Another Lesson Learned

[Vikingj]

Bob is making a very important point. Be prepared. I have my gps and also carry a $10 boy scout compass in my pocket as backup. You have no idea how disoriented you can become in the fog until it happens to you. Any compass is much better than none. I would never rely on the swell for direction - it is extremely unpredictable!
Wayne

[mrJB]

Wayne, you should be ashamed of taking that scout's compass

[lamb]

Thank you for very helpful and informative post Bob, like always!

I was on the water that day on my boat. Around 8:30 AM, you could see the thick fog out on SW horizon , working it's way in closer to the shore. As morning Easternly breeze was turning more to blowing from the South, the fog hit North LJ around 10:15AM and covered it in no time. It hung out for good couple of hours before clearing up, apparently moving up North.

All the new-comers to the sport have to be aware of the thick fog that occasionally wraps our coast line. The fog can hit any time of the year, and it is just occasionally in the forecast. It is the most common this time of the year, in late September/October. As the water temps are dipping down and we get hit by Santa Ana conditions and high air temps for a few days, the right conditions are there. GPS with your tracks on is a must have on one of these days to ensure you'll have an easy time finding your way back exactly to the launch. I agree with Greg - while compass will help you find the shore, it won't necessarily help you easily find the launch.

If you happen to find yourself in a situation where thick fog moves in, and you don't have navigation gear that will show you the way back to the launch, the best thing to do is probably anchor yourself to the kelp/lobster pot and wait till the fog clears out. Kelp is probably better, as it also reduces your chance of getting ran over by irresponsible boater driving through the fog full throttle. Keep an eye on your sonar, scan the depth to figure out whether you're drifting or being blown toward or away from the shore. In North LJ, you should be seeing kelp as you get to about 70 ft depth, depending on your precise location.

For the lucky of us that have smart phones, it's certainly handy to have some sort of a navigation app. I just checked them out. I didn't go with Navionics, ended up buying "Marine US". It was only $5.99, almost 1/2 the price of Navionics. It does keep your tracks, has ability to save waypoints. The most attractive part for me was that it integrates NOAA charts, and as the charts get updated on vendor's server, you download them on your iPhone.

Given the price of your iPhone/smart phone, and the fact that the phones don't mix well with the salt water environment, I think navigation app installed on your phone should just be a backup. Hand held waterproof GPSes are little over $100 these days. That money is well spent as it is your crucial piece of safety equipment. I won't even mention the ability to save the spots you discover, or fine tune your position on the "fishy" area or specific places where you hooked up.

Another big thing all the new-comers should keep an eye on that starts this time of the year is Santa Ana winds. It has happened before, they are reports from the past - finding yourself paddling/pedaling into the 20+ / 30+ wind gusts blowing you away from the shore is a hairy thing to experience. It is a scarry feeling to realize that you can't make any headway. Always keep an eye on whether forecast; it heavy Santa Anna winds are predicted, play it safe and don't take your chances. No fish is worth risking your life.

[WahooUSMA]

Hey Bob,

The fog was intense. I went to Catalina on Friday for the weekend and just got hammered by fog. At times, you could not even see the end of the boat. I had my GPS, Chart plotter, and compass. I was scared shitless most of the way. The radio chatter on 16 was full of lost vessels needing assistance from the coast guard or vessel assist. In addition to the electronics I have on my boat, my wife had her head buried into her iPhone GPS....that phone is amazing.

We made it, but it was a pucker factor of 10 most of the way over. Next upgrade is going to be radar!

The photo attached is to the entrance of Avalon!!

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by lamb

Given the price of your iPhone/smart phone, and the fact that the phones don't mix well with the salt water environment, I think navigation app installed on your phone should just be a backup. Hand held waterproof GPSes are little over $100 these days. That money is well spent as it is your crucial piece of safety equipment. I won't even mention the ability to save the spots you discover, or fine tune your position on the "fishy" area or specific places where you hooked up..

I agree that a good hand held GPS or even better a FF with GPS would be a good thing to have. Since I do not have either, the phone is a reasonable alternative.

As for risking the phone's health in wet environments, this does not have to be an issue any longer for some types of phones. My latest trip was the first with my iPhone encased in the LifeProof waterproof case. It worked great and is nearly bullet-proof. For more info on this device search for LifeProof in this forum to find a review of this product that I posted a while back.

Otterbox also makes a waterproof case for the iPhone and probably some other types of phones. I have no experience with this case but I did check it out in the store. It looks pretty good. Maybe not as good as the LifeProof case but it costs $30 less.

For guys who fish a lot or are often out in sketchy conditions, I think that a dedicated GPS or FF with that feature is a great idea. For those of us who just go out occasionally, can't justify the cost of another gadget and already have a smart phone, this can be a very serviceable option.

Bob

[ODOGFISH]

good to hear ya got out of your predicament ... fog is spooky more so when its as thick as pea soup

... and to the poster that said WALY-MART had the E-TREX for 20 bucks ... I did a 100 mile search at waly-mart for it and no luck ... damn ... that would have been a great buy ... waly-mart