Navigation lights, full moon

D

DeltaDawg

Member
exMember
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
RO Number
23389
Messages
233
My boat is 16 feet. I am planning a catfishing trip at night this summer leaving from Sugar Barge to Swing Beach and maybe Holland Cut. It will be my 1st time out at night and 1st time at the storage dock wet berths. I have the red-green clamp on light for the bow and white pole light for the stern, I got them a couple years ago in case I got stuck out past dark but haven't used them underway at night. I use both lights underway, then just the white stern light at anchor, right? Is Holland Cut busy at night, I hope not? Do I want to plan so I have a full moon my 1st time out at night? I don't have night vision issues. We'll probably stay at Sugar Barge and I will hire a kid to sit the dogs so I don't have to worry about hooks, bait and them and can focus on getting us some catfish gumbo for lunch the next day. I will bring the electric trolling motor so I have redundant propulsion and don't have to call Vessel Assist at night.
 
Does the white pole light show all 360°. An anchor light must show at 360°.
 
Yes the white pole light shines radially in all directions. They are actually LEDs and get 100 hours off 4 AA batteries. Hummm full moon isn't until 7 June I might venture out at night a little before then. I got the 4 crawdad traps out today, I asked my neighbor to save their gallon milk jugs with the screw tops for trap floats. I think I will try at the end of Sand Mound slough by CCWD's intake for crawdads and midway down Holland Cut for catfish. Since we don't have fresh Brentwood corn until 4 July for a good crawdad boil with potatoes, sausage, crawdads and corn I will grill the crawdad tails and catfish to make spicy fish tacos. I finished tying my bottom fish leaders today so those are ready. Here is where I am going http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...999003,-121.598568&spn=0.065337,0.109863&z=13
 
DD----I used to travel that way at night almost every weekend. Before I kept my boat in a wet slip, we would have dinner on Bethel Island, then head on out Holland Cut to a nice anchorage near Rhode Island. I don't think the nice anchorage is there any more.....Holland Cut is like a freeway and lots of boat traffic coming and going from Disco Bay. I'd head over to to the eastern side of Qumby myself.

Make sure you have a good flashlight with a strong beam in the boat. Your stern light is legal for anchoring too. Moonlight can be beautiful, but it also adds unusual shadows on the water which can be deceiving. The catfish will be hanging out in the tules away from the levees.

Good fishing and good luck!
 
Before I put a low-draw anchor light on the boat I used a portable all-round white light that had a suction cup mount. Good for sticking onto the top of an outboard motor. It used 4 AA batteries with a flashlight bulb and would never stay lit all night long. I had to set an alarm to get get up and change batteries before 4:00 a.m. LEDs have changed the whole ball game.

It looks like you are in for a great trip DD. Full moon or not being on the water at night is a kick.

I liked your Google map. Nice way to share plans for a trip. Here is something interesting. Zoom out on the Google map until you can see Moores Riverboat. You can then see that the map calls Bradford Island and Webb Tract "King Edward Island." If you zoom in it only calls Webb Tract "King Edward Island." What's that about?

A 1901 Delta map shows Bradford and Webb landings named and where they belong, but no names for the islands. Even back then the island was divided by what we now call Fisherman's Cut (it was unnamed on the 1901 map) but the southern end of the cut was not complete. That end was still a natural slough called Serpent Slough.

King Edward VII was King of England from 1901-1910.
King Edward VIII was King of England only during 1936.
 
Thanks Yzer, Flutterby. I thought Holland Cut might be busy but my neighbor has good luck at the catfish hole near Rhode Island. Maybe what I should do is set the crawdad traps the night before got out again at 3a for the catfish then there would only be a couple of hours before sunrise. I have a couple of these on order in case I want to make leader modifications with limited light http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgdQb958d28 I have seen the saphire GPSMAP 76CS color scheme riding my bike at night but never on the water, this will be cool as long as the mermaids don't cause me to much mischief.
 
I have spent many nights out on the delta with my brother catching catfish. In the fall it is absolutely gorgeous out there. Calm, very quiet and very relaxing. A little music on the boom box, a good cigar and a little whiskey just to ward off the mosquitos....can't beat it. As far as mermaids, I have only ran across one on the delta, well she said she was one, but I just think she was angling for another drink at the bar at the Point.

DBH
 
I don't have to go out at night the fishing report on the Delta Chambers web site indicates catfish are being caught 4p-9p now. We'll have catfish tacos, catfish and crawdad gumbo, catfish breaded in krusteze pancake mix and fried, ...
 
An Air Horn or Wistle might be good to have as well as a decent Life Jacket. Enjoy.
 
Thanks Capt Art, all 4 of my life jackets have whistles tied to them and all 4 of my seat cushions and life jackets have Pegasus written on them. I always wear my life jacket because I have to keep the dogs tied down and if anything were to go catawampus I need to release the dogs so they have a chance not be fumbling around putting a life jacket on myself.
 
Deltadawg, you sound like one of the Captains that will never be in need of any emergency care since you have safety on your priority list. If they were only all like you. We must have the same Life Jackets :)
 
Capt Art, does your Carver have a pitot tube for measuring water speed? My boat just has a paddle wheel off the fishfinder but I know some boats have pitot tubes. I can't understand why that Air France Airbus A330 that crashed off Brazil had known defective pitot tubes that could ice over and become ubostructed giving incorrect airspeed to the autopilot. I carry 2 extra paddle wheels for my fishfinder so I can repair them if they get damaged and I have had to do field repairs once. I have a spare new prop on board too. I hope Airbus grounds the affected models until all the defective pitot tubes can be replaced.
 
I only use the GPS for speed over ground as a speed indicator. I had the paddle wheel on my Raymarine back a few years on another boat. Not very sturdy or reliable?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top