Anacapa Island - A 15 mile Journey - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Socalkayak · 03-12-2016, 01:19 PM

I camped and fished out there via islandpackers on a 3 day trip. Swell will come from your 2 o'clock on way there. But swell is secondary by far. I got in mass trouble at Santa Cruz because of wind. Had to beach and wait for like 8 hours due to wind and current. Scary scary. Horrible time of year to try this. I am not hating but I give you a 15% chance on making it. 85% you will be calling for rescue. Just take islandpackers and go island hoping. Camp at smugglers or scorpions. I would do this first then try the long haul in July or August. Call vessel assist and get info on how many boats they assist every weekend. 3 friends of a friend died on there boat trying to cross a few years ago. It's not like down south (catalina) there are not as many boats crossing so you are all alone except for the cargo boats. Trust me paddling from island to island will be extreme enough. Again camp out there via island packers first. It will be cheaper than paying for the rescue.

Socalkayak · 03-12-2016, 01:58 PM

Just read Zeds post. I hope you don't think you are going to roll up and camp anywhere. There are a ton of rangers out there and you are not camping unless at a campground. So u need to make reservations as well there are only a few spots that you will be able to land cause it's all cliffs. There is nowhere to camp unless at campgrounds. Good luck getting reservations on the weekend. Weekdays yes weekend nope. You can leave all kayak gear on the rocky beach no problem of getting stolen then it's a 1/4 mile walk to campgrounds. Landing options are very limited when you get out there make sure you are paddling back from fishing with the wind and current. Ya it's 15 miles as the crow Flys but paddling count on a good 18. It's 15 to islands but another 2 or 3 miles to get to a place to pull into. So plan your milage from channel islands harbor to scopions. That will be your true millage. Ok I looked at navionics and from channel islands harbor. ( best place to launch ) to scorpions closes place you can camp is 17.8 miles perfect straight line so you can plan for 20 mile paddle. You can't camp on anacapa and will get emidately popped if you try. It's awsome out there but paddling probably not going to happen. Wish you the best. The current picks way up the closer you get to the islands so you really need to look at the tides at estimated arrival time and get it on a slack tide. Don't mean to be negative but you gave me flash backs of me on a 20 foot rock beach waiting 8 hours for the wind and tide to calm down so I could paddle 3 miles back at night freezing cold while my wife and two kids were freaking out at the campsite and pulling into the cove at 9pm to a wife shaking her head at me as if I didn't know I was a complete fool. That ruined me for at least a year.but good luck.

Socalkayak · 03-12-2016, 02:07 PM

At scorpions it's only like a 1/4 mile paddle and you are out of the MPLA area. Awsome 1/4 mile paddle as well. Caves cliffs mist enjoyable paddle ever. As soon as you get outside of MPLA GPS and a rock out coping daily marks boundary. The fishing is killer about 100-200 yards off of rock outcropping. When I was there there were 3 charters sitting there marking the spot for me. Also fish right along the island. One cool thing I liked was casting into the caves and pulling nice calicos out of caves bring a snorkel as well

2-Stix · 03-12-2016, 04:30 PM

So theres a few guys on this site that have been there done that with the Channel Islands and crossing the channel...I being one. Its a very very bad idea to do this now. Don't think for a minute we are saying this because were some old washed up pussies. Commercial fishing boats cancel trips all the time. 35'-75' boats, not 15' pieces of plastic. We have all set out thinking it was going to be the best trip ever and came back kissing land hugging friends with a tear in our eye. Take island packers, do a handful of trips, and you will see how brutal those islands can be. I was up all night in November on anchor watch in Smugglers Cove. The day we went out, Island Packers turned around in the channel. Your not allowed to go on land where ever you want. This is not the national forrest, or special BLM area. I have been one mile off shore shitting trying to get back to shore on big seas and heavy switched winds. 1 guy died a few months back in the Ventura Harbor when a 5' rouge wave flipped there fishing boat. One guy swam a 3-500 yards and his buddy didn't make it. 1/4 mile from the shore in a boat. Don't fuck with the ocean. Shit gets real fast. Look, we all care about you and what your doing. We want to see you yak and fish for 1,000's of days. Please hear our sincerity in this. TaggerMike and I saved 2 guys at La Jolla over the summer. It was spooky.

aren_denman · 03-12-2016, 08:23 PM

Were going to do the islandpackers trip. Check the island out, and return for the journey this summer. In the mean time, We are leaning towards Santa Cruz Island for base camp, We are trying to decide which campground - Prisoner Harbor vs Scorpion Anchorage . What has better fising, diving, hiking. Which side is best protected by the wind? Which side has more structure, more kelp, and biggest caves? Hunting game fish - WSB, Yellowtails fins, bluefin. Also, you guys know a good website for fish reports in channel islands?

2-Stix · 03-12-2016, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aren_denman

Were going to do the islandpackers trip. Check the island out, and return for the journey this summer. In the mean time, We are leaning towards Santa Cruz Island for base camp, We are trying to decide which campground - Prisoner Harbor vs Scorpion Anchorage . What has better fising, diving, hiking. Which side is best protected by the wind? Which side has more structure, more kelp, and biggest caves? Hunting game fish - WSB, Yellowtails fins, bluefin. Also, you guys know a good website for fish reports in channel islands?

East side for wind protection, caves and camping. Yellowbanks, the gap, east side, north, it all fishes good when the bites there. The island is like 20 miles long.

http://www.channelislandssportfishing.com

steveooo · 03-13-2016, 08:32 AM

We did Santa Cruz Island about 2 years ago using Island Packers. Super fun trip that I am trying to talk Andy into doing again. We camped at Scorpion.

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ght=Santa+Cruz

03-12-2016, 04:30 PM	#4
2-Stix Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Ventura, CA Posts: 376	So theres a few guys on this site that have been there done that with the Channel Islands and crossing the channel...I being one. Its a very very bad idea to do this now. Don't think for a minute we are saying this because were some old washed up pussies. Commercial fishing boats cancel trips all the time. 35'-75' boats, not 15' pieces of plastic. We have all set out thinking it was going to be the best trip ever and came back kissing land hugging friends with a tear in our eye. Take island packers, do a handful of trips, and you will see how brutal those islands can be. I was up all night in November on anchor watch in Smugglers Cove. The day we went out, Island Packers turned around in the channel. Your not allowed to go on land where ever you want. This is not the national forrest, or special BLM area. I have been one mile off shore shitting trying to get back to shore on big seas and heavy switched winds. 1 guy died a few months back in the Ventura Harbor when a 5' rouge wave flipped there fishing boat. One guy swam a 3-500 yards and his buddy didn't make it. 1/4 mile from the shore in a boat. Don't fuck with the ocean. Shit gets real fast. Look, we all care about you and what your doing. We want to see you yak and fish for 1,000's of days. Please hear our sincerity in this. TaggerMike and I saved 2 guys at La Jolla over the summer. It was spooky. Last edited by 2-Stix; 03-12-2016 at 04:40 PM.

03-12-2016, 08:23 PM	#5
aren_denman Junior Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Encinitas, CA Posts: 13	Were going to do the islandpackers trip. Check the island out, and return for the journey this summer. In the mean time, We are leaning towards Santa Cruz Island for base camp, We are trying to decide which campground - Prisoner Harbor vs Scorpion Anchorage . What has better fising, diving, hiking. Which side is best protected by the wind? Which side has more structure, more kelp, and biggest caves? Hunting game fish - WSB, Yellowtails fins, bluefin. Also, you guys know a good website for fish reports in channel islands? Last edited by aren_denman; 03-12-2016 at 08:37 PM.

03-12-2016, 01:19 PM	#1
Socalkayak Junior Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 29	I camped and fished out there via islandpackers on a 3 day trip. Swell will come from your 2 o'clock on way there. But swell is secondary by far. I got in mass trouble at Santa Cruz because of wind. Had to beach and wait for like 8 hours due to wind and current. Scary scary. Horrible time of year to try this. I am not hating but I give you a 15% chance on making it. 85% you will be calling for rescue. Just take islandpackers and go island hoping. Camp at smugglers or scorpions. I would do this first then try the long haul in July or August. Call vessel assist and get info on how many boats they assist every weekend. 3 friends of a friend died on there boat trying to cross a few years ago. It's not like down south (catalina) there are not as many boats crossing so you are all alone except for the cargo boats. Trust me paddling from island to island will be extreme enough. Again camp out there via island packers first. It will be cheaper than paying for the rescue.

03-12-2016, 01:58 PM	#2
Socalkayak Junior Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 29	Just read Zeds post. I hope you don't think you are going to roll up and camp anywhere. There are a ton of rangers out there and you are not camping unless at a campground. So u need to make reservations as well there are only a few spots that you will be able to land cause it's all cliffs. There is nowhere to camp unless at campgrounds. Good luck getting reservations on the weekend. Weekdays yes weekend nope. You can leave all kayak gear on the rocky beach no problem of getting stolen then it's a 1/4 mile walk to campgrounds. Landing options are very limited when you get out there make sure you are paddling back from fishing with the wind and current. Ya it's 15 miles as the crow Flys but paddling count on a good 18. It's 15 to islands but another 2 or 3 miles to get to a place to pull into. So plan your milage from channel islands harbor to scopions. That will be your true millage. Ok I looked at navionics and from channel islands harbor. ( best place to launch ) to scorpions closes place you can camp is 17.8 miles perfect straight line so you can plan for 20 mile paddle. You can't camp on anacapa and will get emidately popped if you try. It's awsome out there but paddling probably not going to happen. Wish you the best. The current picks way up the closer you get to the islands so you really need to look at the tides at estimated arrival time and get it on a slack tide. Don't mean to be negative but you gave me flash backs of me on a 20 foot rock beach waiting 8 hours for the wind and tide to calm down so I could paddle 3 miles back at night freezing cold while my wife and two kids were freaking out at the campsite and pulling into the cove at 9pm to a wife shaking her head at me as if I didn't know I was a complete fool. That ruined me for at least a year.but good luck.

03-12-2016, 02:07 PM	#3
Socalkayak Junior Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 29	At scorpions it's only like a 1/4 mile paddle and you are out of the MPLA area. Awsome 1/4 mile paddle as well. Caves cliffs mist enjoyable paddle ever. As soon as you get outside of MPLA GPS and a rock out coping daily marks boundary. The fishing is killer about 100-200 yards off of rock outcropping. When I was there there were 3 charters sitting there marking the spot for me. Also fish right along the island. One cool thing I liked was casting into the caves and pulling nice calicos out of caves bring a snorkel as well

03-13-2016, 08:32 AM	#7
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,922	We did Santa Cruz Island about 2 years ago using Island Packers. Super fun trip that I am trying to talk Andy into doing again. We camped at Scorpion. http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ght=Santa+Cruz