Share your anchoring tips and tricks

[TheOtherLine]

In calm waters, no wind, slack tides, anchoring is not a problem. But when the wind is blowing, the currents are running, anchoring (for me anyway) in such a way that I am over my fishing "spot" can be downright tricky.

I've had a few old salts share there tips and tricks with me and would like to learn even more from this group of polished seamen.

Let's hear it.

 

[Outta Here]

I fought heavy anchors and poor sets for years. I bought a "real" Danforth brand (something like #5HT) and all my troubles are gone. The thing only weighs 5 pounds, HT stands for high tensile. Put on 8' of (I forget) 1/4 or 3/8 of stainless steel chain and no more roughed up hands or scratches @ bow. I would say it sets 70-80% of the time first try. I moved attach point to bottom of anchor (used wire ties) and now, easy to pull up + it only weights 5 #'s.

 

[B-Faithful]

Dont ask me. I made 2 mistakes:

1. I have a plow anchor....It stinks for setting up over a harder bottom or oyster beds when chumming

2. Though I have a windlass, I didnt get a free fall.


A good pointer though is to get over your spot, zoom all the way in on your plotter and find your drift line. This way you can drop your anchor in the appropriate area and drop back over the structure you wish to work.

 

[jeffnick]

http://www.geocities.com/jeff_nicholas/Anchoring/Anchor1.html

 

[TheOtherLine]

zoom all the way in on your plotter and find your drift line. This way you can drop your anchor in the appropriate area and drop back over the structure you wish to work.

Anyone else do it differently?

 

[Megabyte]

Most of my fishing is done over structure (oyster bars), rather than wreck fishing.
Because of that, most of my fishing is done on the drift, rather than on the hook.

But... if I must anchor, my technique is similar to what Greg outlined.

When I get into the area I'm going to fish, I check out the wind and tide (and any other boats that are already hooked up)... position myself, and drop the hook. (manual, free-fall)

If you know your depth, and the amount of scope you want to employ (depending on the sea conditions), it's pretty simple using your GPS to calculate exactly where the hook needs to be dropped to put you in the zone.

Of course, since I'm not anchoring over a wreck, getting an exact spot over bottom isn't absolutely essential.

Some of the two-anchor 'wreck rigs' I've seen posted here on CP are impressive. Those guys have the gear to be very precise. Thankfully, we don't have a need to be quite that spot-on. :wink:

 

[Outta Here]

About the same as B-Faithful's, except you don't need a chartplotter....approach your #'s, when you get there, shift to neutral and let boat drift off. Look at GPS and follow the compass heading back to waypoint, go past #'s throw anchor and set. Let boat drift back letting out line until you're over spot.

Wanna fish another area @ the same #'s? Merely move line to spring cleats to swing boat around to new areas.

For goodness sake, don't anchor off the stern. :?

For you Merc owners...might be easier to simply follow the oil slick. :wink:

 

[DaleH]

I agree, anchoring in any roaring wind can be brutal, specailly when the wind and the tide are in the SAME direction. I find it causes the boat to move TOO FAST to properly allow the anchor to dig-in.

So what I do, is to stem the boat in and out of forward gear to SLOW my rearward drift until the anchor takes a sure bite, then I allow the wind and tide to take me back. Then I always run up into the tide/wind a good 20-30' and pwer back in reverse to really set the anchor good.

FWIW I use the 8-pound version Hi-Tensile anchor as previously mentioned. It is rated for a 35' boat! Awesome anchors and with enough chain at the beginning of the rode, it doesn't 'sail away' on its way to the bottom.

For goodness sake, don't anchor off the stern.

So true ... I'd say 1 out of 2 boats, or maybe 1 out of every 3 boats, I hear that had a problem or death while fishing, had anchored from the stern or caught the anchor rode or lobster boat buoy in the prop. I keep a 6" high-carbon (almost like SS) saw-all blade affixed to an 8' pole that I can use to saw through any wet line. Remember, a sharp knife blade won't cut a seasoned wet line ... you need to saw through it.

 

[B-Faithful]

When wreck fishing with my father, he uses the technique that I use to drop back over the wreck but then drops a grapple to hook directly into the wreck to place us directly over the stucture (then the toggin/sea bassing begins). he has a welder at home to repair the rebar when he breaks off a bar.

 

[Porkchunker]

Dropping anchor in a ripping current at the CBBT can be a real problem. Before I lengthened my chain, the danforth anchor would drift back under the boat. I did some research and Chapman's recommends that chain be 1.0 to 1.5 times boat length. So...I cut off the old 10' of chain and replaced it with 30' of chain. At the same time I swapped ends of the rope and learned to make rope to chain splices (a very good skill to have). The danforth and 30' of chain always ends up dropping where I want it in 20'-40' of water.

I usually idle up current, drop into idle, drift a bit and ascertain the drift line. Then I go back up current about 3-5 times the water depth from where I want to fish (if the water is 30', I'll go about 90'-150' up current and start dropping the anchor). By the time my anchor hits bottom (not a free-fall windlass), I'll have drifted back a bit. I keep letting out rode until I'm close to where I want to fish and take in a bit of rode. I'll end in reverse to set the anchor. On a calm day, I'll crowd the 3:1 scope...while on a windy day, I'll put out closer to 5:1.

Dave

aka

 

[TheOtherLine]

Remember, a sharp knife blade won't cut a seasoned wet line ... you need to saw through it.

:shock: I didn't know that !

God I love this site....

 

[Calabash-SC]

I have about 230ft of 1/2" and 30 ' of 1/4" chain on an EZ Anchor Puller.
my probleem is scope, I am only able to get 230' on the spool before bottoming out. I often try to anchor in 80-125' of water. I am going to try
changing out the 1/2" on the puller and try to get 300+ 3/8" rode on the spool with 30' of chain. I carry a spare anchor and 300' of rode for bad weather. Do most of yall CPers use 1/2" or 3/8" rode on your 23 and 25 footers. Oh, the anchor is a 22# Dansforth.


Thanks

John

 

[Porkchunker]

My 2510 came rigged with 250 ' of 1/2" rope and 10' of 1/4" BBB chain. I replaced the 10' of chain with 30'. It falls into the anchor locker from the Lewmar windlass A-OK.

Dave

aka

 

[Megabyte]

I keep a 6" high-carbon (almost like SS) saw-all blade affixed to an 8' pole that I can use to saw through any wet line.

This is what I have on-hand for that detail.

http://www.galls.com/511/

 

[Megabyte]

Do most of yall CPers use 1/2" or 3/8" rode on your 23 and 25 footers.

1/2" here, but I'm 'manual' so there is plenty of room in the standard Parker chain locker for me.
But... I only carry 300' of rode as I'm generally anchoring in 35' or less.

BTW - Something I found to be useful are anchor rode markers.

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/4,1193.html

For $5.00 you can mark your rode and you know exactly how much line you're paying out at any particular time without guessing.
Anchoring in 30' of water want want to use a 5:1 scope? Simple!

 

[DaleH]

For $5.00 you can mark your rode and you know exactly how much line you're paying out at any particular time without guessing.
Anchoring in 30' of water want want to use a 5:1 scope? Simple!

Simple 5 times 30' = 150' of rode reployed - right?

Nope ... wrong! For one should ADD the height of the bow above the see before multiplying, so 34' x 5x depth = more like 170', if you want to be 'by the book' .

 

[Megabyte]

I figure that extra couple of feet in as 'insurance'. :lol:
Better to be too long than too short. :shock:

 

[TheOtherLine]

Getting back to anchoring techinques.. buddy of mine told me this is a foolproof way to gauge where you should throw anchor, especially if currents and winds are conflicting. Basically concept is, pull up to your fishing mark. Go to idle and let the boat drift until the track on your plotter looks like it's tracking in a straight line. That could be 3-5 mintues. After you have a straight track, Using a water based dry erase marker, draw a straight line on the track line and all the way through your boat, as it appears on the plotter. Then steer in the approximate direction opposite the way the boat drifted. When the line you drew intersects the waypoint on the plotter, you drop anchor and the boat will be in relatively perfect alignment with the mark you want to fish. Of course you have to steer far enough "up" the mark to allow for line payout, but he says this always works.

Make sense to anyone else?

 

[Megabyte]

.
Make sense to anyone else?

Absolutely!

And... your friends idea (minus the marker), sounds like a mash-up of the ideas presented so far. :wink:

"Happy hooking"...

 

[greatcir]

I anchored a lot with my boat before my current 2120. I used the plastic tags in my anchor chain and line and my windlass ate them faster than I liked. I then played out the line on the dock and sprayed it a different color (black and white) every 10 feet. I painted the first 10 feet from the anchor red so when I was raising the anchor when I saw red I knew it was the last 10 feet.

As the paint began to wear off, I finally timed my anchor play out (did not have free fall) and I knew that in 5 seconds I played out say 10 feet so each second was 2.5 feet so to let out 100 feet I ran the windlass down for 40 seconds. My old memory does not have the exact numbers stored, but you get the idea. It was then easy to raise up 30 feet or let out 50 feet by just looking at my watch........................Pete