Being properly prepared to fish an offshore reef or wreck
If you’re new to the offshore reef and wreck grouper and snapper game but determined to try it, the time is right. After going light-years over budget on the new boat and most of the needed equipment, you’re almost ready to go. Question is, where?
The FWC website is always a great resource. “Florida has one of the most active artificial reef programs among the 15 Gulf and Atlantic coastal states involved in artificial reef development. Since the 1940s, more than 3,330 planned public artificial reefs have been placed in state and federal waters off Florida’s coast.”
The site’s interactive map is easy to navigate, showing locations, GPS coordinates and information about what’s down there. Concrete piles, sunken ships and tugs, even Army tanks make up the artificial reef program and draw fish and anglers to the sites.
Once there at Magic Reef, will you drift fish using a “spot lock” type electric trolling motor or anchor? Tides too fast to drift and an electric won’t hold in the wind and current so anchoring gets the nod.
An anchor is now at the top of the list of last minute purchase items. Should be easy, it’s just an anchor?
Arriving at the store an employee dressed in a self-contained isolation suit standing the required 6 feet away asks those age-old questions new boaters always hear and are never prepared for — What kind of anchor? Danforth, plow, Navy, mushroom? How big is your boat? What size rope? How many feet? What size chain for your rode? How long? What waters do you fish? A mud or sand bottom? How heavy? How many anchors do you want to buy?
Suddenly reeling from these unexpected questions, all you can manage is, “I’m not really sure, why do I need more than one and what’s a rode?”
The salesperson’s isolation suit external speaker makes his voice sound robot-like, “In case you lose one to the bottom and you don’t always know what the bottom is made of when you arrive to anchor and, anchor rode refers to the chain, rope or combination of these that attaches the anchor to your boat”
Twenty minutes later you’re an expert and now know what type or style of anchor is best suited for a rocky bottom and which holds best in sand or mud. Basically, there are two popular choices; a fluke style or a plow shape. The fluke or Danforth are usually considered best for plain mud or hard sand bottoms. The plow style is better suited to other soft grassy bottoms with high current areas. You also learned that if you’re in a tight anchorage, using anchors at the bow and stern will prevent swinging and colliding with other boats or objects. Boat size usage is usually listed on the anchor’s sticker.
“Scope” refers to the ratio between the length of your rode and the distance from the bow to the bottom. A good rule of thumb is a scope of at least 7:1 for a rope rode, or 5:1 for a heavier all-chain rode. Increase the scope for storms or if your anchor keeps ripping free of the bottom. The longer the scope, the closer to horizontal your rode is, which gives more bottom-holding power.
Usually having 6 to 8 feet of chain is sufficient for temporary anchoring but having half your boat’s length or even more is always a safe bet for most small to large bay boat styles.
To set your anchor, motor slowly up tide of the reef, then come to a complete stop. Then carefully drop the anchor and pay out line as you drift back till the anchor catches. If needed, shift the motor in reverse momentarily to provide further setting power
Judging the distance from the reef you’re fishing, the wind and current and how much rope to let out comes with practice.
Have patience.
Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at 239-282-9434 or captgeorget3@aol.com.