Halibut Anchor - How Much Rope?

Monaro21

Member
How much rope should I have on my halibut anchor system? My boat is an 18.5' Thunderjet and I normally anchor for halibut in about 300' of water.

Thanks for the advice.
 
If you take a Power Squadron course or your SVOP, they will recommend a 5:1 scope, or 7:1 or greater in rough weather. Assuming youre anchoring in calm waters on nice days, 3:1 should be plenty. My halibut anchor setup has a 600' rode, and I would normally anchor from 150-250'.

Make sure you know what youre doing when you anchor for halibut. More than a few guys have sunk their boats doing so improperly!
 
I've got 600' of rope in two sections one 200' and a 400'. Plus 30Ft on chain.
 
if this is for halibut..... in 200' of water 50' chain 300' of rode.. 50' tag line. keeps me over the spot better..

anchoring for a mooring/safety/ is the 5:1 method.
 
I have a similar boat, 20' ThunderJet. I run 650' of rode and 30' of chain. I have anchored in as much as 300' of water with no difficulties. Of course, when I'm out for halibut, wind and currents are both minimal.
 
Perfect thanks everyone. I have used a friends system many times on my boat but when I put my own together I want to make sure I have enough.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but since you got the answer you were looking for....

I understand the benefits of anchoring, but when I hit Bamfield in August, I'd like to try out some Halibut fishing for the first time.

Would I do ok just drifting? Or are the results a bit better while anchored? I don't have any honey holes so where ever I go I'm shooting in the dark..
 
I use an 11lb claw 100ft of 1/4" chain, 600ft of 1/2 " rope, an a3 scotchman 50 ft tag line connected to a quick release on the boat

I usually find 600 ft is too long for 300ft
Next year I'm going to cut 100ft out and see how that is

In a 20'boat
 
Not to hijack the thread, but since you got the answer you were looking for....

I understand the benefits of anchoring, but when I hit Bamfield in August, I'd like to try out some Halibut fishing for the first time.

Would I do ok just drifting? Or are the results a bit better while anchored? I don't have any honey holes so where ever I go I'm shooting in the dark..

drift the edges of the banks...
anchoring is really nice when the water cooperates offshore..
 
I personally don't consider my halibut anchor as being safely anchored so I don't follow any of those rules. Mine is 650 feet of prawn line (2000# breaking strength) with 25 feet of chain in a 17-pound Danforth at the end.
All of the rules for anchoring are so that you have an anchor that's capable of keeping your boat safe in an emergency, which is definitely not what a halibut anchor is for.
I'm always surprised how much money people spend on these anchor systems which most people would never use in rough weather.
I used it extensively with a 26' boat and the line has never shown any strain.
 
It depends on the anchor used and the chain length. The rule I use is that the anchor should be the weight that matches your boat length. Mine is a 22 lb Bruce. the chain should be twice the boat length. If you have to little the set won't hold and you will drift into others(not good). Mine is 50ft. If you have too much and have to pull it up by hand you will regret have too much. The length of rope depends on what depths you will be anchor in. In the winter the halli's are deep so more is required. Also the angle from the bottom to your boat can't exceed the angle of the anchor before it starts to lift free, as anchors are all a bit different. Most like a claw or Bruce but some use a Danforth. So to sum up more rope is better as you can shorten it when you want but will have the length if you want to try deep at 300 plus. The entire length of my system is 600 ft which includes the chain length, so I can figure out the swing radius easily, so I'm fishing exactly where I want to be . Use pythagoras theorem to figure it out.
 
It depends on the anchor used and the chain length. The rule I use is that the anchor should be the weight that matches your boat length. Mine is a 22 lb Bruce. the chain should be twice the boat length. If you have to little the set won't hold and you will drift into others(not good). Mine is 50ft. If you have too much and have to pull it up by hand you will regret have too much. The length of rope depends on what depths you will be anchor in. In the winter the halli's are deep so more is required. Also the angle from the bottom to your boat can't exceed the angle of the anchor before it starts to lift free, as anchors are all a bit different. Most like a claw or Bruce but some use a Danforth. So to sum up more rope is better as you can shorten it when you want but will have the length if you want to try deep at 300 plus. The entire length of my system is 600 ft which includes the chain length, so I can figure out the swing radius easily, so I'm fishing exactly where I want to be . Use pythagoras theorem to figure it out.


so with a 2kt swell/current going north west and a 12kt wind from the south east, how does that work with pyhag theory? shorter rode, heavy chain, longer tag line will keep you over yer spot better without the math. lol
 
I've anchored lots in my 18, and 16' boats. With boats that light, I'd often use as little as a 1.5 to 1 scope plus 50' of chain and a 15 lb bruce. I only had 250' and would anchor in 180. When you use a tag line and a large amount of chain, that's plenty for a light boat. In anchoring the 28 pursuit I guide out of, I use a similar method, with a 25# bruce, and thicker chain, also use a long tag line, that way the pull on anchor and boat are horizontal, not vertical. Halibut anchoring is not what I would consider "securely anchored," keep an eye on the chartplotter and start a track to see if you're drifting.
 
so with a 2kt swell/current going north west and a 12kt wind from the south east, how does that work with pyhag theory? shorter rode, heavy chain, longer tag line will keep you over yer spot better without the math. lol
Pythagorean Theorem will actually really help. It will tell you exactly where to put your anchor if you know exactly where you want to end up if you're anchoring in a group, or close to others.
The wind and currents are affecting everyone the same. Just look at the direction their rode is pointing.
In a 3, 4, 5 triangle, if you're anchored in 300' deep water with a 500' rode, you will end up 400' away (horizontally) every time from your anchor. It's just math.
 
There is no safe way to anchor for Halibut. Two major tragedies in the last few seasons involved professional guides.... one in Winter Harbor and one recently, in Tofino . The pressure to produce for High paying clients out rules better judgement in these cases . Many times they wait too long to pull out when it gets rough . Any formula you like means nothing when you try to retrieve an anchor stuck on the rocks No fish or anchor
is worth risking your life.
 
There is no safe way to anchor for Halibut. Two major tragedies in the last few seasons involved professional guides.... one in Winter Harbor and one recently, in Tofino . The pressure to produce for High paying clients out rules better judgement in these cases . Many times they wait too long to pull out when it gets rough . Any formula you like means nothing when you try to retrieve an anchor stuck on the rocks No fish or anchor
is worth risking your life.

Sounds like you're not familiar with halibut anchoring systems? The whole point is that you can disconnect without retreiving it. If the weather is bad you just return for it another time.
Whether or not somebody calls themselves a guide has nothing to do with their technique. Either they're using a proper system with a Scotsman or they aren't.
 
I don't know why anyone would not use a Scotsman, then again I see boats with a couple hundred feet from boat to Scotsman which confuses me as well.
 
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Yay another halibut anchoring thread!!

It comes down to human judgement for safety while hali anchoring. Everyone has the opportunity to make a safe decision or a dangerous one.
I use a custom anchoring system on my boat that still uses a quick release from my anchor rode clipped on to my fish deck. I can be off my anchor in one second. Works very, very well. And I never fish in dangerous situations. No fish is worth my life or my guests life.
If your system is set up well you can be off your anchor in a split second and come back and retrieve it when the weather is better.
 
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