First I’d buy a couple of current charts (latest edition) that cover the intended search area. I’d choose charts with the largest scale( Remember a 1:40,000 chart is a larger scale than a 1:80,000 chart.) and would opt for NOAA charts that have a scale printed on them. I can’t find a scale on the “Waterproof Fish/Dive” charts so for our purpose they wouldn’t be worth a lot. Next, I’d get Chapman’s Piloting book and learn to read charts. Every fisherman and boater needs a copy of Chapman’s anyway. Since the forum this article is written for is mostly west Florida , I am slanting the article in the direction that will make it more relevant for locals.

Do you happen to remember anything about the last “Ice Age?” I’m not that old either but for your information our shore line was many miles west of where it is now. Take a look at local land forms. See occasional rock outcroppings? Notice the amount of rock piled in areas where a new road is being built. That is what you are going to be looking for offshore. Now, here is a little to think about. Did you notice that these rock outcroppings tend to occur in bunches rather than being equally distributed over the landscape? File that little bit of information in your memory bank for later use. We’re not ready to leave the dock just yet.

Let’s look closely at our chart for likely areas. First we have to understand one great truth about charts. On a 1:40,000 scale chart, one square foot (12” X 12”) is equal to 43.56 square nautical miles. In case you don’t know, a nautical mile is 6072’ or 1.15 statute (land ) miles. It becomes a little more ridiculous when you look at a 1:80,000 scale chart and remember that one square foot equals 174 square miles. That being said, I’d imagine you realize the futility of trying to find a plotted wreck or obstruction. Another problem that thwarts the best of us is that some of these wrecks are not where they are plotted on the chart. I know of several wrecks that are plotted more than 2 miles from their actual position. Make a note of these few chart symbols. Chart #1 is not a chart at all but a list of symbols used on nautical charts. It is a handy resource but most of the important symbols are described in Chapman’s. Here are a few symbols that are relevant for fishermen. co--Coral, rk--Rock, rky--Rocky, hrd--Hard, Foul--indicates obstruction as does obs, Wrk--wreck and lots more. Contour lines can be important also and of course, the depth readings. There are additional symbols that are worth knowing so turn to your Chapman’s or Chart #1. Ok now find a rock (Rk.) on the chart. Pick up your Chapman’s and read a few paragraphs on plotting (charting instruments.) You do have a Parallel Ruler, Compass, dividers and protractor, don’t you? Use a long straight edge and find the Latitude and Longitude of the rock. Actually, this is a simple matter if you follow the directions in Chapman’s. If you are on a 1:80,000 chart, an error the width of your pencil mark will put you so far off that it is nearly impossible to find a small rock but it will get you to the area. I’d certainly suggest using a 1:40,000 scale chart if you are serious about plotting. You should be able to determine the Lat/Long of your rock within the accuracy it was initially plotted. Now, plot several more and enter them into your GPS. Now, re-read paragraph 5 above. Remember the line about rocks being in clusters rather than equally scattered over the landscape? Hopefully the rock(rk) you just plotted is one of a cluster of rocks rather than a single.

Before we go “ROCK HUNTING” make up several buoys. A couple of large, bright buoys placed a few hundred yards east and west of our charted rock will give a good reference line. For this purpose, lets use 28-00.1 and 83-00.1 for our charted position for the rock. When we get to the area, we will drop one buoy at 28-00.1/83.00.0 and the second buoy at 28-00.1 and 83.00.2 or due North and South of our charted rock. By running parallel to these buoys while watching your fish finder. You should be able to find the rocks if your plot and the original plot was accurate. As you run parallel, move east or west at .01 minute increments rather than making random passes. If you find a rock, buoy it and look for others in the area. There should certainly be more. You can use the same technique for attempting to find a wreck but, since there is only one wreck, it could take forever.

Here are a couple of other hints for rock and wreck finding that often work for me. Any time you see a turtle, circle the area. The turtle may be passing through or he could be a regular resident of a wreck or rock. Schools of bait hang over rocks and wrecks too. A dead give away on a wreck or tall rock is a school of Cudas, Spadefish, Jack Crevalle or Cobia finning on the surface. A slick calm day always helps. Last summer I found a wreck that isn’t plotted and, as far as I know, not very well known, in about 14’ of water. I was running about 20kts when several dozen big fish “flushed” right under my bow. I pulled back on the throttle and hit MOB on my GPS. I circled for about 20 minutes and found nothing. The next time I was in the area on a slick calm day, I slowed down about 200 yds from my number, idled up fairly close and then stopped. Several minutes later I saw the wake of several large fish on the surface. I eased over to toward them and found a half dozen Cobia and a ton of Spadefish right over the wreck. Sometimes you get lucky but prior experience and knowledge came into play this time.

Keep your eyes open and your fishfinder on. You never know when you will find a “glory hole.”

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