Anchoring on Wrecks and Reefs

On a wreck or a rock pile, the fish aren't spread evenly. Tautog sit in specific holes, sea bass gather on the high spots, and porgies bunch up on the mussels. Anchor 30 feet off, and you'll catch a few. Anchor right on top, and you'll catch them all day. Precise boat placement is the single biggest skill in structure fishing.

Step 1: find the fish, not just the structure

GPS numbers get you close. Your depth finder gets you on the fish.

1. Circle the numbers. Run slowly around the waypoint watching the sounder until you see the structure. The fish can be well off the published numbers, sometimes 100 yards.
2. Make several passes across the structure and mark each concentration of fish with a waypoint.
3. Note the high point. The highest part of a wreck or reef pushes current upward and creates eddies. It's often the best spot, especially for sea bass.
4. Drop a marker buoy right on the spot you want to fish. Use a heavy weight, such as an old window-sash weight, so it sinks straight down fast and marks the spot accurately.

Step 2: read the drift

Before you anchor, find out which way wind and current will push the boat.

• Put the engine in neutral (or shut it down) beside the buoy for a few minutes and watch which way and how fast you drift.
• Note a spot a few hundred feet down-drift. Now you know the line the boat will hang on once anchored.

Step 3: anchor

Single anchor

The simplest method.

1. Run up-current and up-wind of the buoy, along the drift line, far enough to let out plenty of scope.
2. Drop the anchor and chain and let the boat fall back toward the buoy as you pay out line.
3. Scope: let out at least 5 times the water depth, and 7 times in strong current. In 75 feet of water, that's around 375 to 525 feet of line. Put a length of chain between the anchor and the rope.
4. Tie off when you're over the buoy. If you're short or long, let out or take in line to move forward or back.

Fine-tuning: if you're a few feet to one side, clip a rope from a midships cleat to the anchor line (a bridle) and turn the steering wheel. The boat will slide sideways a few feet. This works less well when wind and tide are pushing in opposite directions.

Double anchoring

Two anchors keep the boat much steadier over the structure, with far less swinging. It takes practice, but it's worth learning for tautog and small structure like sunken tanks and rock patches.

1. Drop the first anchor up-current of the buoy, drop back, and tie it off on one bow cleat.
2. Motor up-current on the other side and drop the second anchor so the two lines spread at an angle (about 45 degrees between them is common), and drop back to an equal scope. Tie it to the other bow cleat.
3. Adjust the two lines to put the boat exactly where you want it, and to move it around the structure as the bite changes.

Some anglers set the two anchors wide apart so they can shift the boat side to side as well as forward and back.

Grapple and wreck anchors

A grapple anchor, often homemade from bent rebar, hooks directly into the structure. Drift over the buoy and let the grapple drag until it catches, then ease forward gently and tie off. To leave, take in as much line as you can, cleat it, and motor slowly to pull the grapple free; the arms bend and can be bent back.

Two cautions. A grapple hooked into a wreck leaves very little line out, so be careful in even moderate seas. And some captains avoid grapples on natural rock and reef because they can damage the habitat that holds the fish.

Step 4: adjust as the tide changes

The best part of a wreck shifts with the tide and wind. If the bite slows:

• Let out or take in a little line to move the boat a few feet. It can make all the difference.
• Fish the other side of the boat.
• Watch the sounder and move to a different part of the structure if fish show up elsewhere.

When to drift instead

Anchoring keeps you on fish that live in the structure, like tautog, and lets you chum. Drifting covers more ground.

Anchor when	Drift when
Fishing for tautog in holes	Searching big reefs or rough bottom for sea bass
Chumming for porgies or sea bass	Water is deep and current strong
Structure is small (a tank, a rock patch)	A spot may be unproductive and you want to move fast

To drift a wreck, mark it with a float, run up-current, and drift across it with your lines straight down. Drifting costs more rigs than anchoring. If your rig drifts away from the boat, reel up and drop again.

Shortcuts

A GPS trolling motor or an outboard control system with a position-hold feature can hold the boat over a spot like an electronic anchor and move it a few feet at the push of a button. It's quieter, and you can reposition in seconds.

Etiquette

If another boat is already anchored on your spot, don't crowd it. Anchor well away or go to your backup spot. Get to popular wrecks early, or fish midweek.

For the fish themselves, see Black Sea Bass: Where They Live Through the Year, Tautog Through the Year and Porgies (Scup): When and Where to Find Them.