topic says it all, can someone explain the issues with this inlet, i was already told to just follow the charter guys out of the inlet and save the tracking marks, however im sure someone has the scoop on the possable problems, thanks in advance..dave
The sand bars shift on a regular basis and alot of the times they cant keep up with the markers.Even the charter guys get caught once and a while.The other issue if you have an east wind of any sustance and an out going tide the inlet as a reputation for getting a little sporty.
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Whom ever told you to follow the charter guys is correct. At least do it the first couple of times. If you do decide to go it on your own, do it in the day time, NOT in the dark. The bigest thing is you are either in the channel or your not. There are a couple of hard right and left (90 dregee) turns. One of them is Hell's gate, very shallow with strong current. Then you have Bonner bridge where the current can sweep you into the bridge, even 50 footers ,(wasn't me) where it gots into a sandbar on the other side going into the ocean. If you make it through all that you have a constantly changing sandbars before you get into the ocean with breakers sometimes going all the way accross the channel...
Good luck and be safe...
I was in the channel at hells gate last spring and bumped the bottom. Two days later the coast guard came and pulled the markers and closed that channel.
On an outgoing tide and anything east or northeast, you had better be on the ready. Exciting place. You can wait a few hours for the tide to change and sometimes it lays right out. I have been offshore and it has been 2' and coming back through its 10' in the inlet and the cans are not visible.
Everthing gottaflylee said is right on. I have been going down 9 out of the last 10 years. I will try to elaborate. Coming in from the ocean start at the OI sea bouy. It's about 2.5 miles out from Bonner bridge. I like to keep the green bouys about 50 feet to port. About have way or less to the bridge you will cross the sand bar, under normal conditions this won't be a problem it is about 10' deep. when there is an out going tide, east wind, combined with an ocean swell [ bring clean shorts] the waves can turn into 6 to 10' breakers. What you have to do is get on the back of one the waves and ride it in. Maybe 100 yards or so. Regulate your speed to stay on the back of the wave. Don't cross over and don't slow down. If slow down and look back this is where you will need your clean shorts. Only had to do this twice . When you get about 1/2 mile from the bridge make sure you are on the left of the 2 small red nun bouys. As soon as you are through the bridge you will bare right and look for the red and green nun bouys that mark the channel across the sound. At this point if hell's gate is closed your best bet is to find someone to follow. I hate to admit it but I bent a set of props there.
The other alternate route, when you come under the bridge make a hard right almost paralleling the bridge. this is ashort cut to OI fishing center or Pirates Cove. I call it the beer barrel channel. Barrels are always to the west. DO NOT run this channel the first time without following a charter boat. It is only 30 feet wide in some places and very shollow. Depth on my sounder doesn't even register at times. and mark the channel on your GPS at 100' intervals. At the end of this channel you will come to a well marked channel, a hard right takes you to OI fishing center and a hard left will take you out to another well marked channel that will head north towards Wanachese and Pirates Cove. One suggestion, I would call Bill at OI fishing center and ask him if this short cut is even open. Take your time and you will be fine.
Last edited by Russell A. Jost; 02-18-2008 at 09:30 PM.
OI... I HATE THE INLET... But I love to fish offshore from there....
My Observations: 1. Try to avoid E to NE winds on an outgoing tide... UGLY is the word.... Even on a good day, the bar can be UGLY...
2. Follow the pros out of the inlet, mark your trail and even then follow them back in.
3. Be Prepared, there is little room for error, especially when in line with the charter boats and smaller boats. The line is tight for a reason, keep up and stay alert.
It gets a lot more bad press than it should therefore it's intimidating to most.
If you look at really good on a rough day you can find your way through the better parts.
Fishing mostly inshore trips, we are all over the top of and around the bar on both sides on any given day and there is more water there than you think.
The looks we get from folks when we run across the middle of it on a calm day or behind it on a rough day to get around the break is funny.
If there is any white water on the outer bar at all it is easy to see where the shoal is and find your way through, you would have to be really far up inside of it to run aground anywhere. You can almost cut across the north bar just about anywhere past about half way out on a calm day and have plenty of water under you. The south side is where the water is really shallow but that is really easy to see.
The number 4 red bouy is usually right on the edge of the outer bar and is where you will encounter the biggest swell most of the time and is also where the best place to cross is on a rough day, at least it was as of December when I headed to rudee inlet for the winter.
It changes around some but it's not as bad as people make it out to be.
I would be more concerned with the inside channels, they still get my attention and I have made hundreds of trips through them in all kinds of weather
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,(wasn't me) where it gots into a sandbar on the other side going into the ocean. If you make it through all that you have a constantly changing sandbars before you get into the ocean with breakers sometimes going all the way accross the channel... 
