Anchor Tips
"River Anchoring 101"
Choosing your anchor
system
(1) Have a good anchor & enough chain: There are numerous
different types of anchors, but most are not really suitable for large rivers
like the Columbia River. The general opinion for anchoring in a current, is that
the rocking chair style is the best. The size for 16' lighter boats usually
consists of 12" of a 1 1/4" round bar of steel as the shaft, welded to the
center of a crossbar of the same size. On the crossbar is welded a flat 1/4" X 1
1/2" X about 16" total length bar, shaped as a "C". These "Cs" are welded onto
each end of the crossbar & look much like a rocking chair. There is a ring
welded onto the bottom center of the crossbar & another on the top of the shaft.
This anchor weighs in at 16#. For boats in the 16-18' heavier class, it may be
best to go to a 20# anchor.
These rocker type anchors like most of the others, are measured by poundage &
are made in about 3 different sizes for use with different size boats.
There is one brand of this style, an EZ Marine, that is made of
square material & is a fold up type.
.
This system pictured above uses a
custom built bow roller using cam lock cleats (the yellow circle right behind
the rest) with built in bow navigation lights.
One important thing on using these types is that the real attachment point is
not on the upper part of the shaft, but on the BOTTOM. Attach a chain from the
bottom ring with a clevis, run the chain up to the upper ring & use 1 or 2 large
plastic tie tapes thru the chain & into this upper ring. The chain should be
large enough (1/4" dia. link material) & long enough (approx 6-10') to hold the
anchor's upper end down while on the bottom. Using chain adds to the total
weight & allows you to use a smaller anchor. This additional chain weight helps
keep the anchor flutes digging in, instead of being pulled up & out of the
bottom with wave motion. The last couple of feet that is attached to the anchor
may pick up off the bottom on a heavy pull, but the anchor itself will remain
dug in.
Also with this type of anchor where the chain is attached to the bottom of the
anchor, if the anchor does become fouled or stuck, as in underwater brush, you
can motor in the opposite direction & the theory is the tie tapes will break &
allow you to pull the anchor out backwards.
(2) Many experienced river fishermen use an
anchor roller system on the bow. You need
a wide enough roller to accommodate the anchor shaft & the chain. The most
universal system is the roller just forward of the bow enough to have the anchor
line over the roller & enter the water without having any interference from the
hull. One brand is made by Motion Marine. On the sides of this roller support
on top & rearward of the roller are protrusions that go up & forward forming a
horizontal cradle type forks that supports the anchor's cross-bar when the
anchor is in & tied down.
It is better if the roller is
wide enough so that in use, the anchor is pulled all the way up & over the
roller, allowing the cross-bar to then come to rest in the cradle. The cradle
needs to be placed in a position so that when the anchor is pulled up & into the
cradle, that there is clearance for the flukes of the anchor to clear the bow of
the boat.
The rear now, or top of the anchor, needs to be set into a small cradle to keep
it from bouncing sideways & out of place while the boat is under power. The
Motion Marine unit has sides that come all the way back which keeps it from
jumping sideways. You may want to tie a 4' section of 1/4" rope into the top
anchor ring to use as a means of securing the anchor to a cleat & to hold it in
place against the cradle.
(3) Use sufficient anchor line and a
float. Most Coast Guard classes
recommend a slope of 7 or 8 to 1, which is a considerable ratio to the depth.
This seems to be for anchoring boats at moorage or during a storm or in a strong
current. This in many opinions does not quite apply to fishing where a 4-1 or
less seems acceptable, as you are there & can adjust if things start to slip.
Most common size of anchor line will be 3/8", with 1/2" a alternative size. In
the lower Columbia River 150 feet is usually enough for Salmon, while in faster
current near Bonneville Dam, 300 feet may be needed. Many will use 2 different
anchor lines, depending on where & when they intend to fish, as a 150' & a
300'. NEVER attach the non anchor end of the line permanently to the boat.
Floats are used to attach to the anchor line & deployed in front of the bow
about 6 or so. You do not want the float very far in front of the boat if you
need to use a boat hook to fend floating debris off it. An anchor puller is
optional, though many just designate the guy in the passenger seat for that
task.
These floats are used for 3 purposes. (A) To act as an anchor puller when using
a one way slider on the line. (B) To claim your spot in the river, when you hook
a Salmon or Sturgeon that you need to fight it away from other nearby boats. (C)
To be able to go back to exactly the same spot you were fishing from when you
caught the fish.
Usually these floats are round orange bumpers in size from 9" to 12", depending
on the size of the boat & weight of the anchor. (Their use is explained later)
(4) Sea anchors,
sometimes called drift socks, here you really
need two. One is usually enough off one side of the stern, you can place it on
either side to help maintain your position, as it tends to shift you slightly
toward the opposite side. As the tide comes near slack, you may need one on
each side.
Size will depend on the size of the boat, but the small size that Fisherman's
Marine sells, (about 12" dia.) is usually OK for a boat in the 16'-18' size.
With a deep Vee fiberglas boat with no cabin, you may not need them as much.
But flatter bottomed boats or ones with a cabin or convertible tops sway badly
in the wind or at a slack tide without a sea anchor. When rigging these up, you
want to tie a small cord to the bottom end, so you can pull on it & trip this
sock, decreasing the effort to retrieve it, as when a fish is being reeled in.
Also you may consider attaching a small crab float to the line just below the
eye used for attaching it to a stern cleat. It can be rather disheartening to
see the whole thing go downriver, slowly sinking out of sight if you happen to
loose grasp of the line.
(5) Use your
kicker motor, when the tide ebbs &
the socks are not efficient enough to keep you in position, but still enough
current to work your lures, put your kicker motor into reverse & at a high idle,
pull the boat against the anchor to maintain your position.
Picking your spot.
Obviously, depending on what specie
you are targeting, this spot may vary. This decision can be a very precise for
some experienced fishermen, as they know from previous trips just where they
want to be. They will defend their "right" to be there & not have their
territory encroached on in any way.
Know the current you’re
anchoring in. Not all current seams run parallel to the bank – you may not
always end up anchored where you thought you would.
Below are some basic methods of finding an anchoring spot.
(6) Scattered anchoring,
along a section of the river may to some seem to be just that, but in reality
each boat is trying to find a certain depth, ledge, spot or trough to be in, &
yet not interfere with other nearby boat's chances of success. There will be
preferred locations. These "hot spots" may change with the tide & from day to
day also.
It also makes a difference if
it is a boat with just 2 fishermen in it, or a guide boat with 4 to 6. The
guide boat will have his clients cast their lines to fan out & cover as much
water as possible. Therefore he needs more room. By room, this means leave
enough space between you & your new neighbor, both sidewise & up or downriver so
that you do not have any chance to have a running fish interfere with & tangle
their lines. Or if below them, if they have to cut loose & drift to fight a
fish, that the fish will not get into your anchor line.
When motoring into a
prospective location, look at the boat / boats nearest you. You may not be able
to hear him, depending on the distance, wind, etc. But if he makes any visible
negative motions, giving you a thumbs down, or even as subtle as shaking his
head, move farther away. You may not be able to get the exact spot you want,
but usually there is enough spots to anchor in any given area that you can drop
the anchor without a confrontation.
(7)
Hog Lining in some locations may be
acceptable, other locations this is not.
The definition of a Hog Line
pertaining to this type of fishing usually means that they are all abreast of
each other partly across a section of the river. The scattered anchoring could
possibly be construed to be many small hog lines. When you approach an area you
intend to anchor in, observe how the boats are anchored, then "go with the
flow". A bad thing on full blown hog line is that you do not have the
opportunity to really pick your location, as for a shallow depression in the
bottom that may be a fish run channel, & only one or 2 boats may catch the
majority of the fish. If this happens, when they limit & move out, normally
every boat shifts over one spot. A hog line may be the only way to go in some
locations, but if you are in one, then be aware that you need to observe &
follow a few common courtesy "RULES". When your neighbor hooks a fish on your
side of his boat, it is best that you reel in all your lines on that side of
your boat. He needs to also do the same for you. That alone helps in keeping
fishing lines from getting tangled in most situations. If a fish is going to go
sideways, it will do it no matter how fast you drop out of the hog line. On
smaller fish, it is preferable to net them while still on anchor. It usually
takes a bit of time decide if the fish is large enough to necessitate getting
off the anchor fast anyway.
Anchoring.
(8) Picking the spot you want:
One thing that should be stressed in this situation, is
that if something happens, either in anchoring, or pulling the anchor in tight
quarters such as in a hogline, things can happen fast & more than one boat can
get involved very quickly.
If a hog-line is already
established, motor up from downriver side slowly, through
the spot you intend to inhabit. This does several things, it lets
everyone know you are going to anchor there, if they have a problem with it, you
know about it before you are drifting into line. It is a good time to "test the
waters" and greet the guys that will be next to you all day. If
they are close enough, you might even engage in conversation with them & ask
them permission to anchor along side of them.
Position yourself by finding a land
mark that is in a straight line and equal distant, side to side, of your
intended slot. Go through the hogline AT SLOW SPEED and proceed upriver far
enough to make sure your anchor holds when you finally get yourself even. It's
also easier to follow their anchor ropes up to make sure you are on target, or
to see if the hole isn't a hole at all, but just a temporary boil.
They may also know of underwater obstructions in your intended spot that can be
costly for lures or lost fish.
Remember that since the
current is normally running, that you probably have to go slightly upriver from
where you intend to drop the anchor off, as by the time the anchor hits the
bottom, you may have drifted back more than you expected. Just like leading a
bird with a shotgun.
The MINIMUM distance between
boats will vary on the river, the location on the river & even the season. On a
large river like the Columbia possibly 50' would be a minimum in a particular
area, yet a smaller river 20' would be more practical. In the fall on the upper
side of the Astoria bridge, I have also seen hog lines there each boat is tied
to the others with bumpers between them
(9) Normally when you get 100-150 feet
upstream from the boats, (depending
on the water depth & your anchor line length) cut your speed to where you are
standing still, and drop the anchor, while keeping control of the line. If you
are unsure AT ALL if you are on your mark, DON'T DROP THE ANCHOR. Just be
patient and wait until you KNOW that you have dropped it in the right spot. No
sense to get in a hurry. If wind, or a boil takes your boat off the mark, then
just troll around up there until you know you are right on, then dump the
anchor. Don't get in a hurry. This is probably the other thing that causes
most wrecks... And use the their anchor ropes to get your direction, don't look
at the actual boats.
When dropping anchor, always
keep the line in the bow guide instead of just throwing it over the side. This
assures there are no tangles in the line. It is best to place the line in your
roller, (if the boat is so equipped) if not, then over the bow & let it out by
hand to the bottom. This also ensures that your bow will always be facing into
the current should something unexpected happen. Hold the boat in position with
the motor until the anchor hits the river bottom.
Place your motor into slow or
neutral, and wait for the boat to start pulling the line out as it drifts
downstream with the current, then start to back down into your desired spot by
letting line out. If you are using a puller, you will have to keep ahold of
it in the tripped position to allow the line to pass out until you get to your
desire location. It's the anchor boy's job to keep the line taught enough &
under just enough tension, to let it out yet keep it out of your prop.
(10) If you are edging into a spot between other
boats, you will have to be very careful to
control the drift with your motor, to avoid drifting into one of them, if in a
hog line. This is especially so before your boat is under the total effects of
the current as you are drifting back. You may sway back & forth before you
finally come to your position. It is therefore possibly better to, as you are
drifting back, to take up the line slack before you get into the final position
above them. When your boat settles down against the anchor, then pay out enough
line so you will be stern to stern to the boats beside you.
Also, do not to rely on reverse to come
into a hogline as you can not control the boat to any degree of accuracy with
this method & it can be attributed to one of the 3 main causes of accidents.
If you are on the edge of a
line, steer the bow slightly away from the line below you (approximately 10
degrees) and then drift back, letting the boat pull the rope. This allows you to
slide back away from the closest boat & then by controlling the motor, you can
swing with the current into place.
(11) When you get close to the established
line or location, slow your speed with the motor.
When you’ve let our your line and are in position, always "tie
off" to the bow or bow cleat. Never tie off to the side or transom. It is
recommended to use a jam cleat instead of actually tying a knot on this cleat,
so you can throw the anchor line over in a split second if necessary without
having to untie any knots.
When in position you may
find the boat drifts slightly to one side or the other, to compensate for this,
you have to turn your motor slightly to one side or the other & use the
underwater skeg as a rudder to actually position you where you want to be if you
are drifting near other boats. If you are using a outboard jet, this does not
work as well, but if you have an outboard kicker, put it down & use it to direct
you. Put out a drift sock if needed to help the sway &
possibly control the side drift if the motor does not do it all.
Sometimes you may need to anchor under reverse power, such as when you are
trying to get into place before the tide turns. In this circumstance be extra
careful of slack line getting near your prop.
Also, watch the wind. Particularly for small boats, you can get blown sideways
quite a bit on the drift. It can blow you into other boats if you are not
watching, (well, maybe even if you are watching).
When you get established &
your rods out, you then need to prepare for when you hook a fish. Keep your
anchor line neat & orderly, place it in a 5 gallon bucket, the square type works
great. Extra line can be stuffed into a $3.00 Wal Mart mesh laundry bag and a
boat bumper shoved into it to keep the whole thing floating. If the bag is
small, then attach a tag line and float to the bag. Others may just use a
bungee cord around the bundle of line, but the bag is a lot neater. When at
anchor, just keep the extra line coiled inside the bag, in a 5 gallon plastic
bucket. Tie a temporary loop in the anchor line behind your tie off cleat after
you anchor at your intended position. Use a carabineer type snap to attach the
bag's handle into this loop in the main anchor line. Then when ready to move
away, unattach the anchor line & toss the bag & all over the side.
On boats that do not have a forward walk-thru windshield or deck, then pull a
loop of anchor line over the windshield and under the top or along side of the
cabin. Use a jam cleat at the bow. When releasing the line from the cleat,
everything goes over the front on its own.
(12) When you Hook a Fish
While in a Hogline:
You will have to make some quick
decisions. First & foremost, the decision will be governed by how close you are
to the other boats. Next probably will be the size of the fish, where it is
hooked, where it is running & a multitude of things go into the equation.
Here is one sequence of procedure that seems to work on a fish that you WILL net
from anchor..
(1) reel in extra lines
(2) pull in socks
Now, while you are getting the
other lines in, & after a short period of time, you should be able to determine
if the fish is of a size, or hooked in a manner that it can be fought while
still anchored.
If it appears you may need to GET AWAY from the line then the following may
apply.
(1) reel in extra lines
(2) start kicker motor, ready to put in gear
(3) check to see if your neighbors have pulled their lines in
(4) throw buoy
(5) pull in socks
The other rods should be reeled in first thing. It's easy to get tangled with
your own crew while you do everything else. It may be also prudent to fire up
the kicker AS SOON AS YOU CAN, just in case you need it to steer around boats,
lines, etc. You never know when the current will throw you one way or the other.
You could change the sequence of (4) & (5) if conditions suggest, & leave the
sea anchors out until after you throw the anchor line over, as the socks will
help you drift back out of the line better. But that is one of the last
decisions to be made before you decide to throw off the anchor line or not.
If the hogline is close, then hopefully the guys next to you will reel in too.
Then soon as you get the fish under control if you are to net it at anchor,
when you get the fish in, the others near you & the other fisherpersons on your
boat can start bouncing back and often get another fish out of that same school
that is still moving upstream.
If the fish happens to tangle up with the extra rod or your neighbors line
before it is gotten out of the water, so be it...they can then FREESPOOL the
reel & untangle it later.
Pulling the anchor
(13) Wear your Personal Floatation Devise.
Retrieving the anchor can the most
dangerous part of this type of fishing, as if something goes wrong, things
happen in a fast forward mode. You will have to decide the method, depending on
where you are, how deep you are anchoring, how fast the current is running, &
other variables. If it's a tight spot, you are in a hogline, with many other
boats near you, PULL THE ANCHOR BY HAND,
unless you are physically unable, or there is lots of room all the way around
you. Most all the bad wrecks in the last few years were involved using the
anchor pullers systems.
When pulling your anchor with any method, have everyone onboard wear their PFD
if not already doing so. With the inflatable PFDs available these days, they
are very comfortable to wear, so get in the habit of putting one on each time
you board a boat. The manual operated ones are a reasonable price of about
$65.00, while the automatic versions are higher, upwards into the $200.00
range. One thing to consider is
on each vest to have a lanyard attached to
a folding boating knife.
Make sure everybody is seated
and the boat is balanced. Make sure there isn’t any big wakes coming your way
that could throw you off balance. Be very aware of other boats, anchor lines or
other obstructions that may interfere with the safe pulling of your anchor. So
before you start, make sure everything in the boat is stowed/stored neatly and
there isn’t any clutter to get in your way.
(14) Pulling the anchor manually.
As said before pull your anchor line by
hand whenever possible if near other boats. Anchor pulling systems are fine,
but are not really necessary in many places that some people use them. The
manual retrieval method is probably the safest of all.
If your anchor retrieval is this manual variety, motor slowly upstream as your
anchor boy hauls in the line & you are above the anchor. He then pulls until
the anchor breaks free, & as he keeps retrieving the line, slow the motor down
or put in neutral until he gets the last few feet up. But be careful to not
allow the boat to drift sideways to the current.
When pulling your anchor by
hand, always keep the line in the bow guide. This ensures that the bow will
always face into the current even if you need to stop pulling for whatever
reason.
You can do this yourself if
you happen to be fishing alone by just keep pulling from an anchored position,
takes just a little more effort. You do not have to haul the anchor aboard just
now. Leave it hang just under the bow, move out to a open area & then if you
have to, move to the bow leaving the motor unattended while you get the anchor
aboard, is usually no major problem. The key issue here is SAFETY, & keeping
from getting the line tangled in the prop or jet pump is an issue.
(15)The most common anchor pullers
are made by AnchorLift or EZ Marine. They are a unit that goes over the anchor
line, & essentially allows the line to move freely one way but will not allow it
to reverse until YOU trip it. When letting the line out, you just trip the
lock. If using an anchor pulling system, secure the anchor line to the bow or
just to the side of the bow while motoring upstream instead of tying off to the
transom. This way if your anchor hangs up on something, your bow will swing
around instead of pulling your transom under water. Fire up the engine, and
motor forward & past the float at about a 10 degree angle to keep the line away
from the side of the boat & out of the prop.
When using an anchor pulling system, regularly check the condition of the puller
& connection of the buoy to your anchor line, as if the buoy comes loose at the
wrong time, (say before the anchor is off the bottom) things could go bad fast.
Under power, the float
attached to the sliding puller, will slide down the line while the boat is
moving away, when the floatation of the float is more than the anchor & chain,
it lifts the anchor off the bottom & the slider keeps sliding down (as long as
you are still under power & going away) until it can't go any farther against
the chain. Depending on the weight of the anchor & the size of the float,
sometimes as the float slides down, it will disappear under water, & then when
the anchor is dislodged, the float will pop up, sometimes even slightly out of
water. Other times the float will simply stay on top, & you will have to judge
whether you have moved far enough to have raised the anchor. When the anchor is
up, it hangs directly under the float the distance of the length of your chain.
Tow it either upstream or out in the channel far enough so you don't drift into
boats below you when retrieving the line. Now all you have to do is pull the
floating line, float & anchor to the boat.
When using a puller, it can take some time to get your method figured out, so
you may want to practice in an area out of the current. If there is any doubt
as to safety, then pull the anchor manually.
Safety
(16) Safety, Safety, Safety:
Go back & re-read #13.
When sitting on anchor, be ever
vigilant of other boats, river debris, submerged or floating logs are all things
that can and do end up on people’s anchor lines, and can potentially pull your
boat under water. If something does hang up on your anchor line,
just raise the line out of the chock, throw the whole line over the bow & drift
back & away. Do this if you even remotely think there may be a problem,
throw the line overboard immediately. You can come back and get it once the
object floats down past your line.
Make sure you don’t get your
feet or any other part of your body tangled in the line you’re pulling in. The
time you have, once wrapped in a rope & pulled overboard is measured in seconds,
even though it may seem like hours. If you have the knife, and you are clear
headed enough, you do have an opportunity to cut yourself free from the line.
On those boats that do
not have a jam cleat or chock, but have to tie off to a cleat, make provisions
for a KNIFE TO BE PERMANENTLY affixed to a
nearby location, just in case you do need to cut the line.
When pulling your anchor
by hand, always have the motor running and ready to react, and have an extra
floatation device ready to throw overboard to the MOB (man overboard)
Be prepared with a VHF radio set to channel 16 for distress
calls.
Practice both methods of
anchor pulling many times in calm water. Have a pre thought-out safety plan &
share it with your passengers.
(17) One point of caution.
If you do use a cleat as a anchor point, make sure it is forward of the midway
point on your boat. If you run the line on a roller type front system and tie
off on a rear cleat, (so you can get to it readily from your fishing position if
you have a cabin boat), you run the risk of a wave or what have you, flipping
the line out of that front roller. This tie off can be done from the rear, but
the method of tying off needs to be VERY READILY untied. If the above were to
happen, your boat will immediately spin around and if the force of the water
builds at the side or stern before you can cut your line, your boat will be
sucked down with the anchor, & be pulled under.
(18) Never pull the anchor from the stern or
the side of the boat. If the
anchor does not come free & the current is running hard, you now have the boat
broadside or the stern upstream. The stern is lower than the bow & does not have
the ability to survive a heavy pull & can get easily pulled under.
The above 2 can happen faster than you can even begin to realize what is
happening, then the water conditions that caused the situation make it even
harder to move fast enough to do anything.
(19)
In a (AP) newspaper article dated Monday 5-31-04 -- "Boater Missing in Columbia
River Mishap. PORTLAND (AP) -- River patrols searched without success Sunday for
a Tigard woman who is missing and presumed drowned after the aluminum boat she
was in capsized on the Columbia River near Camas, Wash.
Janet Wildish, 27, and four others were thrown into the river Saturday when
the 18-foot boat had trouble with its anchor line, got turned stern first to the
strong current and started taking on water, said Lt. Michael Shults of the
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office river patrol.
A 20-month-old girl was wearing a life jacket, as required by law, but the
adults weren't.
The survivors were
pulled from the chilly water by Gary Skaar, his son, Richard, and friend Forest
Sherer. The three were in Skaar's new 20-foot fishing boat."
In the above accident, you can
see what may be the outcome of something unforseen happening FAST. You were
also cautioned to be careful to keep the anchor line out of the prop. Just stop
& think, what will happen if the anchor is attached to the bow, over the side &
you wrap the line around the prop. You may be in a cabin boat & can't readily
access the tie off point of the anchor line, but in this circumstance getting it
undone from the bow is of little consequence. You will now have the motor
pulled tight against the anchor line which is attached to the bow, the current
will swing you around & you will be dead in the water with the stern pointing
upstream & the anchor may still be on the bottom. You can not tilt the motor up
because it is now tied TIGHTLY to the bow of the boat. To get away from the
anchor rope you will have to have a LONG knife or machete to be able to cut the
line between the prop & anchor, (cutting it at the bow will not help in this
case) or you will have to go over the side to cut it. And you will have to do
it FAST.
One alternative is that IF you have a large enough trolling motor that starts
with the first pull, you MAY be able to get enough control to keep the boat from
going DOWN. Then the fun begins on how to get out of the predicament.
(20) One last thing on safety,
the Columbia River has commercial shipping traffic. Be aware of
the rules of the road & if you are anchored in or near the channel, you are
obligated to move. These ships can create quite a wave as they pass by. If you
are at anchor, your boat will rock quite a bit, as compared to just being afloat
when they pass by. Some fishermen may not move if they are out of the shipping
channel when a ship passes by, but they may start their motor & position their
boat so the bow enters the wake of the passing ship.
If you are using a anchor puller & get caught in a situation where you
need to move out of the path of a ship or barge rather rapidly, just move off
out of the way as if you were pulling the anchor. This will get you out of the
way relatively fast & you can drag the floating anchor to a safer position.
The shipping lanes are like a hiway, the upstream bound ships will use the right
hand side of the channel, while the outbound use their right side, or the
opposite as the inbound. One thing that can happen is if 2 ships pass exactly
at your location. You may think you are out of their way, but is best to MOVE.
--------------------
The Columbia River will have tidal influence all the way to & past Portland.
There may be minimal height change (from in to out) from about Longview & above
& there will not be any change in the direction of the flow. Below Longview the
flow will slow down at low outgoing tide & then there will be minimal flow on
the incoming tide. Here the river height will raise or lower depending of course
on the tide. The amount will depend on the actual tidal exchange at the ocean.
Also in the mix can be the amount of water that Bonneville Dam spills.
--------------------
This article will give you some idea of the principles of
anchoring. As you talk to other experienced fishermen & gain more insight &
experience, you may find a way for some aspects of anchoring that fits you & or
your boat better.
Last updated 09-21-04
LeeRoy Wisner
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