Northwest Fishing Reports

So heres another one.. Today while fishing out of my Driftboat, id anchor in a spot and start fishing. We'd sit there for a while perfectly tracking in the water and then after a whille we'd be swaying back and forth and then started dragging anchor. Am I anchoring in too fast of water?

I'm not a drift boat guy, so please take your instruction from one of them when they jump in.

I would like to hear from one of those guys some thoughts on how much anchor line you should have from anchor on the bottom.....then back to your boat. There is a proper angle to have between those to points. If you are an anchored in 20' of water, you can't just drop out 23' of anchor line. That would put your drift from above the anchor point at too slight of an angle. This is true in lakes, but I would expect to be even more an issue in the current of a river.

Decades since driftboating, but the principles above are sound. Also, size and style of anchor is important, but you probably have a good one. Fast water can do what you describe. I know anchoring our 20' boat on the lower Columbia can be a drag... More line, dropping in bigger rock, dropping so the boat is in a bit of an eddy or even a backflow, lightening the load for less draft, making sure there's a good balance of load to prevent side to side movement, and I've even used counterbalancing my body to stop the rocking motion (works well on smaller pontoons in some situations). One guy I know double anchors in some holes, but that always seemed excessive to me. You describe yourself as noob, so these are pretty straightforward. I'm sure there's more "current" folks that can add.

I have been out several times in a friends DB and that is right you do need enough line paid out so you dont drag/drift off your spot. With the swaying We will set the oars in the water like rudders they track nice and tight to the boat. Just make sure you paddle in the water with the knife edge like you would when your digging in. If you lay them flat it wont help. Hope this is helpful.

Idstud nailed the one that was nagging at my memory, or was that my wife? Anyway, good advice!

have 2 anchors, one up front and one in the back. that's what we do and it solves the problem nicely

Ah, not so sure the scope of the line is going to help with this one. A lot of times it's how the boat is balanced. I would try just leaving the oars in the water like a couple rudders or dagger boards, blades vertical, not feathered and I'll bet the boat will stop searching for the sweet spot.

Hey, did any of this stuff do the trick?

It's going to go side to side when you're moving around in the boat a lot, shifting wait. To make sure you don't drag, you need to scope out the line a lot. The deeper it is, the more scope you need. When you shift the weight in the boat to one side, it digs into the current and pushes the boat to the opposite side. If you have an offset anchor for a motor mount, it makes it even more likely since the rope isn't behind the boat.

To solve the problem, I use a sea anchor drift sock and tie it to the bow line, throw it in front of the boat. Keeps the boat nice and straight, even if you're anchored in swishy current. If you keep sliding, get a heavier anchor. I have 45 and it works well to keep me where I want to be.

Wooly running just get out and learn your spots more. You might have been in water that was too fast, maybe the river bed had sand or loose rock in spots and you lost your anchor due to sliding out of a good hold. Better question is what weight and shape of anchor are you using?

The side to side motion can be normal as a rivers currents are usually always moving and swirling also. Placing the oars in the water to offset the motion or help guide is a good idea but in your case it would be counter productive because it would cause you to loose you anchor hold even quicker.

The idea of a drift sock is something I have never heard of and I think that is an even less valid option for your situation as the force of a down stream counter balance would then pull your anchor hold even more than simple oars.

Remember you don't need to hunker down in the same spot for 30 minutes, and the more contraptions you have involved will slow your ability to properly back plugs down a run, or move through the run smoothly.

I would suggest getting a 40 - 45lbs pyramid anchor if you must stop in heavy water. 30-35 would be the norm.

To respond to Quadfather : the amount of line let out is associated with the depth but to be honest it can often times be more about the speed and type of river bed you are dealing with. Sometimes you just gotta let a bit more out to get that top edge to grab if you are in loose gravel or sand.