Currents in Cook Inlet

[Kardinal_84]

I was planning a trip for kings and halibut in Cook Inlet. I have the iphone navionics app that gives basic depths. tides, and current.

The "C" on the left shows a place you can click to get the currents.
So I did. I was a little surprised to see the currents were under 2.5knots at the highest level on May 1. I know that's pretty fast but it just always seemed faster when you watched the water rush by you while anchored.

Any thoughts? Is the App wrong? Is Anchor point very different current wise from Deep Creek area?

The second pick is what you get when you click on the "c". I moved it over to Sunday. The graph is current speed, NOT tides.

 

[Waldo2382]

The tides and currents differ through the month and for May 1st, that is about right for speed. The currents run anywhere from about 1.5 to almost 4 knots. From the nobeltec program I have the time seems to be a little off on your "app". As for differences in current compared to Deep Creek, I can't answer that off hand. The more of a difference between High Tide and Low Tide means stronger currents.

 

[pike_palace]

I'd believe it. Not a real huge difference that day in the tides.

Thanks for turning me on to this . Rep coming to you.

 

[Kardinal_84]

Thanks for the replies. I have fished off of Deep Creek since I was a kid. But I never really paid attention to the actual speed because I was always in a power boat. I just knew that when the anchor finally caught, the current around you looked as fast as any river I have been in. Considering trying it in Kayak and at 2.5mph at full current, during the hour or 90 minutes around each slack, I should be able to fairly easily hold my position at least. Allows for more time between some of the closed areas.

Sure hope the marine weather forecast holds for Sunday!

 

[AK2AZ]

Here`s a great link that would help anyone understand more about the area...some of it was news to me and I spent my childhood fishing out of a Zodiak there.

http://www.alaska.boemre.gov/reports/2009rpts/2009_041.pdf

 

[Old John]

I was planning a trip for kings and halibut in Cook Inlet. I have the iphone navionics app that gives basic depths. tides, and current.

The "C" on the left shows a place you can click to get the currents.
So I did. I was a little surprised to see the currents were under 2.5knots at the highest level on May 1. I know that's pretty fast but it just always seemed faster when you watched the water rush by you while anchored.

Any thoughts? Is the App wrong? Is Anchor point very different current wise from Deep Creek area?

The second pick is what you get when you click on the "c". I moved it over to Sunday. The graph is current speed, NOT tides.

The speed of the current will be the fastest halfway between the high and low tides.. not at high and low tide when it basically stops and turns around..

 

[Kardinal_84]

On the same app there happens to be a tide graph near by and this is what it shows for the same time and date. You can see at 12:24pm on May 1 it is about half way between the high and low tides and therefore, the current graph which I posted earlier peaks. This app is like $15 and it seems to be off slightly but it works great. Especially with the GPS feature. Also the maps load on to the phone so you can still use th app even if you are out of cell phone range.

 

[cod]

Your chart shows why I recommend fishing out of the yak the last hr b4 and after the slack tide. Less water movement. Tide coupled with WIND direction will really influence your movement speed. U can paddle against the tide, u just dont make much progress. When u turn WITH the tide, u will fly. Exmple...half hr against then turn and b there in 5 minutes.