Anchor ?

[Brett's_daddy]

Okay, I have a 16.5ft. aluminum Sea Nymph fishing boat. It came with a 10lb. mushroom style anchor and i was just wondering if that is heavy enough to keep the boat in one place generally speaking when we drop anchor or would upgrading in weight to a 15lb. or 20lb. (or heavier) be a better choice? Also, would adding a 2nd anchor so that I had one on the front and one in the rear of the boat be a good idea to keep the boat from slowly spinning around in circles when anchored?

[Bluebasser86]

My last boat was a 16' Lowe Roughneck and there was lots of times a 10lb mushroom anchor would not hold it. I upgraded to a 20lb digger anchor. 

[tstraub]

Personally I like to have 2 anchors on a boat to keep it from swinging around on you every time the wind changes.  If it were me I would probably add a heavier anchor and keep using the one you have as well.  How heavy?  it's hard to say, it really depends on the water and the weather.  

I have an aluminum semi v just under 14 feet with 2 12 pound river anchors. They look like mushrooms but with deep flutes in them.  I have 2 small lakes nearby with 10mph speed limits one anchor is usual plenty on those lakes.  If I go to the resivour I tend to need both anchors or the wake from the pressure boaters will bounce my boat around enough that anchor pulls lose.  Today I dropped in the river and we got by but I sure could have used heaver anchors in the current.  By the time the anchors got a good bite we had floated past a few of our target areas.  

I hope this information helps you but in the end your just going to have to use it and see how well it works for you.

[slonezp]

Might just need a longer anchor line. To keep you from drifting or dragging, I believe the length of the line should equal 3x the depth of the water.

[NHBull]

Baby box anchor

 

https://www.iboats.com/shop/slide-anchor-baby-box-anchor-pwc.html?cm_mmc=&gclid=CjwKCAjw-dXaBRAEEiwAbwCi5nLx1b4OGVzOzZqeLiHkhjiz2H3fx_xQfj72wxYPNEaaTmrllY67BhoCuoUQAvD_BwE

[A-Jay]

32 minutes ago, NHBull said:

Baby box anchor

 

https://www.iboats.com/shop/slide-anchor-baby-box-anchor-pwc.html?cm_mmc=&gclid=CjwKCAjw-dXaBRAEEiwAbwCi5nLx1b4OGVzOzZqeLiHkhjiz2H3fx_xQfj72wxYPNEaaTmrllY67BhoCuoUQAvD_BwE

Yup ~

A-Jay

[tstraub]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

Might just need a longer anchor line. To keep you from drifting or dragging, I believe the length of the line should equal 3x the depth of the water.

I'm not sure if this comment was for the OP out me, but if it was meant for me I was in 3-7 feet of water and more than ones I was at the end of my 30 for anchor lines before they took a bite.  Longer line might have helped a little but it's a small boat and I don't really want to have any more anchor line under my feet.  What I have is in the way as much as it's in the water.  The river we were in is mostly sand and gravel bottom not a whole lot to get a hold of.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

Might just need a longer anchor line. To keep you from drifting or dragging, I believe the length of the line should equal 3x the depth of the water.

 

That's per Navy when mooring large ships over night.

 

I anchor in 15' of water so I would need 45' of rope!

 

Talk about the ass end swinging ?

[lo n slo]

minimum of 20 lbs and 50’ of rope works for the jon boat. deepest i anchor in is about 30’. i keep my anchor in a bucket so i dont get mud in the boat. i wrap the rope around a section of 1 1/2” pvc with caps glued to each end of the pipe just in case it goes overboard. i now have pre-tied loops in my rope for the depth of each brush pile or structure site i usually fish. just drop anchor and slip the loop around a cleat and start casting. best pic i have

[Fishingmickey]

I have a 14" deep vee alum. I use a 15# fluke type Danforth anchor on the bow with 6' of 3/8" chain shackled to the anchor. Depending on the wind and or current will determine how much scope you need. If it is really windy you might need as much as 5/1 scope so 20' of water 100' of anchor line. I also use a ten pound mushroom off the back to prevent the boat from swinging too much. Not nearly as much scope is needed off the back. Hope that helps.

Fishingmickey

 

p.s. probably doesn't need to be said, type of bottom makes a huge difference too.

[Brett's_daddy]

6 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

I have a 14" deep vee alum. I use a 15# fluke type Danforth anchor on the bow with 6' of 3/8" chain shackled to the anchor. Depending on the wind and or current will determine how much scope you need. If it is really windy you might need as much as 5/1 scope so 20' of water 100' of anchor line. I also use a ten pound mushroom off the back to prevent the boat from swinging too much. Not nearly as much scope is needed off the back. Hope that helps.

Fishingmickey

 

p.s. probably doesn't need to be said, type of bottom makes a huge difference too.

Okay, so this is probably a dumb question but why the need for so much extra anchor rope? I mean if I'm fishing in 10ft. of water why do I need like 50ft. of anchor rope, why not just like 15ft. of anchor rope so you don't drift off your mark?

[Choporoz]

At risk of oversimplifying....the main thing is the concept that an anchor rope that is more vertical than horizontal isn't going to hold well.

[Brett's_daddy]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

At risk of oversimplifying....the main thing is the concept that an anchor rope that is more vertical than horizontal isn't going to hold well.

Okay, at the risk of sounding overly simple...why not? If you absolutely need more anchor rope wouldn't double suffice (i.e. for 10ft. of water have 20ft. of anchor line)?

[Fishingmickey]

1 hour ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Okay, so this is probably a dumb question but why the need for so much extra anchor rope? I mean if I'm fishing in 10ft. of water why do I need like 50ft. of anchor rope, why not just like 15ft. of anchor rope so you don't drift off your mark?

Choporoz is pretty much spot on. The reason for the chain and the longer line/scope it to allow the anchor to "bite".  Actually it is called setting the anchor.  So when you want to anchor on a spot. Your would drive upwind or up current for the length of scope you want out plus the distance you want to have to cast to the spot.  Drop your anchor, let line out till you get it to bite/set/hold and then let out some more line for scope and the boat position distance you want.  The boat will swing back and forth on the bow anchor line. When you get to the widest portion of the swing you can drop a mushroom anchor tied off of a back corner cleat to prevent the boat from swinging.

     The anchor needs to be laying on it's side for it to bite, The chain helps keep it on it's side and adds weight. 

Practicing anchoring will really be helpful when the wind is nuking or your trying to fish deeper water or set up in a certain spot. In this day and age it is a somewhat lost art. 

FM

[Choporoz]

11 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Okay, at the risk of sounding overly simple...why not? If you absolutely need more anchor rope wouldn't double suffice (i.e. for 10ft. of water have 20ft. of anchor line)?

Will probably suffice perfectly....if there's no wind or current....but, then I suppose you wouldn't really need the anchor

[Brett's_daddy]

My anchor that i have right now is a mushroom style anchor so i don't know how much bite that would even get no matter how much anchor line you have. That's why I asked originally if stepping up to a 15 - 20lb. mushroom anchor and/or adding a second mushroom anchor in the rear would help keep the boat in place and help with the slow spin you get on moderately windy days. Basically I'd like the ability to pull up to a spot and anchor the boat and have it stay in one place, facing one direction for as long as i wanted to fish that spot.

[Catt]

I'm currently fishing out of a 1652 Alweld ?

 

First chunk the mushroom anchor, they don't bite worth a flip!

 

Get you a 20# tri-fluted river anchor, they dig in a lot faster.

 

My setup is a 20# anchor, 25' of braided nylon rope, & a shackle between the two.

 

Do not use twisted or polyurethane rope, it'll eat your hands when pulling up!

 

I've been doing this for over 50 yrs & have zero issues holding in 15-18' of water.

 

 

[Brett's_daddy]

44 minutes ago, Catt said:

I'm currently fishing out of a 1652 Alweld ?

 

First chunk the mushroom anchor, they don't bite worth a flip!

 

Get you a 20# tri-fluted river anchor, they dig in a lot faster.

 

My setup is a 20# anchor, 25' of braided nylon rope, & a shackle between the two.

 

Do not use twisted or polyurethane rope, it'll eat your hands when pulling up!

 

I've been doing this for over 50 yrs & have zero issues holding in 15-18' of water.

 

 

Would these be good for soft, mucky bottomed ponds?

[Catt]

51 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Would these be good for soft, mucky bottomed ponds?

 

I use them on any bottom type, they even grab Hydrilla quite well.

 

The biggest issue most have with anchoring is the boat swings from side to side.

 

Think about for a minute, the longer the rope the farther the boat travels. The shorter the rope the shorter the swing.

 

If the short rope holds just as well why use a longer rope?

[Troy85]

I think mushroom anchors were created by fish, to keep your boat out of position.  Only time I use a mushroom anchor is if I am fishing out of a kayak.  On my 18' xpress I use a 8lbs Slip ring mechanical anchor(Danforth) that I got at Cabelas. It holds my boat most of the time, it is rated for a boat up to 22', but I don't see that being realistic in any kind of moderate wind or current. 

[Further North]

At the risk of stirring the pot...I don't even keep an anchor on the boat, except when I go to Canada.

 

Spot lock works just fine for the three two times a year I feel like I need to sit in one place.

 

Why Canada?  Anchor for lunch.

[A-Jay]

8 hours ago, Further North said:

At the risk of stirring the pot...I don't even keep an anchor on the boat, except when I go to Canada.

 

Spot lock works just fine for the three two times a year I feel like I need to sit in one place.

 

Why Canada?  Anchor for lunch.

Dangerous game you're playing.

Think sudden wind / bad weather blows in.

Combined with either engine failure or sudden electrical power loss.

An Anchor can not only prevent you from heading somewhere you don't want to be (shipping lane, rocks, The Beach) but secured correctly off the bow, will position your vessel bow into the weather; important when the waves are higher than your transom.

You may not be in a depth where the anchor will help at the start - but when disabled & adrift, you will be there . . . eventually.

At Least 100 feet of a quality double braided anchor line is a must (I carry 200 ft).

An anchored vessel with an actual position is located quicker & easier than one 'drifting'. Small boats travel a Long way rather quickly in bad conditions.  And the closer a 'hazard' is, the faster and more direct route a disabled / adrift boat seems to take.  It's a very helpless feeling. 

You might not use it once in many years, but the one time you need it, you'll be seriously glad you have it.

I can make a case where it should be required as safety equipment. 

Perhaps reconsider.

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

On 7/23/2018 at 12:08 AM, Brett's_daddy said:

Okay, I have a 16.5ft. aluminum Sea Nymph fishing boat. It came with a 10lb. mushroom style anchor and i was just wondering if that is heavy enough to keep the boat in one place generally speaking when we drop anchor or would upgrading in weight to a 15lb. or 20lb. (or heavier) be a better choice? Also, would adding a 2nd anchor so that I had one on the front and one in the rear of the boat be a good idea to keep the boat from slowly spinning around in circles when anchored?

Two anchors is a solid plan.  You'll need to practice - positioning can be tricky and you'll need twice as much anchor line as you think.

Important safety tip - when using two anchors ALWAYS deploy the bow first and then the stern and when recovering them, Always Pull the stern first and then the bow.  This is especially important when there is substantial wind, waves or weather; you want your bow facing into it.  You NEVER want to be stern to or beam to the wind & or waves, especially when anchored.  Great way to swamp / sink a small boat.

A-Jay

[Fishing Rhino]

One more thing to consider.  Your anchor line should be long enough, and strong enough to also serve as a tow line.

 

Unless, you want to have a line for each.

[Brett's_daddy]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Two anchors is a solid plan.  You'll need to practice - positioning can be tricky and you'll need twice as much anchor line as you think.

Important safety tip - when using two anchors ALWAYS deploy the bow first and then the stern and when recovering them, Always Pull the stern first and then the bow.  This is especially important when there is substantial wind, waves or weather; you want your bow facing into it.  You NEVER want to be stern to or beam to the wind & or waves, especially when anchored.  Great way to swamp / sink a small boat.

A-Jay

Okay, I'm trying to wrap my mind around the reasoning for needing 100 - 200ft. of anchor line if I don't ever plan on fishing in a pond or lake deeper than 50ft.? I'm not trying to be sarcastic or insulting...I genuinely would like to know! To me if i drop anchor in a certain place it's because I would like to stay in that spot so to me an anchor line just long enough for the anchor to hit bottom and dig in and have a little bit of slack would be the ticket as that would keep right in that spot I want to be. Also, which position should the front anchor (and the rear if I went with a 2nd anchor) be in? Thanks for any info!!!