Anchoring question

[joe average]

I am going to fish out of Bamfield in Aug. and I wondering if 300' of line if enough to anchor on some of the banks out in front for halibut.

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

 

[Foxsea]

I put my popcorn down.
There's a science to anchoring for halibut and a proper rig for safety. Get some instruction and the right gear before you even attempt it. And no, 300 feet is not nearly enough. At least double that if you anchor in 200 feet of water. Go with a guide until you learn to anchor safely or stick to trolling.

 

[agentaqua]

you roughly need double the line as to the distance to the bottom - foxsea is correct. Also depends upon tide, wind and current conditions - and type of bottom. When all those conditions are favourable - you can get away with a bit less - or if those conditions are more severe - it will take upwards of even 3x the depth...

 

[profisher]

You don't need to anchor on the offshore banks to get halibut off Barkley...the currents there are minimal and drifts are effective.

 

[joe average]

Ok , Thanks for the answers.

 

[Aces]

I do just fine with 300 ft of rope but have 40 ft of chain

 

[joe average]

I run 20' of chain but I did not know how much current is out there with 300' would be safe. I anchor in big rivers just don't normally anchor that deep. I will probably just play it safe and drift it or troll.

 

[Rotten Ronnie]

Went to winter harbour end of May with a 26 foot weldcraft and 3 of 5 guys who knew how to anchor for halibut. Stood back and watched, 500' of line in 200' of water. Lots of attention to detail, slack tide, wind and weather, position on pinnacle, eye always on the scotchman, sharp knife at the ready to cut away if necessary, chum bag, and we caught halibut. That being said I wouldn't do it again without an experienced crew, too many things to go wrong too easily. Drifting is a lot easier to start with. If you have to anchor, be ready to cut loose when **** goes bad. Unlike those 4 guys in Tofino last year, 2 of which never made it home. Just saying.

 

[Ripperoflips]

Any anchoring system's chain length should have double the length of your boat.

 

[Rain City]

Any anchoring system's chain length should have double the length of your boat.

Minimum.

 

[fishyboy99]

We have about 700-800' of rope, plus 32' of 3/8 short link chain on a 22lb claw anchor, seems to work for us. Having the longer rope lets us angle the boat a bit from the front cleats and to slide back into the current if needed. One of the things I see people doing is keeping the Scotsman too close to the boat - in order for it to work properly, it needs to distanced from the bow (depends on the seas and current) so the anchor chain doesn't bounce as much on the bottom due to the lift of your bow. When you go to pull your anchor, the longer rope makes for an easier and safer pull, too short and you are using the lift of the boat more than the buoy. More options on fishing and safety with a longer anchor line. Good luck fishing.

Regards,

Fishyboy

 

[trophywife]

300' rode and 50' of chain.. 50' tag line. anchor pretty much on any pock pile or bank with this combo. safely...