# Where's the pipeline?



## frydaddy

I posted this on the offshore section but realized it should be here on the blue water.

We made another trip sunday looking for the pipeline and failed to find it once again. We did some deep drift drops and finally caught 2 tiles and 1 snowy grouper, hardly worth the gas we spent on the 150 mile round trip looking for it. The bottom machine showed flat sea bed everywhere, including the numbers pre-loaded on the gps and the numbers we got on a store bought map. 
Does anyone know of a web site or map that has accurate numbers for locating the pipeline that they are willing to share? It's starting to look like our deep dropping days may be a thing of the past if we can't find something to fish on. Even though we didn't accomplish our mission, the water sure is beautiful out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
frydaddy


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## MrFish

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f33/oil-pipeline-coordinates-2705/

Judging by this thread, you'll have to hunt for it.


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## jasoncooperpcola

Are you talking about the pipe line that runs from TX or La (cant remember which one) to south Florida? The pipeline itself is buried. All that is above is the concrete pillars for it. We hit it once off Alabama. I will have to find my other map to get the coordinates. 

We got to fish it once for about ten minutes then all hell broke loose and our hour and half run out turned into a 5 hour slow boat ride back in. We did catch three monster red snapper in that ten minutes. :thumbup:

Check the Hiltons map, thats where we got our coordinates. If i remember right it was 30-35 miles south of Orange Beach.


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## PurpleNGold

PM me an email address. Not quite sure what you're looking for but I have something that should help.


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## Ocean Master

If you are at the Florida, Alabama line just due north of the pipeline there is allot of live bottom that will produce more fish much easier than trying to drift the pipeline.

I will post the details when I get them off the boat.


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## JoeyWelch

The pipeline should be preloaded any of the charrtplotters.


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## FenderBender

What I'd kill to find is the wellhead assembly coordinates for Petronius, 255, and the others out there. Anybody work for Chevron offshore that could access them, they'd be gold. I imagine the Petronius assembly is anywhere from 500 to 800 ft somewhere nearby.


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## capt mike

*Pipeline coordinates*

If you waste fuel looking at Hilton and other publications you will be sorry. As was posted above the pipelines are on the maps but the maps don't tell you where they are submerged which is not their job. They show you where it runs and thats all. The valves which are covered by steel cages is where the action is and I've never seen coordinates for those for security reasons they will probably never be published.


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## frydaddy

*Pipeline coordinates*

That's just what we did sunday, burned a lot of gas and an entire day. It's our third attempt to locate a part of it and never never found a valve or inspection cage or whatever you call them. Have the hilton map and the pre-loaded gps. The two are off but we followed both lines, went back and forth, tried everything to locate something and never did. We went from where it's supposed to be on the edge out to 800 foot of water and still didn't find anything. 

I know it's supposed to be buried in 300 foot or less, never dreamed they would bury the entire thing across the gulf. Still would think the valves and whatever would show themselves somewhere on the route.starting to wonder whether the electrics were a wise investment or not. Maybe we should just try fishing the drops on the ledges. 

Thanks for the responses and who knows, maybe the next trip will be the one to find something to deep drop. 

Frydaddy


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## JoeyWelch

capt mike said:


> If you waste fuel looking at Hilton and other publications you will be sorry. As was posted above the pipelines are on the maps but the maps don't tell you where they are submerged which is not their job. They show you where it runs and thats all. The valves which are covered by steel cages is where the action is and I've never seen coordinates for those for security reasons they will probably never be published.


 
Ohh But they can be found.


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## JoeZ

I've fished those valves before. Not all that great.

The numbers are out there somewhere.


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## FenderBender

Next time you see a huge vessel DP ing in open water away from a rig flying an alpha flag, especially in deep water, mark it. There is a a subsea assembly or wellhead being abandoned very nearby.


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## Capt.Kyle

yes they can be found if you know the right people and man do they hold fish


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## frydaddy

*pipeline*

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Don't have a radar to ping or mark anyone so that's not going to happen. At least I've heard from some fishermen that have found it and that gives us hope. 

From the looks of it maybe I should be looking for the people that have the numbers instead of the pipeline itself. Looks like another 150 mile round trip might be in the near future. Have to see what the weekend brings and if the guys want to spend their money and another day looking for it again. Too bad the gas keeps going up. 

Frydaddy


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## markw4321

FryD

What sort of bottom machine and what transducer are you running on your boat?


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## Tom Hilton

Howdy,
This is just above where the pipeline coordinates are listed;
"Selected Gulfstream Pipeline Coordinates (Pipeline is supposed to be buried at depths of 200 ft. or less)."

The idea behind listing the pipeline was not to be the primary focus, but to be able to alter your course slightly if you were already out in the area and follow the numbers in hopes of finding some valves or mitigation rocks stacked on top of it.

Also, someteime the pipeline causes a trench, either through scouring or other reasons, which fish follow.

All the best,
Capt. Thomas J. Hilton


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## Chasin' Tales

FenderBender said:


> What I'd kill to find is the wellhead assembly coordinates for Petronius, 255, and the others out there. Anybody work for Chevron offshore that could access them, they'd be gold. I imagine the Petronius assembly is anywhere from 500 to 800 ft somewhere nearby.


The Petronius is not a floater. The wellheads are at surface. I'm not sure if there are any subsea tie backs at the Petronius. For the area around the Petronius, the numbers to get would be those of the quarters lift that McDermott dropped when they were trying to set it on the platform. It's sitting on the sea floor somewhere around the Petronius.


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## jasoncooperpcola

Based on what i am reading, I think i may have found a private reef. We spent half an hour looking for it and found something. This is going off the Hilton coordinates. I will look at my gps and map today to see what i have.


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## Frenchy

Assemblies are sub sea, import and export risers from the platform are tying into a larger diameter export pipe. where the tie in occurs you will find valves(check/flow). The assembly is usually covered by a protection/net guard of some sort, either tubular or complete enclosure at shallower depth. From experience it is usually loaded with fish, this will be the case at any fixed Platform.


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## JoeyWelch

FryDaddy send me a pm with the coords(general location) of where your looking and I'll see if I can help you with numbers.


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## frydaddy

*pipeline*

Thanks for all the help. Hopefully the storm will get out of here and the following week end will be good enough to try the deep drop again. 

We're running a Furuno Fcv585 bottom machine, keeping it on high power while in the deep water. With all the zig zagging, I guess we've been hitting everything but the pipe. 

Weekend before last we drifted along the edge for a short time and caught one Tile. Also managed a limit on gags and jacks. No sign of mingo's anywhere we fished, plenty of big cuddas. One ate about a 20lb jack before we could get it in the boat. By the next trip, hopefully I'll figure out how to load pics and will post some.

Frydaddy


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## ghost95

Go to this website...http://www.getlatlon.com/ ... and switch to satallite view. Next zoom in on these coordinates. 29.77085 north 87.30101 west. You should be able to see the pipeline running from the WNW to the SSE. It looks like a little line across the trails from the siesmic patern. There are also some good bottom spots that you can zoom in on. This google map has the high res surveys overlaid on it. Good luck. We have tried it quite a bit but not ever done much on it. I know the longliners hit it pretty hard. They'll lay right along the top of it.


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## frydaddy

*pipeline*

Thanks for the tip, will try to look it up.

frydaddy


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## WhackUmStackUm

Here is an interesting article about fishing the other end of the pipeline:
Hit the Pipe


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## Scout800

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1172


Great video of the area where the pipe is located. 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1172/studylocations.html


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## frydaddy

That was a good article on the other end, have downloaded quick time player but can't get the video to show. We finally located the buried pipe to the west and hope to find some exposed pipe the next time we get out. We did catch a few fish and will try to get the pics on in the next few days.


Frydaddy


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