Catalina Camping and Kayak Fishing

[newportdogs]

Just finished 7 days at the Lava Wall Catalina boat-in camp site with my 2 boys. It's our 11th year there. We missed 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. Good food and lots of beer. Fishing was OK for Calico, Barracuda and Sand Bass. Better than last year but not our best year. No Yellows or Bonito this year.

[Sully1]

Great post! Looks like fun.

[Pinhead]

Looks like a great family time, roughing it a bit. I never knew that camping opportunity was available. Thanks for sharing.

[PapaDave]

... so how did you get your kayaks there?

[newportdogs]

It was fun, we used the Catalina Freight Line for the gear and kayaks

[JohnMckroidJr]

What a fun trip! And at $33.75 to bring your kayak over, I am surprised more anglers are not using the Catalina Freight line for fishing/camping trips.

https://catalinafreight.wixsite.com/...shipping-rates

[pescadormejor]

Sounds awesome, thanks for sharing!

[jruiz]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

What a fun trip! And at $33.75 to bring your kayak over, I am surprised more anglers are not using the Catalina Freight line for fishing/camping trips.

https://catalinafreight.wixsite.com/...shipping-rates

I don't think the logistics are that straight forward. The pickup/drop off is just south of Avalon while the campgrounds are quite a distance from Avalon. Last I remember there aren't really vehicles on Catalina, so good luck getting it to the campground.

The better options is island packers which some forum members have used in the past to get to the channel islands
https://islandpackers.com/home/

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by newportdogs

It was fun, we used the Catalina Freight Line for the gear and kayaks

How did you ferry your kayak from the Catalina Freight Line drop point near Avalon to the actual camping grounds?

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by jruiz

I don't think the logistics are that straight forward. The pickup/drop off is just south of Avalon while the campgrounds are quite a distance from Avalon. Last I remember there aren't really vehicles on Catalina, so good luck getting it to the campground.

The better options is island packers which some forum members have used in the past to get to the channel islands
https://islandpackers.com/home/

Cool, nice to share this!

[newportdogs]

We use the Descanso Beach Ocean Sports service to move our gear and kayaks from the Freight Line to Lava Wall and back again. Been doing it for the 11 years we camped/kayaked in Catalina. That's their boat in the second picture.

JRUIZ is correct, the logistics part can be difficult as there are no roads to the 11 boat in camp sites. We do see folks kayaking to sites where they have their gear on their kayaks. Since you have to pack in water our 7 day stay makes that impossible for us.

Here is their website.

https://kayakcatalinaisland.com/kayak-camping/

[daperrin]

Thanks guys this is great info. I went over to Catalina last year on the ferry and rented a kayak at Descansos. The fishing in the kelp just to the left of the beach was great. Lots of calicos and sheeps. I was wondering what the best way would be to get my kayak over there for a few days of fishing and camping at a reasonable fee. I will check out the Channel Islands Ferry as I would love to camp/fish there.

[bernie3674]

Me and my buddy are planning to head there in a month. We are pedaling from Cabrillo, I have a revo 13 with outrigger and a sail, he has AI, what's a good spot to fish?

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by bernie3674

Me and my buddy are planning to head there in a month. We are pedaling from Cabrillo, I have a revo 13 with outrigger and a sail, he has AI, what's a good spot to fish?

That's ambitious if this is a serious comment.

I would like to do something like that once, just to have done it.

Leave at 10pm on an evening when there is low wind forecasted. At 3mph, It will probably take 10-14 hours even though theoretically it is less than 9 hours. You and your buddy with sail might be twice as fast, but it is still a long ass journey.

A kayak can be easily missed by ships in the shipping channel, so I would recommend a radar reflector or if you can afford it, an AIS broadcasting your position. An escort boat, or a subscription to SeaTow would also be good to have just in case the unexpected happens. Make sure the cell phone battery holds a good charge and your provider has good coverage. A hand held VHF will probably lack sufficient range in an emergency. Have redundancy of safety equipment and a float plan made available to family so that they can monitor your progress.

Once you get there, forget about fishing.... celebrate that you made it! LOL

Getting back during the afternoon in the Catalina Channel is riskier. The afternoon channel can kick up fast becoming dangerously too rough for a kayak. You would definitely need to pick the right day. I would opt to use Catalina Freight to bring the kayak back.

[Salty]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

That's ambitious if this is a serious comment.

I would like to do something like that once, just to have done it.

Leave at 10pm on an evening when there is low wind forecasted. At 3mph, It will probably take 10-14 hours even though theoretically it is less than 9 hours. You and your buddy with sail might be twice as fast, but it is still a long ass journey.

A kayak can be easily missed by ships in the shipping channel, so I would recommend a radar reflector or if you can afford it, an AIS broadcasting your position. An escort boat, or a subscription to SeaTow would also be good to have just in case the unexpected happens. Make sure the cell phone battery holds a good charge and your provider has good coverage. A hand held VHF will probably lack sufficient range in an emergency. Have redundancy of safety equipment and a float plan made available to family so that they can monitor your progress.

Once you get there, forget about fishing.... celebrate that you made it! LOL

Getting back during the afternoon in the Catalina Channel is riskier. The afternoon channel can kick up fast becoming dangerously too rough for a kayak. You would definitely need to pick the right day. I would opt to use Catalina Freight to bring the kayak back.

Good call on the Catalina Freight! Their website lists shipping rates for various items. They have Kayaks listed at $33.75/Each, which is surprisingly cheap in my opinion. I guess it would just be a matter of timing and what to do with the kayak once it's there! Would love to send my outback out there and take the Flyer out to pick it up and spend a couple days fishing... Sounds like a bit of a logistical juggling act, but it does seem doable!