Anchoring for Halibut

[Wanderer]

First year for fishing halibut in Puget Sound.  I've noticed that a lot of people anchor up to fish.   From what I've heard about anchoring you should be have about 8 times the water depth in rope.  So 100 depth = 800 ft. of rope, 200/1600, etc...Am I correct in thinking that way ?  Are people carrying 1600 feet of rope around for halibut fishing ? 

[h2ofowlr]

Most are carrying 300' - 400' foot of rope.  That should be all you need.

[Brushcrawler]

300 works fine for me. The sliding bouy rig makes it a lot easier when you are ready to leave.

[Mfowl]

We use 600' and never anchor more than 125' deep. The thing you need to keep in perspective is the scope on your line. First, its a safety matter. Too vertical and you run the risk of taking water over your bow in rough conditions or when a big wake hits you. Especially if your anchor is lodged in the bottom. If your anchor is hung up and line is vertical you can literally pull your bow under when you ride up a swell or big wake. Second, again if too vertical your anchor may not hold the bottom and you will end up dragging it off your spot. This will especially happen in big tide swings when the water gets rippin through the strait. Regardless of how much line you use you should be set back 80-100' from your buoy, this will help protect you by letting your buoy take the pressure of the heavy currents while providing room for your boat to ride over big seas. We've had excellent success on anchor and also drawn plenty of blank days. Its a fun way to fish versus the grind of bouncing heavy gear all day. When the fish do come in they can be like a swarm of sharks and limits may come quick. Have fun, and be safe out there!

[Stein]

I guess I am in the minority, I have 200' of rope (274' overall) and anchor up to 125' deep.  I only anchor 1-2 days a year max, so I just couldn't justify buying 400' of rope or storing it for 364 days a year.

1.  I only anchor on decent days and inside waters with current about 2.5 knots or under (aka good fishing conditions).
2.  I have about 24' of chain for my 18' boat.  In my experience, chain greatly magnifies the holding power.
3.  I use a standard ball retrieval system so the pull on my bow is horizontal.
4.  I run a separate 50' chunk of semi-weak rope (100# test) between the ball and my boat.  Looking back, it could be 75-100'.
5.  I run the rope to a rope that runs from the bow eyelet to the rear cleat so I can unhook or cut the line from the back very quickly.  Many videos on Youtube show this method.  The added benefit is I can retrieve from the rear and deploy from the rear and avoid having to climb up front.

I never have problem dragging, coming undone or pulling and have never felt unsafe.

I bought my setup from anchoring.com which is in Bellingham I think. They have great info and prices.

[Alchase]

We use 600' and never anchor more than 125' deep. The thing you need to keep in perspective is the scope on your line. First, its a safety matter. Too vertical and you run the risk of taking water over your bow in rough conditions or when a big wake hits you. Especially if your anchor is lodged in the bottom. If your anchor is hung up and line is vertical you can literally pull your bow under when you ride up a swell or big wake. Second, again if too vertical your anchor may not hold the bottom and you will end up dragging it off your spot. This will especially happen in big tide swings when the water gets rippin through the strait. Regardless of how much line you use you should be set back 80-100' from your buoy, this will help protect you by letting your buoy take the pressure of the heavy currents while providing room for your boat to ride over big seas. We've had excellent success on anchor and also drawn plenty of blank days. Its a fun way to fish versus the grind of bouncing heavy gear all day. When the fish do come in they can be like a swarm of sharks and limits may come quick. Have fun, and be safe out there!

Good info in this thread!

[bighorn1]

I anchor fish in Westport and anchor around 200 feet my boat is 27 feet and I only use a 25 pound break away anchor I have ,500 feet of line but depending on current I usually use about 300 feet of line and put out a large windsock to keep me from swinging to much.

[Wanderer]

great info guy !   as someone who hasn't done deep water anchoring(>30ft) this really helps.  found a great website for rope(erigging.com) so I have 600 feet coming.    will also get the buoy setup for retrieval.  Has anyone used their pot puller to pull up the anchor ?   or do you think it would be too much to break it loose from the bottom ?

[Mfowl]

great info guy !   as someone who hasn't done deep water anchoring(>30ft) this really helps.  found a great website for rope(erigging.com) so I have 600 feet coming.    will also get the buoy setup for retrieval.  Has anyone used their pot puller to pull up the anchor ?   or do you think it would be too much to break it loose from the bottom ?

Congrats on the setup! I would not recommend using your pot puller to pull the anchor. Just a matter of safety IMO. I've anchored alot in the Columbia and a decent amount for halibut in the Strait. The most dangerous part is pulling your anchor. Should the rope get hung up on your prop and the boat spins around and your transom is facing the current it becomes a critical situation immediately! A boat sunk on the Columbia earlier this year for this very same reason. Use your buoy to pull your anchor. The Orvals sliding anchor retriever is the best IMO but the EZ Marine works great to, just that you have to thread your line through it each time you use it instead of clamping it on. Given the intense currents that you can and likely will face in the Strait always err on the side of caution. Theres some good how to videos on Youtube that outline the basic principals of both setting and retrieving your anchor. Look up EZ Marine for starters.

[JimmyHoffa]

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=1972
Tack on another day to test out anchoring.  Opening up on the 25th now too.

[bighorn1]

Make sure to use a break away anchor in case you hang up. The davit is not a good idea we have lost boats and people here at Westport doing just that. It works just like a lever in fast current and if the boat gets sideways it can flip you right over.. use the ball and anchor system it's easy and a lot safer.

[Stein]

great info guy !   as someone who hasn't done deep water anchoring(>30ft) this really helps.  found a great website for rope(erigging.com) so I have 600 feet coming.    will also get the buoy setup for retrieval.  Has anyone used their pot puller to pull up the anchor ?   or do you think it would be too much to break it loose from the bottom ?

Depends on what you anchor in and what angle you are pulling on, I would guess it would only work if the conditions were perfect.  Personally, I wouldn't use my pot puller as the buoy works perfect.

[HvyHorn338]

No way whatsoever on pulling anchor with davit puller setup.  Once you set the pick and you realize how fast the current flows in the straights you'll understand.  Buoy system works fantastic and the safest option.  Just remember to keep tabs of your surroundings when on the pick,  watch for logs, debris etc and like others have mentioned have a knife handy at all times just in case.  Good luck. 

[Fishstiq]

I have always heard/read/used the rule of scope 3X depth (so 300 feet of rope for 100 foot depth) and 1 foot of chain per foot of boat.  The chain does all the work, the anchor takes all the credit!

[elkdrivemenuts]

Make sure you feed the anchor line thru the buoy slider the correct way. Gets ugly quick if you feed ity wrong.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk