Worst Inlets

[seapower]

I watched the video, must have missed the bad part. Never been there, you have. Just didn't look too bad from this end. Frank

[chumtini]

That's on a good day On the no-so-good days, my hands are white knuckled on the wheel and the camera stays in my pocket.

The Coasties have a station here with specially built boats to handle the cut.




http://www.uscg.mil/d1/staChatham/Boats.asp

Like I said, it's not the worst. When the winds turn the seas out of the east, expect a hairy ride. And mark a route on your plotter and keep it up to date.



There's no fleet of big sporties here. Here's another view I found.




The harbor. The boats on the top are the home of the comm fleet and the USCG



This is "the new cut" which formed 2-3 years ago after a nor'easter. Don't even think about trying this unless you know the area well. You WILL run aground.



You guys know how sand shifts. 2008:



Next year I'll try to get someone onboard to shoot what it looks like on a not-so-good day. Like I said, usually we leave in the dark....and fog So there's not much to see until it's too late

One more thing....that fog. Here's an SST of Cape Cod. Yu can see where the cold nutrient rich water from the Gulf of Maine collides with the warmer waters S of the Cape. It's one of the reasons for the fertile fishing grounds. But it also makes GREAT fog...that heavy dense stuff that renders spotlites useless.

[seapower]

Please don't take what I said as a cheap shot, it wasn't. Your extra pics show what you were talking about. The airel shots really look familar to what we have around here. Yep,alot of days provide a "pucker" factor, just an added bonus I guess. I've done that runnin' the inlet in the fog thing too, I gotta say thats probably the worst thing we could subject ourselves to. Kinda hard to brace yourself or dodge what you can't see. Back in the day when I was commercial fishing out of here, we would make 10 day flounder trips, that when we'd "haul back" it was run from the winch to the radar, just to make sure you weren't about to hit someone else. Alot of trips we could make and never see the other boats, for the entire trip. Radar is a wonderful thing. Thanks for the pics. Frank

[chumtini]

I didn't take it as a cheap shot at all. Quite the contrary - someone was actually interested in something I posted LOL. The worst one I have been thru was Nassau Sound, FL. Not even sure I'd call it an "Inlet". That place is a nightmare. I've never been out of NC but have heard the stories. Next year, I'll get some video with the cut in all it's glory. It's pretty cool and makes for an exciting start to the day

[blueoceaneyez]

Worst I've ever been thru - CAROLINA BEACH NC. Even lost power thru that stupid inlet on dad's boat on a bad day now that SUCKED! I say I'll never go thru it again but somehow our crazy azzes keep on using it. I've had ppl tell me Destin Pass is bad but I disagree b/c it's really not that bad- you play the tides & conditions.

[Water_Rat]

Worst I've ever been thru - CAROLINA BEACH NC. Even lost power thru that stupid inlet on dad's boat on a bad day now that SUCKED! I say I'll never go thru it again but somehow our crazy azzes keep on using it. I've had ppl tell me Destin Pass is bad but I disagree b/c it's really not that bad- you play the tides & conditions.

My Tiara is at Inlet Watch, right across from CB Inlet. It can be bad in a North East'r, but trust me, there are worse ones out there. Try St. Lucie even on a good day, outgoing tide. Or, just take a ride up to Oregon Inlet. That's on my hit list this year. Follow the fleet out, pick up some yellowfins and get back thru the inlet. Anytime ya lose power in an inlet is bad, that's for sure.

[blueoceaneyez]

Oh I agree there are worse. There was a fishing mag awhile back that listed the worst inlets and Oregon inlet was número 1 if I remember right. ? That's one on our to do list as well. My aunt fishes out of hatteras but I never have. Can't wait to get back to Carolina fishin!! :-)

[tunatamer73]

Merrimac River Jetties

I will second this. Nasty!