Stuck aground, boat pole foot

[jdlough]

I boat/fish in the tidal shallows of the mouths of rivers entering the Chesapeake Bay.

For some dang reason, even with charts, GPS, sonar, and GoogleMaps, I get myself stuck.

Last year's plan was to jump over the side and push, African Queen style.

This year, I need a new plan.

I have a nice, Pro-quality collapsible painters pole, about 12' long when extended. It has the normal screw end that could accept a roller brush or other standard screw-in accessories.

Anybody know of some 'boat pushing foot' that might fit this?

Something like this http://www.loadhandler.com/rake.php may work, but I suspect there may already be a device specifically designed for a boat sticking person like myself.

 

[JB]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

In the south, JD, poling is the standard way to move about the flats. I don't think a painter's pole is at all strong enough or flexible enough. There are nice, lightweight, flexible fiberglass poles made for this purpose. Some, I think, are even takedowns that you can store in the boat.

I would bet that someone here can suggest where you can order one.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

That pole will screw nicely into an old push broom. Cut the bristles off and you have a wide bearing area to push on mud. If you want something new, look in the housewares areas of box stores for a floor cleaning tool. I forget what they are called but they are a wide aluminum plate, almost like a concrete trowel, with velcro that takes a re-usable cloth. I believe the handle screws into those too. They probably come with a 5 foot handle.

Ahhh! I hope you don't go into Aberdeen! Might get a nasty surprise there if you touch bottom.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

When I think of 'flats' down south, I imaging nice even shallow sandy areas. Clear water. Big fish with teeth. I could be wrong.

The muck I get stuck in is one level above quicksand. When I get out, after I get myself unstuck and push the boat, I can hear a big sucking burp sound. I can't quite picture how a 'flexible' pole like you're describing can cut it.

My painters pole is a big, sturdy, heavy duty thing. I could do chin-ups on it.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Aberdeen!

Do you mean the muddy/mucky bottom, or all the unexploded ordnance there!!!?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

a painter's pole won't last long in the salt and isn't strong enough, especially for your boat. Where I boat on the Eastern Shore, the shove pole is the second most important piece of equipment.

Here are the options, from over 40 years experience:

You can't beat an oar. Not a paddle, an oar. You can scull, push and pry. Fine for hard sand, and you do a lever/push in mud. However, they are short.

For poles, in order:

16' solid wood, cypress/ash, carved by a guy who knows what he's doing, with a slight paddle end.

1 1/2" fiberglass pole, 14-16', I don't nkow where you get them, with a "duck foot" you can order from any decent outdoor catalogue. We ahve used a pair of them heavily for over 25 years at our hunt club.

The Avery type 2-part telescoping with a duck foot. Down side: the buttons rust out after a couple years and the button holes corrode into large holes after several years. Because they sink fast (BTDTx2) stuff the handle with some old styrofoam.

I just got a 3-part telescoping from Bass Pro and put a duck foot on it; it stores better in my boat. So far so good but only one season in the salt so far.

Someone discussed making them out of PVC, and to deal with the flex issue, insert a smaller piece into a larger piece.

One thing to consider: if you just need to get unstuck and back to deeper water, an oar will work, but if you might be shoving long distances, you need the length. I use that long fiberglass one to shove a 19' skiff sometimes a half mile.

Good use of the power tilt and shifting your passengers is an important skill, too. Don't be afraid to churn some mud or even back out if you're careful. Thatis, if you are just bumpnig, and not running hard aground on a plane!

Get polarized glasses, and learn to read the surface of the water. On the seaside, the guts are deep and the bays are shallow. Crab pots are set in whatever natural channel there is, and if you can't see the tops you have 18" water--but pass the bouys on the down wind/down current side.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Keep going there.
One day you will learn about tides, wide direction & wind strength. Also about shifting winds. The tides DO vary as the moon phases change.
Get a LIGHT Mushroom anchor. Drop it at the depth you KNOW will prevent getting stuck with bad wind & tides on THAT DAY.
The fishing must be fantastic to keep going back.
Southern guys do use a pole that has 2 flaps that spread apart when you PUSH. More pushing force.
The flaps fold together for less effort when pulling the pole back. I think you need the one for mud flats.

I had a bay spot like that. It was a hole in the mud.

 

[BRICH1260]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

We use a telescoping aluminum pusher pole with "feet" attched to the end when we duck hunt. Very sturdy and collapses down to a five foot rod. You can get them from Cabela`s for around $30.00.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Here's the area I'm talking about, on the west bank of the Nanticoke River. It's a maze of very shallow slow moving creeks, with twists and turns and double oxbows winding through marsh land.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Sandy+Island+Cove+MD

Lots of catfish up in the creeks, and Stripers hang out at the mouth of the creeks as the tide falls and brings them food to the shallow Sandy Island Cove. Unfortunately, that means the best fishing time is while the tide is dropping, and it's easy to get stuck up there as you're poking around.

Thanks for all the advice. There's a Gander Mountain near me that carries the Avery Trac-Loc Push Pole and Marsh Foot attachment. I'll also check out Bass Pro's version the next time I'm on the Western Shore. I think either one will work perfectly.

Good tip about passing on the down stream of crab pot bouys. BTDT, just once!:redface:

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

I may not understand the problem here. I think you accidentally come upon a shallow spot; like a submerged hill-top if you will? Or do you go into known to be shallow water and the bottom slowly rises up and you get stuck.

If the former, why wouldn't a depth finder work for you. You could install it so that it is angled ahead of the boat. Readings would be funny at first, but you could get any pole and sound the bottom and watch the return to see what returns look like for different depths until you got accustomed to it.

HTH,

Mark

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

He is running wayup there in high tide. Starts fishing & forgets about how fast some creeks drain. The fact of how many bows he passes means he could easily be 1 or 2 miles of creek bottom up there.
One day he may learn how to move with the tide as it drops. Still catch fish. He does enjoy the "up the creek" trip enough to keep getting stuck.

He does put himself in a possible safety problem if he really needs medical help fast.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Unfortunately, that means the best fishing time is while the tide is dropping, and it's easy to get stuck up there as you're poking around.

I think that the real problem here is that your fishing with the wrong type of boat. I understand the desire to not add a new boat to the inventory, but you really need a flat bottom boat with a small outboard to reach the type of areas you are talking about.

If I were you, I'd probably also be most worried about dinging my prop and sucking up all the sediment into my water intake!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

"I think you accidentally come upon a shallow spot; like a submerged hill-top if you will? Or do you go into known to be shallow water and the bottom slowly rises up and you get stuck."
"He is running wayup there in high tide. Starts fishing & forgets about how fast some creeks drain"



that's not how it works. It's nothing like lake boating.

You can have narrow creeks with 10' of water empty into a bay with less than 2. Channels, natural and man-made, change. Tides are affected by wind, which can vary them a foot or more from the tide charts (map-type charts showing depths are worthless). Channel markers are usually historical markers. Watermen put in stakes to mark deep water and the same stakes to mark oyster rocks.

But you have to deal with the skinny water to get to where you are going and do what you want to do. it isn't accidental; it's just what you do. Boating in a rising tide is a comfort; boating in a falling tide requires planning and attention to detail, or the ability to wait a few hours in the weather, bugs, night until the tide rises. Only a weenie would call for a tow.

Depth finders show you the depth you have already crossed. They do you no good to get around when the water ranges from 1/2 to 3 feet, but are useful for finding channels, holes and drop-offs at high tide.

The hairiest is learning how to run on a plane when there isn't enough water to run off a plane. There are other tricks, too, like using the stern wake to lift you over a bar; how to read a gut to know the deep side; how to run with the motor in the deep even though the rest of the hull is in inches; how to turn a 20' boat around in a gut about that wide.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

I do have a smaller boat. A 16' Wahoo (Boston Whaler clone). That is definitely a much better boat for those creeks.

Usually what happens is I'm out in the Tangier Sound with the bigger boat, and having no fishing luck.
I then decide to push my luck and check out the creeks at idle speed on the way back. I 'usually' get away with it.

I'm not a complete idiot, though. I don't go 1 or 2 miles up the creek in the big boat. And even at low tide there's enough water depth in the center of the creeks to get out, as long as I can push off the mud hump and get to it.

I also leave word or call home to let them know where I am. I have a cell phone, radio, a backup boat complete with wife and teenagers who know how to drive it, and plenty of boating neighbors to call who can zip over and get me. The creeks are fairly popular, usually every hour or so some boat motors by who could assist. I pulled two other people's boats out of the muck myself, just last summer.

What I'd really do if I ever got too stuck is to call home, and keep fishing til the tide returns. Any yes, I carry plenty of bug repellant.

 

[Stachi]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Wasn't this a question about push-poles ?

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Good idea to seek an alternative method. Would hate to hear you got you feet stuck in the muck.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

This thread seems to have taken a slight turn to the weird.

Just to be clear. I'm not a noob, to boating or this area. I live here. This is literally my backyard. I understand tides. Neap, Spring, the whole bit. Tides are part of my everyday life. The most important function of my wrist watch is the moon phase and tide function. After storms, I find fish and jellyfish in my yard.

I was simply looking for a cheap foot to stick on the end of my pole to avoid breaking out the waders.

I know boating can be dangerous, but some people worry too dang much.

"He does put himself in a possible safety problem if he really needs medical help fast."

I'm not trying to boat Mt. Everest here. Relax...


Hey, I just got promoted to Chief Petty Officer! Higher that I ever got in the real USN back in the 70's. Can I order people around now and be a real *****?

 

[jdlough]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Home Cookin',

Thanks for your posts. I think we must boat in the same sort of areas.

"Don't be afraid to churn some mud" Haa! You must have seen me. I think I finally found a name for the bigger boat, "Mud Churner".

These creeks are really odd. The depth finder reads 14 FEET in the center, then round a turn, and you hit 18 INCHES.
At least there are zero rocks to ding your prop against anywhere near here. Just muck.

 

[edfishing2]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

I like this thread.
Ok I ran up on some mud when the sun was low and I ran on the wrong side of a nun. I had the outboard running in gear/trimmed up mud flying everywhere, my fat body up front pushing for 10 minutes with wooden paddle while using the trolling motor all at the same time finally got my boat off of that mud (thank goodness it wasn't rock or oysters) hump.

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Stuck aground, boat pole foot

Hey, I just got promoted to Chief Petty Officer! Higher that I ever got in the real USN back in the 70's. Can I order people around now and be a real *****?

You don't need rank to behave that way. I know from experience.