Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

[liferiders]

Hello Friends! I am planning to take my 12ft Zodiac (fitted with a 15hp Chrysler tiller, dinghy rated for 40hp) to do some fishing near Ocean Pier, Maryland. Have anyone of you fished in the sea from a zodiac or anything similar? How does it handle the waves? Is standing up and casting easy? Does the boat move too much due to the winds? Do you use the anchor, or do you just stay afloat and wander around? And if you do use the anchor, does the anchor have to hit the bottom of the seafloor? Have you had any accidents such as capsizing or damage to the zodiac from Shark bite etc ? Is 15hp too less to navigate the waves? Also what are the essential things you would carry during such a trip? Do you stay close to the shore or do you venture far out? Please advise.Thank you.

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

Sir, if these questions are legitament, I would recommend you stay away from the ocean until you have experience in handling the boat.

Inflatables handle the waves well and are lively. Wind moves them severely and it would be in your best interest not to stand up.
The whole principal of anchoring is to have an anchor planted on the bottom to hold a boat in one place.

The first purchases in fitting out the boat would be safety equipment, life preservers, communications, lights, GPS to determine your position, etc. Boating in the ocean should not be done without experience and someone to teach you the things you need to know. Conditions can go from docile to dangerous in just a few minutes.

 

[theteacher]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

And if you do use the anchor, does the anchor have to hit the bottom of the seafloor?

When I got to this part of the question, I figured this was a "joke" post, at least I HOPE the post is a joke ??? I would HATE to see this guy out on the water with his complete lack of any boating knowledge at all.
My very FIRST suggestion would be a boating course and also invite a knowledgeable seaman for the first outing or 2. Maybe 3 ?

And then, "damage to the Zodiak from a Shark bite" , seriously ?

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

Good advice on getting a little experience before venturing offshore (whether in an enclosed bay or open ocean). Once you get that experience you'll find that the Zodiac is a very seaworthy boat. I had a 15 footer that I used many times for taking 3 scuba divers, with full gear, a couple of miles off shore here in San Diego. Never had much of an issue standing up, even with wet suit, tanks and weight belt donned.

I'd worry more about hooking the tubes with a fish hook or a gaff than shark bites

 

[liferiders]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

When I got to this part of the question, I figured this was a "joke" post, at least I HOPE the post is a joke ??? I would HATE to see this guy out on the water with his complete lack of any boating knowledge at all.
My very FIRST suggestion would be a boating course and also invite a knowledgeable seaman for the first outing or 2. Maybe 3 ?

And then, "damage to the Zodiak from a Shark bite" , seriously ?

Not a joke post. Just being stupid. I have a lot of experience using the zodiac in lakes and rivers.Have handled waves from giant boats and barges. But no experience whatsoever in the sea. But I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

 

[theteacher]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

Well, since it's not a joke post, you're not stupid at all, just not informed, like we all were at 1 time. I do however question your vast lake and river experience when you ask if an anchor has to hit the seafloor bottom, seriously?
An anchor needs to have some chain at a certain length also, not just line. Someone will chime in, or you can do a search on anchor rode and/or anchor chain length.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

I think what he means is will the anchor act as a drogue even if it doesn't reach bottom. It would provide some drag. Perhaps enough to keep your bow pointed into the sea. If you want to station keep offshore, pick yourself up a sea drogue, or make your own. It's really essential equipment for such a small boat offshore. It can save your butt if you lose your engine in fowl weather.

 

[theteacher]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

I think what he means is will the anchor act as a drogue even if it doesn't reach bottom. It would provide some drag. Perhaps enough to keep your bow pointed into the sea. If you want to station keep offshore, pick yourself up a sea drogue, or make your own. It's really essential equipment for such a small boat offshore. It can save your butt if you lose your engine in fowl weather.

My case is proven, I never heard of a "sea drouge", I'm not stupid, just not knowledgeable about it.

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

liferidrers, please ask the questions you want disgussed.

If you have ridden over boat wakes, just imagine them being fairly constant as you would experience with waves in the ocean. Wave action can vary from just gentle swells to violent in the ocean.

Are you familiar with using an anchor? You will need a minimum of three to five times the water depth in anchor line length.

Does your motor develope enough power to maintain headway in strong currents and wind?

Don't allow blood to enter the water around your boat as it attracks sharks. Think of sharks as easilly excited feeding machines. Although boats are sometimes attacked, it is rare and the sharks are after feeding in almost all cases. Don't do anything to attrack their atention like hanging your catch on a stringer attached to your boat.

They use inflatable life boats on large boats for a reason. The biggest problem in rough water is just staying in the inflatable in poor conditions.

I believe in a prior post you stated that your motor is an older Montgomery Ward. Can you trust it not to fail when you are on the water?

Are the seams trustworthy in your boat?

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

Ocean Pier looks like it has a lot of boat traffic + what looks like miles and miles of beach. Big question is: Do people actually catch stuff off this area, or do they take commercial charters and go offshore? I did some google mapping and it looks like any beach - not too much around except the occasional pelagic fish.

Additionally, going offshore fishing on a inflatable would not be my idea of fun, and needless to say putting around miles away from shore would be akin to a Hemingway adventure like the "Old Man and the Sea."

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

My case is proven, I never heard of a "sea drouge", I'm not stupid, just not knowledgeable about it.

Here's what I'm talking about, also called a sea anchor. Taking a beam or quarter sea when disabled can ruin your day. This holds your bow into the waves, which is obviously what you want. This will also significantly slow your drift into rocks or shallows should you become disabled giving you time to make a distress call. Like I said, essential equipment.

http://www.seaanchor.com/seaanchor.htm

 

[theteacher]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

Thanks Rat,
I went and googled it as soon as I saw your first post about it,,,,,,I don't venture out unless the sky is favorable and I don't go far from shore, and this is all on my 22' Stingray, obviously I don't take my 10' RIB into the ocean, just the ICW, local lakes and maybe some day a river.
Thanks for the link, it was better than the ones I found earlier !

 

[Peter_C]

Re: Ocean Fishing from a 12ft Zodiac (Hypalon)

What are the ocean conditions there? Dead flat, or perfect storm? I am not familiar with the area, but am used to a powerful ocean that MUST be respected. Would I go miles offshore in a small inflatable...sure I do it all the time. Would I do it in a smaller boat than mine with less horsepower, probably not, at least not around here.

Safety equipment is a requirement!

DSC equipped handheld VHF radio. This will allow you to hit a button and call the Coast Guard and all boats around you to your exact position via GPS.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...gclid=CI-wiZbBprICFUjhQgodv0IAnQ#.UEuAnZYTnZg
DO NOT cheap out and buy less of a radio, unless you are going to spend $250+ on an personal locator beacon like the ResQlink+ http://www.acrelectronics.com/landing/resqlink-resqlinkplus-personal-locator-beacons/
Two oars.
Flares.
Air horn.
Anchor with 300ft of rope.
LIFEJACKETS and WEAR THEM! http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...&subdeptNum=50470&classNum=50481#.UEuCp5YTnZg

And then, "damage to the Zodiak from a Shark bite" , seriously ?

I kinda worry about it! We saw a small shark the other day, but 2 miles away is one of the largest concentrations of Great White sharks in the USA. We actually had planned to go that direction for whale watching but the fog stopped us.

I can only insert one video so here is a link to another. Notice the engines are running in both circumstances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9W5sCPysA0