Catch More Fish with a Ready Rod, Spinner Sharks, Charting 101

Road Maps On The Water
The Basics Of Using Navigational Charts

OK, so you've just launched your boat at the ramp. Got your fishing tackle, skis, snacks and everything else on board to enjoy a day on the water. You've filed your float plan, done your safety checks and you're ready to go. But go where?

Sure, if you're very familiar with the area you just point the boat in that direction and go. But what if you wanted to explore some new fishing grounds or find a new beach to spend the day; how would you know how to get there? That's where Nautical Charts become one of your greatest assets on the water. Learning how to orient yourself and safely navigate with them is something every prudent skipper should know.

Nautical Charts are like road maps on the water. They show the Navigational Aids, bottom depths, bottom composition, danger areas, marinas and boat ramps and much more. Fishermen use them to locate likely places for fishing. Ocean going vessels depend on them to get safely into harbors and channels. Even river and reservoir boaters use them as references for locating their position on the water.

One of the first things to etch into your memory is the color and shape of the Day Markers. These red and green, triangles and squares indicate the safe channel areas in a waterway. Think of them like the lines on the highway. Get outside of them and you're in trouble. The simple way to remember is the Three "R's"... Red on the Right when Returning. That is, keep the Red markers on your righthand side when returning from the sea... or when going up river. Conversely, if you're heading out to sea, or down river, the ed markers would be on your left as you pass them by. These markers are numbered, getting larger as you get closer to the mouth of the inlet and continue to get higher as you go up river. They are clearly labeled on your nautical chart. If you have an electronic chartplotter, then not only will you see the chart on your screen, but you will also see your boat's position on the screen as well. A huge benefit when the weather is getting nasty or if you're boating in the dark. Electronic cartography has come a long way in the past few years and it's an excellent tool for navigation. But...you should always have a paper chart and a calibrated compass on board just in case you have electrical problems on the boat. The US Power Squadrons around the country provide a great course that introduces boaters to the basics of navigation and it's one that is highly recommended.

Here's a video clip from the Nuts & Bolts DVD, The Better Half of Boating ,with Capt. Cefus' "Better Half", Beth McRae. Beth shares the basics on orienting yourself and getting around using a nautical chart.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT USING NAUTICAL CHARTS