Bow anchoring

[danfall]

I am wondering what the best method for bow anchoring is for a 16' Lund Predator. My anchor is about 15 lbs. and wouldn't hold too well. I'd like something that is sort of neat afa ropes and setting it goes. I've used the Garelick anchor mount in the past, but they tend to get in the way loading and I broke one once.

Anchor and handling method suggestions, please and thanks in advance.

Dan

[danfall]

ttt, any help guys?

[leechlake]

I put about 8 feet of heavy chain on the anchor and then tie the rope to that, it keeps the angle of the rope down at the anchoring point, I anchor a 2500 pound boat with that system and about 100' of rope

[Tom Wilson]

Danfall,

I hold my 21 foot Ranger with nothing more than an 18 pound anchor, and I only use 60 ft of rope, and it has held in 25mph in 16-18 feet of water. I can't imagine your setup not working unless you are fishing some extremely clean hard sand or clay type bottoms. I use a straight old river anchor (type with three large claws). If you are using a 15 lb round anchor or bell anchor with a round bottom then do yourself a favor and throw it away. That 18 lb river anchor should hold your rig in nothing short of straight line winds.

[walleyewarrior2]

Make sure you have enough anchor rope out. As a rule of thumb, you multiply the depth by three. So if you are anchoring in 20 fow you should have 60 ft. of rope out. I also put a 8 lb. mushroom anchor a few ft. up from my main anchor as it helps my larger anchor dig in. Good luck.

[danfall]

The anchor is a mushroom type and the winds were 20mph. The bottom was sand/clay (hard) and the anchor rope was about 80 feet out. So, I'm going to switch the bow anchor to a claw type. The other question.... Is there a bow mounted containment system like the one made by Garelick that will work for a river anchor? I looked on google and struck out. Thanks.

Dan

[Lip RIPPER!]

I bought a big Richter Anchor this spring and it has held in all types of conditions. It also fits nicely in my storage compartment in the front of the boat. Just a thought.....

[Rip_Some_Lip]

What kind of anchor is this? I know I have to use a chain, but how much? I was told this would be the anchor to solve all my problems, but I quit using it because it wouldn't hold.

[Mykal]

Danfall,

Another possible option on a smaller lighter boat like yours which tends to bob up and down more in the waves is to add a shock cord. I use a #20 navy with a 6 foot chain and then a shock cord. It absorbs the bouncing and will not pull loose as easy. It works very well for me on my Angler SS. Do away with the mushroom anchor and I agree with others here on the 3 to 1 ratio on rope out in big wind.

[Northlander]

Throw that mushroom away. Get a good river anchor or a Richter Anchor. I use a 28# river anchor but I fish rivers with a lot of current. A piece of chain will help get the anchor to tip and dig in. A 20# anchor with 100' of rope should do ya fine. In a lake you can get away with less than a 3-1 ratio of line but on a river you will need at least that. Maybe even another anchor off the opposite side but I only have to do that in extreme current. I have a 17' Lund Explorer but these anchors hold me buddys 20' Ranger Fisherman as well.

[Bassboy1645]

Fustrating isnt it? Due to my lack of money im still stuck with a mushroom. What i do is use a second anchor, a cement block mind you, on rope mounted of the stern. It's cheap and with both anchors it holds better than one. Give it a try.

[CatManLee]

Another option is to have an anchor made for what you need. My father and I make our own anchors. They look similar to the richtor style anchors. The anchors we make only weigh about 20lbs or less, but will hold a 20ft deep fiberglass boat in the fastest current. Clay, Sand, mud. It doesn't matter! Our total investment in materials is about $10 per anchor, plus time to build.

The best part is, they never break and if you happen to hang up on something and loose the anchor, your only out $10. If you can weld or know someone that can, you should try this. I would put my anchor up angainst any sold on the market, and would bet mine is going to hold better or just as good.

If you decide to do this, just go to a Scrap yard and find a round cylinder, some rod, and if you need more weight, something to fill and cap the cylinder.

I would show you how to build them, but we sell ours, so I cant show you how we do it, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

[Aquaman01]

That shockcord idea sounds awesome - i'll try it.

To help your mushroom hold better, try adding a smaller anchor (5#-8# or so) about two to three feet up the line from it with a loop around knot, or a carabiner. This will hold the main anchor horizontally on the bottom better. The drawback is that if it hangs on a tree limb or log, you're pretty well tangled.

Running your anchor line through the bowline loop (instead of or in addition to the bowdeck or gunnel) will keep you lower and resist wave-bobbing.

A richtor-like anchor is easy to make with a traffic cone, some #3 or #4 rebar, 2 or 3 feet of chain and some concrete.-

*Make a 4 to 6 pronged 'treble hook' out of the rebar and tie the shanks together with bailing wire. (trailer balls and reciever hitches make good bar-benders)

*Wire the chain to the shank of this 'treble'

*Invert the traffic cone and stand it up in a sturdy stand of some kind. Coat the inside of the cone lightly with some kind of oily or greasy substance.

*Drop the chain end of the hooks and shaft down into the cone and out through the small hole and check fit. Pack stopper material around the hole.

*Mix up concrete mix and fill cone. Wait a while. Loosen cone and remove.

This idea was originally posted by DARK30 (McGyver Of The Mighty Minnesota) about two years ago, and worth remembering. All I did was paraphrase. This anchor is excellant in rocks, cause a steady pull will bend the bar out, and if you lose it you're out about $3.00, less if you made several at once.

[CatManLee]

Hey, I like the concrete anchor idea. It would be cheap and even easier to make than the ones we build. Would you happen to know just how much one would weigh? And does a guy slot the bottom of the cone for the bar to set in the concrete?

[united jigsticker]

That pointed anchor in the picture above is a claw type anchor.

It holds well in all bottom types, BUT requires ALOT of rope.

Those anchors hold best with a 30 degree or lower slant in the rope. In other words, the more "horizontal" you can get the rope between the anchor and the boat, the better they hold...That means, lots of slack line.

I have a 28 pound river anchor. Heavy son of a gun, but it hasn't failed to hold on me yet, and I have anchored in 30-35 mph winds.

Mushroom anchors offer no "grip", and at times, no amount of weight would hold you in place if the anchor has nothing on it to grab.

[Aquaman01]

Catmanlee -

I dunno the weight, and I forgot to mention that the cone gets cut off the first time, then duct-taped up for subsequent anchors. oops.

[Fireguy]

I think what you are looking for is a "Skene Bow Chock" The line goes through it to a cleat to tie off. I have one mounted on the bow of my boat to hold the bow directly into the wind or current. These are available at Cabela's or any marine supplier.

[danfall]

I went with a 20# Navy type with a 6' piece of chain on it and I'm going to look for the Bow Skene thingamajig. Thanks All