What to do with excess anchor rope...

[Rimshot]

Ok guys, bear with me here. This may seem like a dumb question or a no brainer for most of you but I'm new to the whole hogline thing. If I'm anchoring in say 15' of water in normal current I only need to let out maybe 30-45' of rope to hold good. My question is what do I do with the remaining 250'+ if I drop out so it's not trailing back half a mile making everyone mad? I have tried paying attention to what other guys are doing but it looks like they are just using short ropes. Do I need to get a shorter shallow water setup? I have a bag for the rope and have thought about stuffing the excess in it along with the float and tieing it off somehow, but is there a better way? What do you all do? Also, what is the etiquette on just dropping back a little? Is that ok or does etiquette say drop out all the way. I was in a line with only one boat on either side of me the other day and when we hooked up I just asked the guys if they minded if I just dropped back a little and they said no problem. Just wanting some input from the hogline pros here graemlins/1zhelp.gif . Thanks a bunch.

[Small Fry]

I use a nylon bag to stuff all extra rope in. I leave about 25 feet of loose rope out with bouys attached.

[Tilla]

We use a nylon bag that came with a portable chair that has one of those plastic sliding locking chord thingies. Thet got stuff like that in surplus stores. A mesh bag works better for drainage.

[Killertraylor]

Rimshot - I cut my rope into 100 foot lengths and put metal eyes on the ends so they can be shackled together if needbe. If you use an anchor puller, you'll have to put one on each length of rope to attach your buoy to since the rope goes through the anchor puller and you can't get it off once you put a metal eye on the end. I just use the cheap black plastic anchor pullers that you can detatch your buoy from (about $15) so it's not too expensive. Get a couple of the screw type shackles and you're set. I don't fish up by Bonneville though and 99% of the time, 100' is plenty of rope for me. I used to bunch the excess all together neatly and tie a small rope around it which worked fine, but then you always have a big wet wad of rope. Hope this helps.

As far as dropping out of a hogline - you do this for two reasons - one is to get the fish away from the other lines, but more importantly, it greatly increases your chances of landing the fish when you are drifting in the current with the fish as opposed to horsing the fish upriver against the current - that's why guys drop anchor even when not fishing in a hogline. You'll find that many times, you drift right over the top of the fish, suprise him, net him, and he's flopping in the bottom of your boat before he even knows he's hooked.

[ 04-03-2003, 01:47 PM: Message edited by: Killertraylor ]

[garyk]

I butterfly coil the excess rope (this method reduces tangling as opposed to the usual circular coiling).

Then a 1" or wider nylon strap with adjustable Fastex (quick release) buckles is fastened around the coil, making it a snug little package that can quickly be tossed. Of course a bouy is on the terminal end.

[timinthegorge]

I have 300' of rope on my big anchor. I keep the extra rope in a mesh bag with a float at the bottom on the bag. I use the drawstring on the bag to tie the rope to the bag with a couple or three half hitches. When dropping out, just untie from the cleat, throw the bag out behind the buoy, and you're good to go.... Hope that helps.... Tim :smile:

[Rimshot]

Thanks all. That helps a lot. I have a nylon mesh bag that came with the anchor package. Sounds like that is the way to go. Makes sense. Thanks again.

[Beer Waggin]

Rope is cheap! Buy an extra 300' spool when it's on sale.
I have three lengths of rope. 125', 175' and a 300' length. Guess which one gets used this time of year? Yep, the short one and I get to leave all the rest of the rope at home with all the other hassles in my life.

[Knucklebuster]

Droppin back a little is fine, until you catch a fish that decides to run up and over and into the other rods of other boats. Been there... Done that. :grin:

[Plum Crazy]

I use a Orange Electrical Cord reel you get at the hardware store. Tie the rope through the middle and attach a bouy to it with a clip. My buddy has used it for years and showed me It seem's to work great. But A bag does Too.
Fire :cheers: