Anchoring, Does Anyone Still Do It?

[papajoe222]

I'm not talking about deploying your PowerPole to hold you in position as you fan cast an area. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's their intended use.  I'm talking about, dropping an anchor (two in my case) and sitting on a spot. I revisited doing this after reading Bill Murphy's 'In Pursuit of Giant Bass'  which was a complete turn around from the ' stay on the trolling motor until the batteries give out' approach I'd been using for the past two decades.  The biggest benefit (for me) was that it got me to not only slow down, but to pick apart an area of the lake top to bottom. Do I still run and gun? Yes, when my time on the water is limited to a couple of hours. Do I pick up anchor(s) and move to a different spot? Yes, but rarely more than three or four times during the course of a day.

Memories of fishing a saddle between two islands on a big lake in Wisconsin (big for Wisconsin at least), anchored so my dad and I could reach the shallows of the island nearest our end of the boat and also the deeper water to either side of the saddle, were dusted off and revisited during my reading.  We rarely didn't have a good outing and if the wind was blowing we often limited out. There was no running from spot to spot with my eyes glued to the old Hummingbird only to abandon a spot after a few casts. We'd sit and methodically work the area until we "stumbled" upon the depth the fish were holding and the presentation that got results.

Now, my son-in-law and I will anchor on a breakline of his favorite lake where the depth changes from 8-15ft., or the end of a small point for three or four hours, fishing, telling stories, downing a few beverages and catching fish. Guess I've come full circle.

 

Now I'm wondering if any of you have either revisited anchoring as a way of boat positioning like I have, have been doing it all along, or are considering it as another option?

[A-Jay]

Yes I do. Anchoring has always been a huge part of my game plan.  Very few if any trips go by where I'm not anchoring at least a couple of times a day (or night).

 

And like you, after reading Mr. Murphy's book, I adopted the twin anchoring system.  Don't always use it for It's not always needed.   But fishing from a canoe, the ability to lock down my position is quite valuable.

 

Plus the arm & shoulder workouts are a most positive fringe benefit.

 

A-Jay

[FloridaFishinFool]

All I carry is an anchor. No power poles. Don't care for them. Quite often, rather than tossing out the anchor, down here in Florida I can push into the lily pads and let them hold me in place. Sometimes I'll just tie the boat to one or, anything I can to stay in place- cattails, trees, whatever. I like using an anchor or tie up to something. No need for power poles. They just get in the way and add more stuff to the boat I don't need. I also do not and will not use one of those trolling motors mounted up on the deck. I'm not giving up one inch of space for any of that. I got one of those longer shaft trolling motors that comes up high enough to where when I stand on the front casting deck I can bump it with my knee to steer or by hand without having to bend over. Works for me.I guess I am just an old school simple man when it comes to bass fishin'.

[Sam]

Yes. I use anchors.

 

Plus the fact that I will drop a 10 pound anchor overboard to help slow down the boat in a river's heavy current.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Yup use anchors on both my boats but thats because I don't have money for a power pole. Maybe I will be able to get one this year with my tax refund. 

[scaleface]

Once  a long time ago ,I won a 500 boat tournament and anchored both days. It was windy , I was throwing Texas rigs in 15 to 20 foot of water and I needed to pick that point apart. I would not have won if I didnt anchor. I havent anchored in awhile but am prepared to do so .

[Catt]

As a teenager I worked on my uncle's charter fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico, first as a deck hand and later as first mate. Anchoring is second nature; I anchor, tie to a stump, use a brush gripper, or simply let the wind blow me against something.

The only time I do not anchor is pre-spawn

[senile1]

I have always used anchors with my bassboat.  It is an absolute necessity on the main portion of some of the lakes I fish as the rollers coming in make staying on a spot a lot of work with the trolling motor.  The trolling motor actually comes out of the water when the rollers are coming through.  On the upper end of such lakes, and in coves, I can sometimes tie off to a tree but the anchors are used often in every trip.  It allows greater concentration on what I am actually there to do - fish.  Or course, I use the trolling motor to hold me in place sometimes too.  It just depends on how rough the water is and whether I am searching or combing every inch of an area.

 

With my tiny jon boat, I always anchor when there is current or wind on the water.

[Brnnoser6983]

I have a small fishing boat and if the wind is to bad I always anchor. If it is calm or slight wind I like to drift and troll.

[everythingthatswims]

Anyone who has tried throwing a deep diving crankbait from a kayak knows why anchoring is a necessity!

[roadwarrior]

Most of the time on deep structure.

 

 

 

 

[Team9nine]

Always carry one, and do it more than I ever used to. But, being in a smaller boat now days, I'm much more prone to fish using some form of backtrolling (old school Lindner stuff) to hold exact position first, at least until I determine the number and quantity of fish in an area...or unless the wind is too strong.

 

-T9

[mjseverson24]

I dont actually use anchors, but the anchor feature on the I-Pilot is used quite a bit... Also Talons and Power poles are pretty darn useful. 

 

Mitch

[Thornback]

I fish with shiners 99% of the time and I always anchor next to a veggie mat and I usually use two anchors, one in the bow and one in the stern. When you got two people in the boat you don't want the boat swinging back and forth with just one anchor. Many times I go out and never use my trolling motor. When I was throwing a plastic worm I would run my trolling motor and I never liked to fight the current or wind while trying to concentrate on fishing. The technique I use for anchoring is to drop one anchor, let the anchor line play out with the wind or current, then drop the other anchor straight down and tie it off with no slack in the line. Anyone do this or do you have a better technique?

[ward131]

  I removed my anchor, to big, didn't stow well. Haven't missed it.

[MrPeanut]

 

Memories of fishing a saddle between two islands on a big lake in Wisconsin (big for Wisconsin at least), anchored so my dad and I could reach the shallows of the island nearest our end of the boat and also the deeper water to either side of the saddle, were dusted off and revisited during my reading.  We rarely didn't have a good outing and if the wind was blowing we often limited out.

 

funny you mentioned that as a first fishing memory, I grew up learning to fish vacationing to smaller lakes in Wisconsin with my family and we would anchor and sit in the same spot for long periods of time too. 

 

I still use anchors a bit, although I do run and gun too, but I more often use the anchor to force myself to slow down and pick the area apart.

[slimshad]

Nope, never have used an anchor.  My fishing partner seems like an anchor sometimes....

[RB 77]

Double anchoring is absolutely crucial for me in some situations, particularly high wind, deep water bottom dragging presentations.

[geo g]

I don't ever anchor, I will target an area and then position the boat so that a wind will blows me through that area and I stay in stealth mode, and not be on the trolling motor. This often helps when fish are easily spooked and the water is unusually clear. I like to be in stealth mode as much as possible. I will often pick a canal that runs east and west because the wind is out of the east. That way I fish all day and seldom on the trolling motor. Just run east and fish back to the west. This definitely helps put fish in the boat.

[DRH2O]

The technique I use for anchoring is to drop one anchor, let the anchor line play out with the wind or current, then drop the other anchor straight down and tie it off with no slack in the line. Anyone do this or do you have a better technique?

 

This is the same technique I use when I deploy dual anchors. I fish out of a kayak and I'm frequently anchored or clipped off to a bush or a tree or something. If I believe I'm on prime structure and working a break-line or a piece of cover I'll anchor up and fish it methodically. Being in a kayak I also have my anchor(s) rigged so that I can break free from them in a heartbeat if I hook up with something sizeable.

 

If I'm not anchored I'm probably in some form of search mode.

[Thornback]

Another technique I used to use in a river with a current if I was tossing a plastic worm -- I had a 10' piece of zinc coated heavy chain tied to a rope and the other end of the rope tied to my outboard motor. Dragging the chain on the river bottom would slow my boat down and I would float down the river at half the river current speed. I would have to use my trolling motor from time to time to keep me in the center of the river.

[Bankbeater]

I never go out without at least one in the boat.

[Nelson Wormefeller]

I double anchor my canoe and stay in that spot for 60 minutes.

[RSM789]

In open water with decent winds, I'll use my anchor (especially when using jigs & plastics). I prefer to anchor on the side where the wind is blowing into the target, so the anchor line is behind me.

One time, I was casting into the wind into a sunken brushpile in 10 ft. of water and hung up on my first cast. I put that rod under my leg & let it "anchor" me in place as I grabbed a different setup. Ended up catching 3 fish in 5 casts & then noticed the brushpile I had hung up on seemed to be moving left. I grabbed that rod, set the hook and reeled in a 2lb fish that had sucked my jig off its snag.

[phototex]

I used to, all the time. Then I got into tournament fishing, and mostly 'burned the bank' with my TM. Now, after reading Murphy's book, and fishing out of a pond boat in Texas, I find that I often HAVE TO anchor in these ferocious winds. (By the way - "Stitching" works.)