Northwest Fishing Reports

Ever been lost in the fog? I have, and It sucks!! Luckily it burned off after a few hours and I found my way. It did turn a would be 3 mile paddle into a 12 mile paddle though... This would have all been avoided with a compass. Since that day I've been running GPS/sonar combo units, but the harsh truth is they can fail, batteries die, and so on. That's why a compass is still essential to those of us that venture into big water and/or beyond the site of shore. Even carrying a hand held in your PFD is a better option than none at all. This short video is of me installing a Ritchie X-21. I like this model because it's a clean, simple, and out of the way. Plus it has backlighting if you choose to wire it up.

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I always carry a map compass in my life jacket, along with the whistle. I've gone from Culon to the west end of I-90 in the fog and dark of morning just by compass. Ended up very close to where I wanted to be, and without even seeing Mercer Island, went around it with style.