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ANCHORING A MARK
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I received the following message via Email from Mr. A. Taylor, who enquired:- “When you drop the anchor should you release 2 or 3 times the depth of water you fish in? We have noticed other vessels fishing in depth over 100 ft of water; does this matter so much when fishing for Plaice, because we mainly fish in depth of around 40 to 50 ft of water?” Determining Drift & Tidal Flow Anchoring precisely is not as simple as it may first appear, particularly when the wind is against the tidal flow, which can cause the boat to lie across the current and consequently miss the mark. Using GPS is the simplest way to accurately find and anchor a mark. First, try drifting over the mark, sometimes several times, to estimate the run of the tide. It’s better to take half an hour establishing the right place to drop your anchor than having to lift it and re-anchor. Finding the right spot If you have a GPS chart plotter which clearly shows the movement of your craft across a map, relative to the mark, you can use the on-screen cross hairs, or make a temporary waypoint, to show the best place to start your drift to place yourself where you intend to be. Simpler GPS units often allow you to display a “track” which shows a line depicting the movement of your boat relative to an intended waypoint. Particularly when used in conjunction with an electronic depth finder, this lets you accurately retrace your course and try another drift just inside or outside your original line, until you get it right. If you have neither, you will have to resort to the less precise method of taking two or more fixed cross bearings from landmarks and using that to relate your drift. Dropping the "Pick" Estimate the strength of the tide from the speed of your drift and set your anchor up-tide of the mark and then let out rope to drop your boat back, until you are fishing where you want to be. Sometimes I’ve dropped my anchor and lifted it again 3 or 4 times until I’m exactly where I intend to be. My pal Mike Johnson once asked me “What goes up down, up down, up down, up down, in?” Yes you guessed; it’s me trying to accurately anchor a mark! Shearing your anchor rope You can significantly adjust the point where your boat lies at anchor by attaching a “shear” rope with a couple of rolling hitches to the main anchor rope. You then attach the other end of the shear rope amidships, which causes your boat to veer across the current. Depending on how you tension the shear and which side of the boat you attach it, you can move several boat lengths to port or starboard, which is a great help. A simpler, if less effective solution can be achieved by turning the leg of your outboard or, if you have one, your rudder, to port or starboard, which can move your craft a small deviation sideways in relation to your anchor rope. As the tidal flow varies or turns, you may have to repeat the entire performance to precisely hold the mark from another direction. The importance of accuracy Just to illustrate the point, I fished from my pal Dino’s boat “Fast Castle”, down towards Salcombe. We wanted to fish a very small (insignificant) sand bank in relatively shallow water for Blonde Ray. We were forced to fish about 25 yards on the seaward side of the mark as two other boats were already anchored directly on the prime spot. They caught Ray, we caught Dogfish. One of the other boats moved away after a couple of hours and several Ray later. We moved in to the spot they had occupied & immediately caught 7 Blonde Ray, with the largest tipping the scales at 27.5 lbs! Accuracy can be that important. Anchors & Chain You will require an adequate anchor connected to a decent length of chain below the anchor rope. I’ve tried several patterns of anchor and find I have most success with the “Bruce” design. I presently use a “Claw” pattern which is similar to a “Bruce”, but far less expensive; something to do with copyright & all that sort of thing. I bought mine brand new from a local Chandlery for less than £35. As a guide, I use a 7.5 Kg anchor on my 16.5 foot boat, together with about 30 feet of galvanised chain. The manufacturers recommend this size of anchor for boats up to 21 feet. I used to use a 9 Kg "Plough" style anchor, but found it held less reliably and was often inclined to drag. One of my best chums successfully anchors his 27 foot boat using just a 5 Kg Bruce anchor and similar length of chain to that described above. Sometimes a little trial and error will let you find the best combination for your boat. Rope I use inexpensive light polypropylene anchor rope, attached to the top of the chain via a swivel link, but if you want to do it properly, you can buy lead cored sinking rope. Alderney Ring & Dan Buoy - Retrieval of anchor The majority of small boat anglers use an “Alderney” ring attached to a floating Dan Buoy to lift the anchor by utilising the power of the boat engine to haul the anchor to the surface via the rope and chain which passes through the stainless steel ring. It is essential to keep the joins smooth so as to avoid any chance of shackles joining the rope and chain to the anchor fouling the “Alderney” ring. I bought my “Alderney” anchor ring from Stainless Steve Engineering, Unit 15, Setters Workshops, Lymington, Hants, SO41 8YE, tel/fax: 01590 674988. Alternatively, you can also obtain yours from Ramon Engineering, Unit 92, Carclaze Industrial Estate, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 4EW, tel: 01726 74079. Depending on the gauge of the metal used in their construction, expect to pay about £12 to £16, plus carriage. It’s far easier than breaking your anchor free and hauling it to the surface by hand! It’s a simple technique and quite safe, if you use a little care and common sense. If the stern of your boat has a low cut-out where your outboard is attached, you should always attach the anchor rope to the bow of your boat to avoid any chance of your stern being pulled underwater and swamped by the tow of the anchor. When you want to lift your anchor by the “Alderney” ring method, drive your boat forward, ensuring you pass the anchor rope along the side of your craft, keeping it well clear of the propeller. Open the throttle and you will see the Dan buoy submerge as it is pulled under by the weight of the anchor. Be careful to have a hand on the throttle so you can close it instantly if the anchor has become trapped. To continue in such circumstances can be very dangerous and foolhardy, resulting in extreme cases with capsize of the towing craft. You have been warned! If all is well, as you continue to drive forward at speed, you will feel the rope and then a “rattle” as your anchor chain passes through the “Alderney” ring. Finally you will feel the weight come on as the anchor comes to a halt with its stock caught through the “Alderney” ring. Often you will see the Dan buoy reappear on the surface at this stage. Now you can close your throttle and put your boat into neutral or even motor slowly and carefully back towards the Dan buoy, retrieving the anchor rope and chain as you go. Once you have seen at first hand how it is done you will approach the whole exercise with confidence. Of course, you might be one of those lucky boat owners with a power capstan, in which case, do mind your fingers! How much rope must I let out? How much rope you let out at anchor depends on several factors, including the nature of the sea bed and strength of the prevailing tide. I often find I can get away with considerably less than 3 times the depth of water. In the bigger tides, particularly in deeper locations, it is likely that you will drag your anchor on a “controlled drift”, even with an anchor rope 3 times the depth of the water. Sometimes you can hold fast in such circumstances by letting out the maximum available amount of rope so as to make a shallower angle which assists the anchor to grip the sea bed. The less rope you need to let out allows you to more accurately hold a mark without the boat swinging off it. It’s interesting that many manufacturers recommend a chain attached to your anchor 5 times the length of your craft. I have found that unwieldy and frankly unnecessary in our prevailing local conditions. Trip your anchor I always rig my anchor to “trip” by attaching the chain to the bottom of the stock of the anchor with a shackle, then the top of the stock to the chain by 4 or 5 wraps of thin orange polythene string. If the anchor gets caught in wreckage or rocks, the theory says that the string will break, inverting the anchor and allowing it to be retrieved upside down. It works quite well – sometimes!!! Grapnel If you are going to try to anchor and fish rocky ground or reef marks, you will be better advised to visit a local blacksmith and get him to make you up a couple of cheap four pronged grapnels from 3/8” mild steel. If they snag, you can pull them free as the tangs bend straight. Far cheaper than losing anchors and they’re disposable when they become irretrievably trapped! Anchoring local Plaice marks Finally, the best specimen Plaice frequently fall to boats at anchor on good marks. They generally catch far fewer fish than those “fishing on the drift”, but those they do hook are often bigger. The down side is they require far heavier tackle to support the substantial lead weights necessary to keep their baits nailed to the sea bed when static in a fast running tide. In our local area, the majority of Plaice are caught on the edge of offshore banks. They are often encountered in water perhaps between 30 and 60 feet deep. Try “uptiding” using lighter gripper leads when fishing at anchor in these conditions. I promise you it does work very well. |
