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Post by nickbhw on Aug 7, 2023 13:13:34 GMT -5
How do you guys approach sandbar trips? Do you go to the popular spots, or off on your own, or maybe not at all? I'm not a huge fan, but mostly because it's a bit of a pain. There are a few spots where anywhere from 15-30 boats will anchor up and hang out all day. I usually avoid these, because, well, other people.... But, they are really nice spots with sandy bottoms and good depths. It would be nice to get really shallow, trim up and let the tide rise, but it seems everything but relaxing to me...worrying about the wind and the anchor not holding and other boats coming and going and getting stuck. So, we usually go a bit deeper with less desirable bottom, which doesn't give us the true sandbar experience. So, what do you guys do? Any tips for making sandbar trips less stressful?
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Post by fishnfool on Aug 7, 2023 14:33:04 GMT -5
It depends, we don't have many qualified sand bars around here so those tend to get busy on weekends and you're listening to everyone else's music, the rowdiness etc. We'll hit these areas very occasionally but we more often than not tend to find quiet coves and just anchor/raft up with a few friends, swim, eat and enjoy a beverage. Having water toys helps if you have kids. We picked up a floating mat this year and the kids love it esp when the jellyfish are around. We have lots of coves around here some are more shallow but most aren't.
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Post by nickbhw on Aug 8, 2023 7:56:14 GMT -5
Thanks. So how shallow do you get? We usually go around 4 feet and anchor up. But, I see all these people beaching boats or standing in knee high water. Do they just time it with the tide, or figure it out later, when it's time to leave?
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Post by reelkul on Aug 8, 2023 8:08:48 GMT -5
Depending on the sandbar, you may have to watch the tides, the times and the depth. I visit a variety of sandbars, it all depends on my mood and if the kids/passengers have requests. Miami and the keys have a lot of choices in sandbars, everything from obnoxiously loud partying to quiet places. But in all of them you have to watch the tides. I have gotten stuck at sand bars, because I lost track of time, and each time we had to push the boat off. One time I did need assistance from another boat to pull me off. One common thing to every time I got stuck was that it was a full moon, where the tides have huge depth changes.
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Post by footy3 on Aug 8, 2023 8:32:54 GMT -5
How do you guys approach sandbar trips? Do you go to the popular spots, or off on your own, or maybe not at all? I'm not a huge fan, but mostly because it's a bit of a pain. There are a few spots where anywhere from 15-30 boats will anchor up and hang out all day. I usually avoid these, because, well, other people.... But, they are really nice spots with sandy bottoms and good depths. It would be nice to get really shallow, trim up and let the tide rise, but it seems everything but relaxing to me...worrying about the wind and the anchor not holding and other boats coming and going and getting stuck. So, we usually go a bit deeper with less desirable bottom, which doesn't give us the true sandbar experience. So, what do you guys do? Any tips for making sandbar trips less stressful? In our area, you could not pay me enough to go to Tices Shoal, I kind of never understand the attraction there, it's deep, muddy bottom, maybe 3 thousand boats on a weekend and now you have to pay to walk across the fisherman's walkway to get to the beach, which is completely packed in that area. I will frequently anchor up off the sandbars that form on the north side of Oyster Creek channel, by the sedge house with the green metal roof. Occasionally I will also anchor up in the cove just north of the elbow at the entrance to the inlet channel, so after you pass the lighthouse, if you went straight instead of turning east at the green marker, but to me that is trickier to get into, seems like it's shallow everywhere and i have not invested enough time to find a preferred way in and out. If you just want to swim, there's tons of places you can anchor up on the bay side of Island beach state park in like 4 feet of water, but the bottom is barnegat bay mud/eels grass and mostly the shoreline is covered with reeds, although you can find a few sandy spots courtesy of Superstorm sandy blowing the dunes into the bay.
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Post by hookedup on Aug 8, 2023 8:35:10 GMT -5
I take grandkids out to a sandbar just off one of the less accessible beaches. Usually anchor in 3-4 feet of water so they can still jump into the water, but touch bottom when walking toward the beach. There usually is a fairly deep area just before the beach that they'll have to swim to get to the beach. That keeps most of the beach goers from venturing out to the sandbar, so it's just us and a few other boats except on holidays (like in the picture). There are other sandbars, but this one is about a mile long and even at low tide it's still covered with enough water to get in/out.
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Post by fishnfool on Aug 8, 2023 8:36:46 GMT -5
Thanks. So how shallow do you get? We usually go around 4 feet and anchor up. But, I see all these people beaching boats or standing in knee high water. Do they just time it with the tide, or figure it out later, when it's time to leave? In our creeks and such I may anchor in 2' or less as shown on the sounder, but in most coves were 7+'. We don't get big tidal swings here so I don't have to worry to much about the tide. I've beached my boat bow in before but don't like to do it, it rubs off the bottom paint at the keel.
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Post by abouttime2fish on Aug 8, 2023 8:43:42 GMT -5
I’m trying to sell the Rhodan as how much easier it will be to get anchored up at the beach!
No idea if that’s true or not!
The only rule I lay down is, I’ll anchor at beach one time per day and one time only. I’ll put the bow anchor out far enough that I can just climb aboard and adjust anchors line as tide goes in and out. But I never feel comfortable going out of sight of boat.
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Post by hookedup on Aug 8, 2023 8:56:16 GMT -5
I agree about the out of sight. I'll get out on the sandbar and play with the kids, but they go to the beach alone. Of course then I have two jobs, watch the boat and watch the kids (unless one of their parents is with us, then it's their job to watch the kids).
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Post by nickbhw on Aug 8, 2023 9:52:53 GMT -5
Great info. Thanks! There are times when I don't even get in the water..I'm just more concerned about the boat. I am going to look at my chart book and see if I can find a nice cove or more private place that I can anchor up. footy3 I haven't been to Tice's Shoal. It doesn't seem like my scene. I've been to 'party island' a few times over the years, but I try to avoid that now too. I had to see what all the hype was and I'm still not seeing it. There is a place off of the Brant Beach Yacht club island that seems a little more relaxed, but it is so close to the channel and I don't love swinging around near other boats with all the boat traffic and wake. On the weekends, I might anchor up in the morning and leave before it gets busy. On the way down OC, there seems to be a few places that I can beach the boat, but, like fishnfool said, I don't want to scratch up the bottom paint. I like the Rhodan idea. Or maybe an excuse to get a power pole. Everyone here anchors up at the bow and lets their boat swing, so I'm not sure if it would work around other boats.
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Post by fishnfool on Aug 8, 2023 10:20:51 GMT -5
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Post by abouttime2fish on Aug 8, 2023 12:04:49 GMT -5
When I get done duck hunting I’ll replace that boat with a flat bottom skiff with power pole specifically for beach days and back water fishing. I figure that’s about when my 15yo graduates college and I give the duck boat to him.
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Post by nickbhw on Aug 28, 2023 14:28:18 GMT -5
Just an update: This past Saturday, I decided to suck it up and cozy into a popular sandbar. I bought a stick anchor, like Chris posted (thanks for the tip), and used it in addition to my bow anchor. It turned out to be a great day. I really liked the stick anchor, because it offered some additional holding, AND it was a nice 'landmark' to make sure I was holding and not spinning. Next step, some tubes, a grill and a set of these:
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Post by jski59 on Aug 28, 2023 21:58:45 GMT -5
My kind of sandbar crowd…
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Post by nickbhw on Aug 29, 2023 8:02:05 GMT -5
Looks perfect!
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