What Anchor?????????????

[MDBowhunter]

Hey guys I have a 1542 that I use a reservoir boat and I've been thinking about getting an anchor, and I was wondering what type and weight would be best. As I said I have a 1542 Tracker thats only used in reservoirs, so I dont have any current to deal with just the wind. a friend is telling me that Ill be alright with a mushroom type but Im not sure. Also the reservoirs I fish are very rocky, theres boulders as big as cars in there. Also the channel depth can be as much 125' deep, although I dont see myself anchoring on any water deeper then 60 to 70'. Thanks in advance for the help...

 

[lugoismad]

If you are worried about losing your anchor and current isn't a big deal, then just fill a milk jug full of concrete. Or heck, the guy I bought my boat from was just using a cinder block as an anchor. This way if you have to cut your anchor line, its not the end of the world.

 

[richg99]

I agree with the disposable anchor idea.

Also, remember that an anchor (any anchor) is far more functional with a longer rode/anchor line. Some books recommend 7 times the depth for maximum holding power, with a chain forward section. So, longer is better. richg99

 

[jethro]

I don't really understand the disposable anchor concept, I've been using anchors for my entire 40 years and never lost one and my sailboat is 40 feet, sleeps 7 and draws 6' of water- it's got two big anchors! But anyway... I disagree with the mushroom anchor idea- IMHO, they are basically useless. They will hold a boat in still water just fine, but the time you want an anchor to work most is when there is wind or current and even a big mushroom anchor just doesn't work in that situation. They are heavy and bulky. I suggest a danforth or what people call a fluke anchor with a good 2'-3' section of chain. The chain is essential to how a danforth works. They are way lighter than a mushroom and because of that typically much cheaper. You should be able to find a danforth for $20-$30. Evan a small one will hold a boat well and since they are light and collapsible you can (and should) have two on board. Anyway, my opinions only.

 

[MDBowhunter]

I'm definitely not rolling around with a concrete block or a milk jug filled with concrete, but I appreciate the idea. From some of the reading I've been doing a navy style anchor is best for rocky situations.

 

[RiverLife]

I fish rivers with rocks and sand. Mushroom is the best. Anything with any type of claw will get stuck. I have even had to cut mushrooms loose.

Hard to beat a coffee can with an eye bolt filled with concrete. The old metal cans rust away and a nice cylinder is left.

I look at yard sales and buy mushrooms cheap. Never buy new and always have a sharp knife ready. Huge trees come down the river. Not the time to see if your anchor is stuck.

 

[DaleH]

In rocky areas, on the bigger offshore/saltwater boats Ihad, we used homemade grapple hooks made out of rebar. With a good tug the rebar bends and breaks free. Or, you can attach the rode to the hooking end, then bring the chain down the shaft and 'zip tie' in place where the chain is typically attached.

When 'stuck', applying throttle will break the zip ties, allowing the anchor to be pulled out of where stuck backwards, so the points can't grab on anything. Do a goolgle search on 'breakway anchor' and you'll see lots of ideas!

 

[bobberboy]

When I was a kid my brother and I used to fish the Mississippi with our neighbors. We generally fished below the locks near the outlet. The bottom was very rocky due to the built up nature of the lock structure. Once our anchor got wedged in the rocks when they were letting water out of the lock. Normally we'd just back off until the turbulence went away but this time we were stuck and the bow of the boat started to be pulled down due the fast rising water pulling against the anchor rope. Luckily there was a pocket knife in somebody's pocket and we had to cut the rope. It scared the hell out of us. You can argue whether it was wise to be fishing there in the first place but the fact that the anchor got caught up in the rocks does serve to show that it can happen. If the places you fish have a rocky/bouldery bottom, you may find most any anchor will get caught in the rocks. I guess your own experience will tell you what's right. If you lose a couple maybe the cinder block will start to look better. I bought the folding break-away type for my kayaks mostly because they're small and lightweight. I use this for my jon boat. It's fine for mucky/sandy/gravely bottoms but it surely would get caught in rocks.

 

[-CN-]

1 gallon jug cement anchor here. Won't hold my 14ft jon on a river but has stood up to pretty good wind. And hasn't gotten stuck yet.

 

[lugoismad]

1 gallon jug cement anchor here. Won't hold my 14ft jon on a river but has stood up to pretty good wind. And hasn't gotten stuck yet.

Same. Some people worry too much about what others think of them. So what if its a milk jug full of cement? Does your $30 anchor make you catch more fish than me?

Thats held me just fine in pretty strong wind on a lake with a muddy/sand bottom with no issues.

 

[DaleH]

1 gallon jug cement anchor here. Won't hold my 14ft jon on a river but has stood up to pretty good wind. And hasn't gotten stuck yet.

Same. Some people worry too much about what others think of them. So what if its a milk jug full of cement? Does your $30 anchor make you catch more fish than me?

Thats held me just fine in pretty strong wind on a lake with a muddy/sand bottom with no issues.

Just for fun ... and perhaps educate some about bouyancy calculations, concrete is what is called 'negative bouyant'. This means that while it will sink, its 'wet weight' doesn't equal the 'dry weight', as it actually weighs far less when immersed in water than it does when weighed on dry land.

Concrete weighs only 59% of the dry weight when immersed in freshwater and 57% of the dry weight when immersed in saltwater. So a dry 30-pound concrete cinder block weighs only ~18-20 pounds (range due to concrete variability) when used as a boat anchor in FW. But for $2 or free from a neighbor ... it sure is a cheap alternative!

 

[jethro]

1 gallon jug cement anchor here. Won't hold my 14ft jon on a river but has stood up to pretty good wind. And hasn't gotten stuck yet.

Same. Some people worry too much about what others think of them. So what if its a milk jug full of cement? Does your $30 anchor make you catch more fish than me?

Thats held me just fine in pretty strong wind on a lake with a muddy/sand bottom with no issues.

I don't care what it looks like or what people think of me, it just seems bulky and heavy and from an engineering standpoint- inefficient at it's task. But if it works then that is all that counts.

 

[lugoismad]

1 gallon jug cement anchor here. Won't hold my 14ft jon on a river but has stood up to pretty good wind. And hasn't gotten stuck yet.

Same. Some people worry too much about what others think of them. So what if its a milk jug full of cement? Does your $30 anchor make you catch more fish than me?

Thats held me just fine in pretty strong wind on a lake with a muddy/sand bottom with no issues.

I don't care what it looks like or what people think of me, it just seems bulky and heavy and from an engineering standpoint- inefficient at it's task. But if it works then that is all that counts.

I get what you are saying. Just trying to offer an alternative that isn't a huge loss if you have to cut your line.

I almost had to cut mine 2 weeks ago, it got hung up bad on something.

 

[-CN-]

I don't care what it looks like or what people think of me, it just seems bulky and heavy and from an engineering standpoint- inefficient at it's task. But if it works then that is all that counts.

So what you're saying is you want an anchor that isn't bulky and heavy.

Just for fun ... and perhaps educate some about bouyancy calculations, concrete is what is called 'negative bouyant'. This means that while it will sink, its 'wet weight' doesn't equal the 'dry weight', as it actually weighs far less when immersed in water than it does when weighed on dry land.

Concrete weighs only 59% of the dry weight when immersed in freshwater and 57% of the dry weight when immersed in saltwater. So a dry 30-pound concrete cinder block weighs only ~18-20 pounds (range due to concrete variability) when used as a boat anchor in FW. But for $2 or free from a neighbor ... it sure is a cheap alternative!

You can do all the math you want, or you can test it in the real world. And if I set my cement jug on the bottom of a lake and tie my boat to it, my boat ain't moving. Seems like it's acting like one of those boat anchor thingies for some reason.

 

[DaleH]

Let's all just "agree to disagree" ... as there's many ways to accomplish the same task

 

[jethro]

I don't care what it looks like or what people think of me, it just seems bulky and heavy and from an engineering standpoint- inefficient at it's task. But if it works then that is all that counts.

So what you're saying is you want an anchor that isn't bulky and heavy.

Ummm, yeah... I can't tell if you are saying that to me sarcastically, but yes. An anchor does not need to be heavy to do it's job. A danforth weighs very little and has amazing holding power due to it's physics. It's easy to haul and easy to throw, doesn't take up much space and adds very little weight to the boat while towing or underway. But I am with Dale- we obviously should just agree to disagree, there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[SumDumGuy]

I have several anchors, but what I typically end up using is a stick sunk in the mud. Obviously this will not work in water greater than 10 feet, but whatever.

As far as the Danforth, have one but haven't used it, the way the fin/claw/thing swings out does it get stuck easily?

If I really needed an anchor and was going to be in a rocky area, as opposed to sand or similar - mushroom style, I think I would be looking into the breakaway as previously mentioned. That is a really cool way of rigging; break away strength can be adjusted as desired.

 

[MDBowhunter]

First off 95% of my fishing is done of my bow mount, so I want an anchor that I can stow away under my hatches. That's the only reason I don't want to use a concrete block or a milk jug filled with concrete. Also since I'm in an electric motor reservoir every pound is a big deal, especially on something that I'm only going to use a few times a year.

I really like the breakaway designs, and the Richter anchors look pretty decent. Does anyone have any real experience with them? I'm leaning towards the collapsible grapple hook rigged with a break away design. My only question on the grapple is how well will they do in grass or sandy bottom. While most of the reservoir is rocky there are parts that are sandy and full of grass.

 

[surfman]

I would use a mushroom, they are cheap and work well. if it gets stuck then any anchor would get stuck.