troubles with anchor for bridge fishing

[Reel-Young]

I own a 19ft triumph center console and i do a ton of fishing off of it. I have it in the Isle of wight bay (ocean city maryland). My brother and I recently got into some bigger game fishing for mainly striper, bluefish, and possibly some shark fishing. i learned from an old friend that striper are always in the bay but only at night and they stay very close to the Route 50 bridge and around the rest of the inlet. If you dont know the area well, its one of the fastest inlet currents on the east coast. I decided to take the boat up there during the day and try to anchor it. i tried on a nice day with little to no wind, and just before the current was about stop and change therefore there werent many variables in the attempt. so i had my brother throw in the anchor and no matter how hard we tried the anchor would not catch! its a relatively small anchor that was used on my old 20 foot bennington pontoon boat. i figured that it was okay to use that same anchor because i actually lost length when i got the new boat.

any input would be extremely helpful!!
-Kyle

 

[robert graham]

Re: troubles with anchor for bridge fishing

Maybe you could just tie up to the bridge piling?...save yourself the time, trouble, anchors? Otherwise you may need a larger anchor, 8' of chain, lots of rope! Good Luck!

 

[dingbat]

Re: troubles with anchor for bridge fishing

I know that area very well. Been fishing OC and Indian River Inlet for years and wouldn't dream of trying to anchor there. On top of the heavy current, your right in the middle of a very heavy traveled inlet and commerical harbor. Good way to get yourself swamped.

When we fish that area by boat, we have 1 man at the helm and one or two guys fishing. We drift until we find the fish then use the motor or hold us in position if need be. Then run back out and do it again. The fishing in that area can be good but it also very dangerous.

This was a month ago

Glen Burnie man, 52, dies in Ocean City boating accident
Victim has not been identified police say engine failure led to incident

A 52-year-old Anne Arundel County man who was about to embark on a fishing trip with five other men died Saturday in a boating accident off Ocean City, police said.
A 16-foot Wellcraft occupied by six people flipped over around 9:10 a.m., and the occupants were thrown into the water, said P.A. Thompsen, an officer with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources police.

The accident occurred in the Ocean City Inlet, which intersects with the Atlantic Ocean and is known for having "turbulent waters," said Thompsen. The party was preparing to anchor when the line became ensnared with the boat's motor propeller, which caused the engine to fail. A strong outgoing tide made the vessel difficult to navigate, police said, and the vessel began to sink and ultimately flipped after several large waves splashed across its stern.

BTW: It is illegeal to anchor or tie off on any bridge piling.

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: troubles with anchor for bridge fishing

You should have 6 - 8 of chain. For every foot of depth you should pay out seven feet of rope. A lot of sinkings of anchored boats is that they do not have enough anchor line out regardless if tied at the bow or stern, a wave comes and pulls that end of the boat down water comes into the boat and before you know it your swimming.

You should not be anchoring in an area where there is a strong current 6-10 knots.

Listen to dingbat, he knows the area and the potential danger of fishing the area.

 

[Reel-Young]

Re: troubles with anchor for bridge fishing

Drift fishing is what i normally do in the bay and im pretty experienced at it. I just wanted a new challenge with fishing and since its coming closer and closer to fall and striper season i figured i would learn this. Yes, the traffic is very heavy and the current is very strong but Its not uncommon to see boats anchoring about 15-20 feet away from the pilings and casting under the bridge. i understand the dangers of it and its not something that i take lightly since im so young but if i have all the right conditions and i feel confident that i can handle it, ill go for it. All in all I think that ill just buy a larger anchor and a longer chain and use some more caution.

and i remember that happening i was at the air show when the coast guard did the search and rescue. from what i heard, he casted anchor by the jetties. now i dont mean to put down who ever the captain of that boat was but he mustve been very unexperienced. the only reason why the anchor would catch in the motor is if it rotated, which means that he casted anchor when the boat was drifting forward with the tide. when the anchor caught, the boat rotated, and the prop managed to find the rope.

Thank you guys for the input its a big help!
Maybe ill see you out there, Dingbat!