Anchoring on a wreck

scottmac · Post by **scottmac** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:00 pm

Went out for a quick fish on the harbour today, and gave a new anchoring techneque a try. Now I always struggle to anchor in the right position on wrecks and reefs. It drives me INSANE!!

Not to mention the poor old deckie having to keep retrieving the anchor.

A mate showed me a good way using what I have called a dan buoy? Not sure if thats the correct name, but they basically consist of a foam float with the middle section turned down to put some line onto.A sinker is attached to the line, and when you get above the wreck it is dropped to the bottom to get the depth, tied at that point with a rubber band or similar.

You then go back retrieve it again, go back over the wreck and drop it over. Now you have a visual mark of where you want to be. I tie a small piece of rope too the buoy with a smaller float attached. This will show you the direction of the current.

Its then a simple matter of driving past the float against the current direction 50 meters or so, throwing the pick, reversing back too retrieve th buoy, and pulling up the anchor rope until you're in the (hopefully) perfect position!

It worked perfectly yesterday, I hope its the same always! A bit of stuffing around, but sure beats trying to get on the spot 15 times!

My explaination is as always dodgy,

so I,ll post a photo to show you what I mean. Hope this helps someone out there, now all I

have to do is find the fish!

Scotty

truckiejas · Post by **truckiejas** » Sat May 02, 2009 2:57 pm

I use the same system for fishing over lumps for snapper and the like, works well find the lump on the sounder throw the bouy over so you have a visual of where it is so you can keep drifting over it without having to keep finding the spot.

muntzy · Post by **muntzy** » Mon May 04, 2009 3:23 pm

Great idea,
Will give it a bash, always have trouble anchoring up on structure!!

max · Post by **max** » Mon May 04, 2009 3:37 pm

just watch out but if theres a bit of current happening it can result in your float being pulled under never to be seen again

Joel.M · Post by **Joel.M** » Wed May 13, 2009 2:33 pm

i have lost 2 of these setups when throwing it out when there is too much current.

got frustrated with it and havn't used it since. but it did work well when ther was minimal water movement. maybe i'll try for a third time???

Mud · Post by **Mud** » Wed May 13, 2009 3:15 pm

Sounds like a great idea Scotty......Ill definately try that. My problem seems to be that the structure shows up well on the sounder and GPS until you bring the boat to a stop.....then two things happen....it disappears off the sounder and the GPS gets all coy and doesn't want to show you where it is any more!!
Cheers
Mud

2rods · Post by **2rods** » Wed May 13, 2009 8:01 pm

Mud wrote:Sounds like a great idea Scotty......Ill definately try that. My problem seems to be that the structure shows up well on the sounder and GPS until you bring the boat to a stop.....then two things happen....it disappears off the sounder and the GPS gets all coy and doesn't want to show you where it is any more!!
Cheers
Mud

MUD.. you need to remember that the bottom will show up flat when your not moving...

As for the float.... I have one but never seem to use it.... might take it out next trip but

tinni · Post by **tinni** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:29 am

I use the same set up but with a handline with some fine rope and the float like on my crab pots and the old head off a sledge hammer. This gets it straight to the bottom.
Work well this idea

slug · Post by **slug** » Thu May 14, 2009 10:18 am

tinni wrote:I use the same set up but with a ..... old head off a sledge hammer. This gets it straight to the bottom.

Bugger & I thought I had patented the 'Sledge Hammer' method

The only problem is Tinni, after 3 or 4 hundred layers of rusted plate have 'scaled' off over the last 10 years, mine is now only half the weight it started at

While the whole buoy/marker system is sound in theory Scotty, I find my biggest issue is not knowing where the wreck/lump is (the plotter/gps tell me that) - it is getting the pick to set on the spot. I find Murphy's Law sets in, and the pick always seems to set 5 or 10 meters PAST the spot

Maybe I need more chain or heavier pick (altho I'm currently using the biggest mutha I can find in any local marine outlet, and would need to go to a winch if I went any bigger).

Mud wrote:Ill definitely try that. My problem seems to be that the structure shows up well on the sounder and GPS until you bring the boat to a stop.....then two things happen....it disappears off the sounder and the GPS gets all coy and doesn't want to show you where it is any more

I have a similar (but different

) issue. I sound over country that shows fish holding, bring the boat around & anchor, and more often than not once the pick sets & boat becomes stationary - all sign of fish disappear from the sounder

Mud · Post by **Mud** » Thu May 14, 2009 12:41 pm

I have a similar (but different ) issue. I sound over country that shows fish holding, bring the boat around & anchor, and more often than not once the pick sets & boat becomes stationary - all sign of fish disappear from the sounder

You lucky bastard. You lucky lucky bastard. Ohhhh how I wish my fish would run away after they appear on the sounder. My fish sit under the boat pointing up and giggling. Then they cell phone a couple of big mates to ghost through the sounder signal so that the kids will say
"Whadya reckon that is dad? Can we catch it?"
"No son...the manufacturer puts images of big fish there to make you think their machine helped you find them. Unfortunately those big fish are imaginary and cannot be caught."
"Well what happened to the wreck dad?"
"Well...um...Two rods told me that when you stop the bottom goes flat...I guess its from the war where they wanted subs to get lost............so who wants some Maccas?!"

jarrah jack · Post by **jarrah jack** » Sun May 31, 2009 12:25 pm

Wouldn,t it make sense to go to a bigger rig if the current
is pushing with one of those round anchor retreive floats and heavier weight.

Sorry Max I meant a bigger danboy rig.

max · Post by **max** » Sun May 31, 2009 3:04 pm

problem there JJ is most people arnt brave or silly enough to use a sand anchor which will definately hold but will you get it and a lot of rope back and you can use the biggest reef anchor you want but with a bit of tide its not going to hold on mud bottom ,you can drop it straight down on a wreck but then your lines go too far back

gusart · Post by **gusart** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:46 pm

excellent idea will give it a try thanks mate

fishfanatic · Post by **fishfanatic** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:53 pm

Scottmac,

I had a funny incident a month or so ago. Took some friends out on on the harbour to try to fish the wrecks.
Had the same sort of set up.
Well anyway I explain to them the principle, pull up to the wreck, toss out the sinker with rolled up line only to see it fail to unroll and slip beneath the surface not to be seen again. Well after some seconds of embarrasment we all p...ed ourselves laughing...

Never a dull moment on the water....

BarraBeast · Post by **BarraBeast** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:16 pm

I reckon forget trying to anchor on the wreck, unless you use besser bricks instead of an anchor with a sacraficial zip tie in place to get your rope back.

The best plan is to anchor up current of any wreck and let your lines drift back. Most fish are swimming head first into the current at the current side of the structure, picking up stuff to feed on etc. If you don’t pick up fish there, then let more rope out and try to introduce your baits into different area’s of the structure. Don’t worry about swinging around in the breeze or tide, fish still congregate over sand next to the structure at times. And if the bait fish swim off pecking at your bait, then the predators are surely going to have a sniff at the action if they are present.

So how do you anchor over sand /mud? Use a decent plough or CQR anchor with heaps of chain and attach a few brinks on the chain if you have to.

It may take an experimental drop of the anchor to determine how the current affects the boat in regards to the position of the structure and where your lines are going to end up.

So, anchoring off the wrecks saves your ground tackle and preserves the structure on the wreck.