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Little Shark River experience
Posting a new thread because the Little Shark River area is used by anyone traveling along the west coast of Florida. It’s midway between the keys and Marco. Here’s my experience there. Got in at noon.I’ve got all 3/8” chain and a 60lb Manson Supreme, and have been using it up and down the east coast for four years. Very reliable setup. Rigged a trip line due to mixed Active Captain reviews about anchoring in this river and reports of lost/ irretrievable gear on the rocky bottom. We tried 8 different locations in almost fours from the cove at the mouth all the way to about three miles up the river all with the same result. All hard pan rock bottom. Like dragging the anchor over a concrete parking lot. No mud or sand evident upon retrieval. By the way it’s blowing 25 knots from the northwest so no other options available. Finally went to Oyster Bay, about five miles from the river mouth because there was a capital M on the chart. Picked a spot to the south of a wooded island, dropped the hook close to the island in 4.5 feet of water, laid out 120’ of chain and hooked up in sand mud mix. Here’s the point- all of the river where you see Active Captain anchor icons, and in my experience the entire river has been swept clean of mud and sand down to rock. Confirmed by two other boats who anchored about a mile in after failing in the cove at the mouth. They hooked a ledge or crevice, no mud or sand on their gear. One spent 30 minutes circling his anchor which finally popped out while he had the knife in his hand.Go up to Oyster Bay. Also has easy access from the Gulf north of the actual river mouth. We left that way with no less than 8’ all the way.
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