Well guys, this is a tough one...

How shall I put it? First off, I've only been out of LaPush a handful of times, and never on my own boat.

On Friday, I saw plenty of 18, 19, 20ft boats going out of LaPush. The weather was sunny and the water was nice. I would have taken my 19' Custom Weld (11 degree hull) out on a day like that. Most people were fishing 5 to 7 miles out.

But Saturday was a different story... it was windy and lumpy, and just a bit snottier. You couldn't tell what the weather was going to do, and I would NOT have taken my boat out that day. I hear Sunday was even worse.

So there you have it, it really depends upon the weather. You can always tow your boat to Sekiu or somewhere else if the weather is nasty out on the coast.

Beware, as other have said, the fog in LaPush. Many days, it is sunny everywhere except right along the coast, where it's foggy. Make sure you have a good compass, GPS, VHF radio, and make sure you are fluent in using them... can you pilot your boat with nothing more than your compass and GPS? Make sure your boat is up to par... two engines, both are working fine, plenty of good gas, etc. These are some of the reasons why people die out there.

The approach into the harbor at LaPush is plain scary the first few times you do it. It feels like it's 5 feet wide (though it's at least a couple hundred), with rocks just underwater to your left, and a jetty to your right.

Make sure when you first go out of the harbor, you set your GPS waypoints carefully. Too many people just set one waypoint at the river mouth, and if you go out and try coming back from the north in the fog, heading for a waypoint set at the river mouth, you'll run right into an island. Just make sure you set good waypoints that extend out so if you're coming back in in fog you can make it around the island and approach the river from the south. Most of the time, the river mouth is protected from direct swell by the island, but I've heard that when the swell is from the south, it can get nasty, too. I've never seen it like that.

I guess my best suggestion is the first time you go out there, go with a charter (like Larry) or someone else that has been there a bunch and knows what they're doing. Watch what they do, watch how they approach the river and where they travel in the channel. The fishing is great there, but no fishing is worth risking your life for, so just be smart and careful.

-N.