So, do I really have to have 700’ of anchor rope to do some reef fishing at y73 or commanche areas offshore…or in 100’ of water?? I have on board 250’ and was doing an inspection and realized that I need to get or make a reef anchor instead of that monster Delta I have…I will never get unhooked…So, any advice on what others have done? 700’ of rope? I don’t know how it will all fit in my box? Right now I have 5/8"…
Maybe reducing the size of line to 1/2" will create room?
I have 26’ offshore boat…pretty heavy boat…will 1/2" work?
Sorry for the confusing post…I know I am all over the place. (**(), I just didn’t want to have 700’ of rope on board.
Screw it…600’ 5/8" shipped to house this coming Thursday…done worrying about it. This will give me 850’…more than I will need. Jim
Capt. Jim
26’ Ranger CC (Offshore)
Twin 200 Yamis
I go to the Y-73 and commanche and bottom fish all the time. You can see my last post in the reports, and all I use is about 130’ feet of rope with a small chain with a reef anchor. I got my reef anchor from catchfishesgetmoney he is a member on here in the swap shop for half the price of one at the store and it works great. That is all you need and some zip ties to go along with the anchor to use the flip method.
VINNY. Sea Hunt Triton 232 “Steel Hangin”
This is an anchor I made. I haven’t tried it yet. Made out of aluminum and pored lead for weight. Also used drop cord reel from lowes with 400ft of 1/2 Kevlar Mule Tap Does not require much space and don’t need to worry about losing my main high dollar anchor.
Cobia 234
Evinrude G2 250HO
Both of you a big thanks for your input.
Cobia234… What is the Kevlar Mule tape??? Is it strong? It is a nice set up you made.
Cmyers341…Question, wont the zip ties break when the weight of the boat catches some wind? I see this method a lot and wonder if that is a problem…
I have been offshore with wife about 30 miles out…but never anchored down to the reefs…all new to me. So, I think I am putting to much thought into it. Again, thanks for the input.
Capt. Jim
26’ Ranger CC (Offshore)
Twin 200 Yamis
Kevlar Mule tape is strong. the 1/2 inch that I’m am using is rated at 1250lb break strength. It is mainly used as pulling rope. Due to its small diameter, its main use is for pulling long runs of large cable in conduit.
Cobia 234
Evinrude G2 250HO
Kevlar tape also has no stretch. I watched a tug boat bend the cleats on a ship with the 5000 lb variety. It was like steel to steel
The length of the rope can be reduced by the length and weight of the chain. The suggestions about the ground tackle length vs depth are in place for anchoring in areas where dragging anchor could be hazardous or in storms. We’re fishing. I had the length of the boat in heavy chain + twice the depth in rope
One zip tie is all you need. Blew my mind, my boat is 24’ and one zip tie holds it just fine. The chain is a huge part of the equation. You will anchor up very easy and do minimum passes compared to not having a chain. I pass the structure in an X pattern to figure out exactly where it is, then fully zoom in my gps and come to a complete stop. Then figure out which way your drifting and drift for a few mins just to ensure that’s the path your going. The. Place yourself in front on the reef throw the anchor and drift right up on top of the reef. Once your hung you can throttle up on the anchor and pull the line tight so your right on top of the reef. It’s worth the time to get right on top. Also it sounds like you go out with your wife so pulling up the anchor may be a pain while trying to use the boat to assist. I use my boat half the time because I’m lazy. But YouTube pulling up anchor using a bumper/bouy it’s a great way to use a caribiner and get your anchor up super easy. Good luck out there you will figure it out fast!
VINNY. Sea Hunt Triton 232 “Steel Hangin”
These are his anchors. Small/ compact and strong.
VINNY. Sea Hunt Triton 232 “Steel Hangin”
cmeyers341…thank you for the info…yes making the reef anchors out of 3/8 rebar I hear is a good choice. Well, I got some work to do before the 1st trip…3rd week April. Thanks again.
Capt. Jim
26’ Ranger CC (Offshore)
Twin 200 Yamis
700’ is an absolute ton of anchor line. i don’t even know where you would put it all. I have a 22’ walk around and 300’ is more than enough for me (5/8"). I have maybe 12’ or possibly more of chain (3/8"). I use typically half or less of my available line for bottom fishing.
I’ve never intentionally used anchor line with no stretch like that 1/2 kevlar mule tape. I’d be a little nervous using something with no stretch in any kind of swell. Don’t have any anecdotal evidence to back it up, but I just feel it may be more dangerous than line with stretch (possibly damaging cleat, possibly pulling person over faster than a line with stretch, possibly breaking free easier in a swell). Also, how easy is that kevlar stuff to cut? I’d only anchor up with something I can easily cut. I’ve been in one situation, not on my boat, where we were taking on water and needed to cut and run. Again, just my thoughts.
700 is way overkill in my opinion. Get a reef anchor like stated above. On my 23’ CC, I always had 15’ 3/8" galvanized chain, reef anchor, and 300’ of 5/8". We’ve anchored in 210 in typical 2-3 seas before with no issues. The reef anchor/chain combo is the key. You might want to bump up to 18-20’ of chain for your boat as its a little bigger. Get that reef anchor stuck and just tie off to a cleat and slowly drive the boat forward to get it out. (Be smart about this; use common sense) The prongs will bend out and the anchor will come free and you get your anchor back. Once you get the anchor in the boat, you can step on it and get it bent back into place using just your weight. That’s how the reef anchors are designed to work.
Also, if you plan to anchor deep like that, do yourself a favor and get a polyball and ring setup. It’ll save your back and your crew will appreciate it. Sellsfish has a video of how to do it properly on his youtube.
If I get murdered in the city, don’t go revenging in my name…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwiNDQW_r08
If I get murdered in the city, don’t go revenging in my name…
Check your PM
.
PROUD YANKEE
Oyster Baron
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
I know…I know…lol…700’ is WAY TOO MUCH ROPE. If I had time I would explain…in a nut shell, my buddy is a florida gulf guy and he is by the book…when I told him about my water depths we will be fishing in, out came the 7ft line per ft of water stories…ANYWAY…thank you guys for all the wisdom and PM’s. Again…I am not a rookie offshore, but I am a rookie tying off to a reef and fishing, this will be our 1st year. I have done all I could do (safety wise) to prevent issues, I have plans in place, so…I will pick my good days and catch some fish.
Capt. Jim
26’ Ranger CC (Offshore)
Twin 200 Yamis
23Sailfish, awesome video. I had to watch it a couple of times to believe it. I’m assuming you could execute the same maneuver at a slower speed if desired, and still achieve the same outcome? Seems like the 1st time would take balls of steel.
Also, can you find the polyball setup locally? I built a reef anchor (looks like a POS compared to the Sellsfish version), but this seems like a much easier retrieval method!
We have a sealed 5-7 gallon bucket/drum on the same anchor retrieval system that we have used for 20 years. It’s amazing. I have a windlass on my boat now but until then I’ve always used this method.
…
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s
quote:
Originally posted by uaruss23Sailfish, awesome video. I had to watch it a couple of times to believe it. I’m assuming you could execute the same maneuver at a slower speed if desired, and still achieve the same outcome? Seems like the 1st time would take balls of steel.
Also, can you find the polyball setup locally? I built a reef anchor (looks like a POS compared to the Sellsfish version), but this seems like a much easier retrieval method!
That is Sellsfish’s video. I’m just the messenger. But to answer your question, yes, I always start slowly to disengage the reef anchor from the bottom. You don’t want to do something stupid offshore and dip your bow under a wave. Just like anything, use common sense. Once the anchor is off the bottom, you’ll need to increase your speed to force that polyball down and let that ring do its job. Sellsfish has been a commercial fisherman for about 100 years, so your description is pretty accurate. 
There isn’t much that guy hasn’t seen in this life. If it has anything to do with fishing and there’s a faster better way to do it, Sells usually knows.
The polyballs can be found all over; I’m not sure if everyone carries the SS ring setup or not. I would check Haddrells first. That reef anchor in the video is the big mighty mite and I think you can find those for around $80-90.
If I get murdered in the city, don’t go revenging in my name…
Here’s the whole setup for $80, but I would encourage you to buy locally if you can:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PA3QR86?psc=1
If I get murdered in the city, don’t go revenging in my name…
quote:
Originally posted by JimteraI know…I know…lol…700’ is WAY TOO MUCH ROPE. If I had time I would explain…in a nut shell, my buddy is a florida gulf guy and he is by the book…when I told him about my water depths we will be fishing in, out came the 7ft line per ft of water stories…ANYWAY…thank you guys for all the wisdom and PM’s. Again…I am not a rookie offshore, but I am a rookie tying off to a reef and fishing, this will be our 1st year. I have done all I could do (safety wise) to prevent issues, I have plans in place, so…I will pick my good days and catch some fish.
Capt. Jim
26’ Ranger CC (Offshore)
Twin 200 Yamis
Okay, but your “by the book guy” sure as heck ain’t going to be fishing on a reef if he is using a reef anchor and 700’ of rope. He’ll be 600’ away from it… A reef anchor grabs the reef structure, so by definition, you are pretty much going to be on top of it. You let out that much rope and you won’t be on top of the wreck anymore.
Personally, I have NEVER used a reef anchor on my boat. I always us a danforth and I drop that danforth in the sand just upcurrent of the reef. I follow the rule of 1’ of chain per 1’ of boat with a 1.5-2:1 ratio of rope on a calm day. On a rougher day, I would use a bit more scope, but to be honest, I don’t find anything fun about bottomfishing on a rough day.
I only bottom fish on days with 3’ seas or less and a 2:1 ratio works fine with the right anchor.
If your buddy had “stories”, then he was probably anchored on super rough days which aren’t worth bottom fishing anyway. And these are not the days you would want to be trying something new anyway.