Other than Drift Fishing which was discussed in the previous post, anchored fishing is the other common type of boat fishing method. Usually the captain can be more relaxed when the boat is anchored, hence I prefer this type of fishing over drifting. However there are a few things for the captain to take note too while relaxing. Some of the points are repeated from the drift fishing post but discussed here in the context of anchored fishing.
Examples of suitable spots for anchored fishing are ship wrecks and drop-offs. Bait fish likes to hide in wrecks and predators will ambush them there. Pelagic likes to hang around drop-offs together with the reef fishes. However these spots are usually confined to a small area. Hence the position of the boat has to be quite accurate in order for the anglers to present their bait right where the fish school is.
Yellowtail Fusiliers often hang around in schools around wrecks and drop-offs.
2) Position of the boat
Positioning the boat exactly at the spot where you want it to be is the hardest part to master. There are two main factors to consider - current and wind. And each factor has two variables - magnitude and direction. The final position of the boat is the resultant of the magnitude and direction of the current and wind combined. Hence it is up to the captain's judgement and experience to estimate the final position of the boat after dropping the anchor.
Diamond trevallies are leader shy. However when the bait is presented well into the school, you will be expecting a frenzy.
3) Bait presentation
During positioning of the boat, the captain will also have to consider where the lines will be blown to by the current. When the current is strong, the bait will be blown away from the boat and will not be presented into the fish school if the boat is positioned directly on top of the school. Hence this leads us to the next point.
This coral trout was caught when the boat was positioned just at the edge of a reef and the bait blown into the reef.
4) Use suitable sinkers
In most cases, the boat after anchored will be facing against the current flow which means, the bait will be blown to the stern of the boat. Anglers with heavier sinkers should fish at the bow and anglers with lighter sinkers at the stern. This is to prevent the fishing lines from drifting from the bow of the boat to entangle with the lines at the stern.
Batfish likes to swim around the boat when it is hooked. The lines will get entangled if they are not spaced out properly.
An anchored boat will not drift into the path of a container ship but you might anchored in the path of an unseen incoming one. Though the boat is anchored, it does not mean there is no chance of collision. So the captain still have to be aware of the surroundings. It is a good practice to check the position of the boat once a while to ensure that it is still stationary because sometimes the anchor might lose grip when the current or wind gets stronger.
Being aware of the surroundings also helps us to spot top water surface actions by predator fish such as this needlefish.
Feel free to drop your comments below if you have any tips on anchored fishing. Good luck and tight lines!
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