Boats

a) RIGGING A BOAT

There you are – it’s Prime Time at a bridge somewhere. You’ve done everything right so far. A slight breeze is gently moving your boat a few feet, side to side. The tide slacks off and the next thing you know you’re a hundred feet away from the bridge, just out of casting range and you go home chucked again.

One more time, you’ve screwed yourself out of catching stripers when the use of a few techniques could have put fish in the box.

Putting a boat in an exact position at a bridge is important. Should the boat start to swing away from the bridge will keep you from catching fish.

Having a sea anchor on board is not an option, it is a necessity. Used properly they will keep the stern of the boat towards the bridge where it belongs for a longer period of time. But they are not the complete answer to this problem.

There is an equation that comes into play in this situation. The larger the boat the bigger the anchor, and the more line that is necessary to hold bottom. The more line out, the more the boat will swing when the tide slackens.

Add a hard top or a cabin to the boat and the problem gets severe. But all hope is not lost. The use of another anchor is required and can be used in the rear of the boat. But as this could interfere with the landing of a fish, the second anchor is used off the bow. So a pair of anchors should be ready. A third, smaller anchor or drift sock should also be ready.

Clean, knot free lines is an absolute necessity.

An assessment of the wind and just how hard the tide will be running will dictate what type of anchor system will be used, and these preparations should be made at the dock before leaving.

If the tide and the wind are from the same direction, anchoring a boat is easy. Usually a single anchor off the bow will do.

Should the wind come from the stern, it’s a whole different story. Any boat, large or small, is subject to the same dynamics, but if a boat is well equipped, keeping said boat into the bridge is possible.

One more option is a trolling motor could be used for maximum results. The worse case scenario would be a boat over 18 feet with a super structure such as a cabin or hardtop. The tide would be slow against the wind. Ranging in price from $150 to $600, trolling motors are a versatile tool. They can be bow or transom mounted on small boats or transom mounted with a bracket on a large boat.

b) TRIM TABS – In addition to a drift sock or sea anchor to use the current to keep the boat trim tabs to the full down position traps more water.

c) OUTRIGGERS – Completely overlooked as an excellent option for many fishing areas. I am weird, and many of my fishing methods may appear weird, but I catch fish, and don’t give a damn about what people think of my