay close to shore and fish the shallows and come up with some decent bottomfish. No need to venture too far out. Just taker it slow and keep your eyes open to changing conditions.

No, not 4-5 miles out, unless it is a really calm day. Even then, if conditions deteriorate, you may have a tough time getting back to sheltered water at 5-10 kts beating into a headwind or quartering waves.

But, you don't need to go any farther than the NE side and NW tip of Waadah Island if you just want to work rockfish and Lings, plus Kelp Greenling and Red Irish Lord. If it's nice out, you can venture over to the Garbage Pile which is a couple miles west of Waadah Island. Even in these close-in spots, though, watch the current, wind, and rips very closely so that you don't find yourself on top of a rock. It can happen very quickly, especially if you get a fish on and lose situational awareness. You can anchor instead of drift. You still need to keep up the SA, because even on the hook a change in conditions can swing you around and put you on the rocks.

thanks for all the input, I think more and more It is probably not worth the risk of venturing out past sekiu. I will be the first to say that I have a very strong adversion(sp?) to going under. How good are my chances of finding a halibut staying close as most of you have said? also are salmon a possibility or do i need to go further out for those as well? the only reason that I was concidering going up is because I saw that curley's offers 14 foot kicker rentals with motor a quarter the size of mine. and was thinking that there must be some fishing opportunities close enough to warrant smaller rentals. also going west of the sekiu river is there spots closer to the sekiu side that I can go for rockfish preferably the black variety? I am in the military and only get the chance once in a great while to venture this far from home, so I would hate to plan and finance a weekend only to limit five minutes into my trip.

Take your 14'er and head to Sekiu,You should have a blast,you should be just fine.If you go to Neah Bay stay close to Wadda and Seal / Sail rock's and you should be fine.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Its a 16 and from all the reading I think i will be alright, in my original post I think I may have come across as a weakhearted freak, I don't really get puckered at jeffs head or possession, I simply maintain a healthy respect of the water and when it gets to blowing around I get off of it. I plan on going with a couple fellow marines and staying close to some shore. sheltered waters are always better for me since I am far from being the master boatman. if a perosn had to pick one spot suitable for my boat where would you go to catch a few fish ?

I see no problem with sieku. Just stay with the herd and you should be fine. I would suggest a VHF radio on board. Kinda fun to listen to the chatter on occasion and should you encounter trouble at least you have a way to get some help.
Salmon (especially kings) can be had very close to shore at sieku. You sometimes have to run out a bit for silvers, but once again not to far and it should not be a problem, as you will have company. You can run down near the mouth of the sieku river to try for halibut. My son caught a 37lb halibut right in the mouth of sieku bay on a tide change while fishing for kings a couple of years ago. We did not have a gaf onboard my little 14ft aluminum so we just hauled it in with the net. It was just about dusk and it took a couple of runs before we could get a look at what was on the end of the line. Lots of fun and a bit of a spectical watching us try to subdue the thing in that little boat! Have a great time and don't worry, you should be just fine.

An average situation at Sekiu is calm in the morning and white cap chop by 1 PM. Then it calms down again near dark. But that's average. Fog so thick you can't see 20 feet can also roll in and sometimes it is chop from dawn to dusk. I'd definitely have a gps due to the chances of fog. There should be halibut around but it's more hit and miss than Neah Bay. Salmon doesn't open until July 1 and it's clipped only. Always salmon around at that time of year but whether clipped or not is another story. With no kicker it sounds like you'll be mooching, which is my preferred method there. Stick to the kelp beds in the early morning and remember that those kings are on top real early. Last year 20 feet down at daylight and dark I had a lot of success.

actually I found out that I can rent a 9.9 on base for 10 bucks a day. that will work until I talk my wife into buying me a honda to match my main looks like I may be renting for a while I am hopeing I can catch a halibut before I get orders out of here, but will settle for a rockfish or lincod If I really have to

I think the smokercraft is similiar to my mirrocraft except it may be a bit wider and a tad more freeboard, but all in all I may give it a shot and like you said pull out and stare at the sand if it gets windy

Since you are in the military, have you checked to see if the Coast Guard at Neah Bay has recreational boats available that may be rented? There use to be a U.S. AirForce facility there too, but it may be closed as it has been several years since I have fished Neah Bay. Seiku in the early morning and late evening is usually flat, with an afternoon wind that can be nasty. A hand held GPS as suggested elsewhere in these posting will let you fish if the fog rolls in.

I didn't really think about it, since my boat is bigger than most rental boats you typically see, it is kindof comparable to the smokercraft osprey

I've had as bad of days weather wise at possesion bar as neah bay, maybe because I got to putt back to eglon but the water there can be real nasty as well, listen to what all the replies refer to and you'll be fine, and stay the f*$k out of port angelos.

kingsalmon, my motor is a permanemtly mounted 50 hp so it really won't work to swap it around, also why would I need to stay away from PA? bad weather or a locals only hole

I have a 15 ft smokercraft with a 25 horse yamaha have taken it to seiku for Kings off the point in July, and 5-6 miles out for silvers in September. I haven't had any problems you just have to watch the weather and be smart.