Navigating in the fog.

Soft Plastic · 09-06-2003, 01:31 PM

Spent yesterday with my buddy Burner fishing at the rockpile. Met Bugflicker, Sturgeon Tom, Wildhog, and Ugly Green. It was great having others around just for that feeling of security. We were trying for some halibut, but wound up with a limit of HUGE lings. After returning to the dock I saw two fellows in the parking lot and decided to ask how they did. The told me that while navigating in the fog they missed the jetty and wound up on the beach :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: . The said they had a gps and still missed the jetty. The fog was extremly heavy at times yesterday so I don't know what it was like when they crossed, however with proper planning I think they could have avoided this. GPS is a great tool which does only 1 thing. It will tell you where you are. If you are in the channel, or about to hit the beach it will tell you where you are. You must save waypoints saved to use as a reference to your position. I mark the bouys and the jetty entrance directly in the middle of the channel to build a route for navigating in or out of the river. I also use the cross track error feature to tell me if I am straying off of the intended course so I can make corrections. This will keep you in known good water. You should be able to follow a marked route with a cross track error of less than 100 feet. The time to mark these locations is on a nice day when the water is flat and there is time to play, not in short steep chop with the wind blowing. Use it to navigate at every opportunity, someday you will be glad you did. I use to have mine mounted on my dash in my truck when I first got it. I would use it to mark routes during my normal driving (to and from work etc...) just for practice. This is the time for learning. These guys were lucky, other than the fog the ocean was perfectly flat and the tide swing was about 2 feet. If it was rough we could all be reading this from a news agency.

The Bad Fish · 09-06-2003, 01:47 PM

amen brother.. i have the center of the channel marked right between the jetty tips in yaquina bay then the two bouys outside and finally the whistler bouy.. some times i use the track back feature to retrace steps from that morning to the ramp.. really spooky in the fog because by the time you realize your in trouble it's too late. glad they were ok. kb

skein · 09-06-2003, 02:02 PM

100' you say? That won't work at Depoe.

I do what you do, SP, and that's mark my route when the weather's nice. Then I practice that route everytime I go out and come back in until I am totally confident in it. I also have a handheld for a backup, and have the waypoints in it as well. A backup isn't much good if you have forgotten to mark the points.

Thursday, coming back in to Depoe Bay I didn't have the luxury of having done it in the sunshine nor did I get to practice. That was my first trip and it was kind of a baptism by fire. But I trusted my instruments, which included my compass, and mentally prepared myself for evasive action should I have had to take it.

My GPS laid out a highway for me and all I had to do was follow it in. Piece o' cake. :grin:

Fog is not my friend - but my GPS is.

Skein

Lepper · 09-06-2003, 02:54 PM

GPS'sssssess are very nice. Especially the one with the WAAS... Between the gps and my fish finder telling me how deep it is I have, and can find my way back in quit easily.. You still have to be on your toes..

and personally I don't like fog!!!
d

Gus Orviston · 09-06-2003, 05:49 PM

I like the comment "known good water", that fits my MO to a T. I like to start my first waypoints far enough out so that it gets me off on a very safe foot. Then the following waypoints are still far enough from shore for me to hit a couple before I am near any shoreline, and of course try to hit a Bouy or two if possible which keeps the confidence up. Keep your waypoints tight IMO, so that you aren't traveling for and extended period of time between two points. Long distances between waypoints increases the room for errors, I like small milestones and regular feedback. Maybe that is over doing it, but if I can plan the risk out of the situation I will.

I am still training my brother on this, he used my GPS this weekend, and said he didn't run the route, but decide to use "goto waypoint" He hit Bouy 4 then aimed it at B10. He said he got too close to SJ and backed up to B4 and started his return over. I have warned him on this but you have to practice.

gus

Rusty · 09-06-2003, 05:53 PM

I am very pleased that most people are outfitting their boats with at least a hand held GPS. Just listen to any Coast Guard transmission and you'll find that they ask the "victim" for their GPS coordinates. How many times have you heard, "I don't have one on board?"

I am by nature an extremely cautious person, so a GPS is essential when I am on the ocean or Columbia River, but I have added an additional piece of gear to help insure my safety and the safety of my friends.

For about $400.00, you can purchase a GPS/Chartplotter. Now you will not only know your exact GPS location, but also you can see it on the screen, AND you see land formations, buoys, depths, navaids, etc., etc.

Any person who spends as much per year on lures, bait, gas, and whatever, as I do, owes it to themselves, and their passengers, to make the leap to this unbelieveable technology. You'll never regret it!

My $.02

Rusty

Uglygreen · 09-06-2003, 06:03 PM

Yeah I love my GPS too... and Maybe Im strange, because I like fishing and running in the fog. Its so peaceful and adds a bit of a challange as well.

UG

skein · 09-06-2003, 06:13 PM

Of course you're strange, UG, but we need at least one irrational crazyman out there to keep us from being total wusses. :grin:

My favorite Ifish/Salty Dog picture is still the one of you working your way through the fog. I think it defines the game.

Rusty, I absolutely agree with you about the chartplotter. Mine is in color and I bought the BlueChart chip for this area. A lot of money yes, but a LOT of peace of mind. And I still carry my handheld just in case.

Skein

[ 09-06-2003, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: skein ]

WildHawg · 09-06-2003, 08:20 PM

Yes--the Boy is indeed strange...
But I have entrusted my life to him quite a few times now, in less than ideal conditions, WAY far away from the nearest tavern--and by God, I'm here to tell ya about it

I guess I too am a bit odd--I love fishing in the quiet of the fog, on a calm ocean. The fog absorbs much of the sound, and it is as if there were noone else around.
Ahhh...peace and serenity :grin:

Spoiled Daddy · 09-07-2003, 06:24 AM

Don't forget to save waypoints further up river too. In the fall, we sometimes get fogged in here up river when the ocean is bright and clear.

There is nothing worse than running past someone who is up in the mud. (Unless you are that person!) I have marked the channel from the entrance to So. Beach Marina all the way up to the Toledo boat ramp and have had to use the GPS to run that stretch on many occasions.

Never hurts and it can save you lots of time too, no matter which river you are on.

SD

Mtn Man · 09-07-2003, 09:31 AM

If you don't have GPS plotter, then learn how to plot your position and speed on a chart. You can get you position from a handheld and then plot it on a chart.

You can also easily plot your position on the chart using radar bearings and distances. You can do it with one point to get an approximate position and two to get a good position.

If your really in a pinch and can see a few landmarks you can plot your position using a compass and taking visual bearings, just remember that you need at least 3 and get them and far apart (physically) and as close together (time) as possible.

After you have plotted a few positions and have some history on your chart as long as you keep your speed the same it is fairly easy to plot ahead 10-20 min to estimate where you will be. You will have to take in account any current drift that will push you off coarse.

The basic tools that you will need are a compass (drafting type), a protractor, a pencil and of coarse a good chart of the area that you are in.

Hope this brief explanation helps. It been a few year since I did much navigation, but I did get a few years to practice thanks to Uncle Sam. :grin:

MM

Badger · 09-07-2003, 06:57 PM

I'd have to guess they were just following their GPS back to a "boat dock" waypoint or something like that, without many other points outlining the long jetty, or the turn under the bridge and then back south through the marina. Without background mapping of a chartplotter, they could have easily been heading right towards the beach, south of the jetty as the crow flies if you will.

I won't intentionally head out into the fog for a few pounds of fish, but when it rolls in there's nothing you can do (and the peace and serenity can be enjoyable). I'm not comfortable in the fog though, even with GPS/chartplotter, without having radar available. Call me cautious, but seeing the jetties and other boat traffic in addition makes me a whole lot more comfortable under those conditions.