Keeping the Boat Still

[fishndirk]

Does anyone out there have an easy way of keeping a jon boat still in the middle of a river while fishing. I have tried using the 2 anchor method (front and back) and the good ol tie to a tree method but have found problems to both. This is something I've been searching to solve for a long time now, just want to hear what ideas are out there. Thanks in advance

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Really depend on the depth and the current............

 

[junkman41]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

maybe try a drift sock, or a couple 5 gal buckets with a hole drilled in the bottom. along with the anchors, just a suggestion

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

I fish the tidal rivers in North Carolina right now so every 6 hours the current changes direction unless your WAAYYYY up river. Average depth is 10 -15 feet with holes that are 20 to 30 feet deep. The 2 anchor point method works good sometimes but the problem I run into is if the wind is going in a different direction than the current than a random wind gust will push whatever side of the boat is lighter in a new direction. If you have bait sitting on the bottom with a semi tight line this totally screws up your bait presentation. I was reading about the wind sock thing today but it seems like this could be an unpredictable thing that would just get it the way as your trying to set up your lines or as your reeling in a bigger fish

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

It's nearly impossible! With wind, current, boat traffic, and waves I could never do it.

I changed my presentation for fishing to either a drifting or trolling presentation and no longer have to worry about trying to keep the boat still and boat movement is a must... and I actually catch more fish than I did when trying to keep the boat still.

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

If by drifting presentaion you mean drift fishing that is totally out of the question on these rivers. Too frequent of depth variation and too many snags on the bottom here to make it doable. I used to drift fish in KY so I know how it can work but there's just no way in these rivers here. If by drifting rig you mean circle hook on a steel leader with a sliding weight above it then yes, I have actually recently switched to this as my primary rig out here and have been catching more fish because of it. There are a lot of healthy blue cats out here and this rig seems to work well with them at any time of day. I also read somewhere that having a float on your single anchor line off the bow can add some stablility to your position because the wind does not affect the float but the current does. Is anyone familiar with this?

 

[mommicked]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Have you tried using a trolling motor at the stern or mounted to the side, to correct when the wind gusts, along w the bow anchor? it seems like a good idea in theory to me, but i've never tried it.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

If by drifting presentaion you mean drift fishing that is totally out of the question on these rivers. Too frequent of depth variation and too many snags on the bottom here to make it doable. I used to drift fish in KY so I know how it can work but there's just no way in these rivers here. If by drifting rig you mean circle hook on a steel leader with a sliding weight above it then yes, I have actually recently switched to this as my primary rig out here and have been catching more fish because of it. There are a lot of healthy blue cats out here and this rig seems to work well with them at any time of day. I also read somewhere that having a float on your single anchor line off the bow can add some stablility to your position because the wind does not affect the float but the current does. Is anyone familiar with this?

I drift a rig of my own design:

It's a 1 1/2 - 2oz. rock hopper bottom bouncer weight on a 4 hook Hayabusa Sabiki rig. The weight is about 12" long and the Sabiki is about 6' long. This puts the bottom hook about 30" of the bottom with a hook about every 12" up. I bait with 3" live Shiners on every hook.

I put the rod in a rod holder and drop straight down until the bottom of the weight touches bottom, this will make the rod tip dance a jig as the weight bounces/drags bottom as I drift. I don't worry about detecting a faint bite, the fish will hook themselves and pull the rod tip down. I give the reel handle a couple of good turns to set the hook deeper then lift the rod out of the holder and fight/land the fish.

If the bottom gets shallower the line will go from vertical to and angle towrd the back of the boat and I give the reel handle a few cranks to pull in line and then drop back down to the bottom. I the water gets deeper the rod tip will quit dancing and I let out more line until I hit bottom again.

We have a lot of submerged timber on the lakes I fish too. The first hook being 30" off the bottom reduces snags, but I still snag occasionally. When this happens I reverse the trolling motor and go back to where the line is snagged and jiggle the line, the weight being on the bottom will onhook the line from the snag.

We have some nice Blue cats and some Flatheads too that are suckers for this rig.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

and sometimes some of the smaller blues have an unfortunate accident

I've even caught a couple of Smallmouth Buffalo on this rig.

This rig works summer, fall, winter, and spring and I catch everything in the lake that will eat a minnow on it.

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Thanks jigngrub. I think ill give that a shot. Is that rig something that can be used from a stationary boat or just strictly for drifting? Where do you buy the bottom bouncers? Being that the average water depth is 10 to 15 feet out here I don't think you would bother trying to drft the bait next to the fish cause the boat would be so close over the top of them it would probly scare anything away you got close to.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

A 4 point moore is the only way I know of to do what you think you need to do. Personally, I've always used jigingrub's methods or back bounced.

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Yeah, anything more than a 2 point system sounds like it could be a pain in the **s, especially by yourself. I think id rather just learn to use rigs that will work with the movement instead of rigging up my boat like some kind of inspector gadget machine anyway. I just wanted to hear if there was any solid but simple ideas out there but I guess everybody faces the same dilema that I do on this.

 

[geoffwga1]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

I presume you are anchoring fore and aft,if so you might try a method I have used with some success in the past. Get a couple of concrete blocks,put a loop of rope through them and hang one on each anchor rope with a carabiner or something similar.You will need a length of lighter line attached to each block so you can pull it up or lower it down the anchor line as required.This has a great steadying effect unless the wind is very strong,inwich case you shouldn't be out there anyway.Hope this helps.
Geoffwga1.

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Geoffwga1, when I used the 2 anchor method I didn't really have a problem with the anchors moving. What would happen is after I was setup and my lines were out with bait on the bottom, a random wind gust would come along and blow in a different direction than where the current was going. This would take whatever side of the boat is lighter and spin it back towards the anchors. If you had a semi-tight line with weight and hook on it it would then drag and snag. I think the problem was I was anchoring over the side with 2 anchors trying to play a balancing game with the wind and current. I have a new idea I'm going to try next time I get the boat out: I'm going to drop the bow anchor first until the line is completely out and tight so that the boat is pointed into the current. Once it settles I'm going to throw the back anchor strait out a bit from the stern and then pull the slack out and sinch it tight. This way the bow anchor will hold against the current and the stern anchor will hold against any wind going the other way. This will also put the boat in a position so that the water fows under it as if it were moving instead of against the side of it. Anyone ever do this? Wish me luck

 

[geoffwga1]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

That's the correct way and the way I assumed you were doing it.First motor upstream past where you want to be and drop your forard anchor.Pay out enough line so you are way below where you want to be and drop your stern anchor,then haul on your forard rope until you are in position.then hang on the aforementioned blocks.they act like springs and keep permanent tension on your warps.Make sure you have big enough anchors.
Geoffwga1

 

[Nightfisher-]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

I fish a tidal river also, from a 24ft pontoon so you can imagine what the wind does to me. A bucket about 8ft off the stern with 3 or 4 1" holes in the bottom works pretty well for me, but I usually have to wait till the tide gets rolling good to overcome the wind. Any wind over 10mph still makes it pretty tough for me to fish. I have just found sheltered places I can go to when it gets bad. I fish for blues too. I'm fortunate enough to live 3 minutes away from the James River, one of the best catfishing rivers in the country. 62lbs is my biggest so far.

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

62lbs, that's a nice one. My biggest so far is a 17lb blue cat but I've only lived out here a little over a year. I'm still learning their habbits and how to use these tidal rivers to my advantage. I also find that the hardest time to keep steady is when the current is very low during a tide shift and the wind gusts are 10mph or more. So you basically use the bucket as a sock in the current to keep the bow pointed up current?

 

[Nightfisher-]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Yep. There is nothing you can do at slack tide though. That's when I either move to a new spot, or suspend the baits off the bottom straight down below the boat and wait for the changing tide to start moving again.

 

[fishndirk]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Any tips for catching the larger blue cats? I've recently started using the no roll weights with atleast a 15 inch leader past that on a barrel swivel. This alone has increased my catch rate but I'm still not hooking the real big ones. I know their out there. My favorite river out here is the Trent River which is a tributary to the Neuse. I'm starting to realize that I need to use live bait or fresh caught and cut bait to get the big ones though. I usually use chicken liver or frozen cut fish which seems to catch the 5 to 10 pounders a lot but only a few over that size.

 

[Nightfisher-]

Re: Keeping the Boat Still

Fresh caught cut bait, whole live fish, and around here we use eels quite a bit too. I'll send you a link.