Anchor Advice

[broken line]

Looking for advice / opinions on what anchors would work the best. I run a 16.5 foot Alumacraft boat, and have been using a metal rock-style anchor. It works well in rocks, but is pretty useless in other conditions. It looks like my choices are mushroom, navy or river style, and I would imagine one would want to get close to 30 pounds for windy conditions.

I spend most of my time on local lakes which are mud and weeds.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[fishdale]

I like Richter anchors. They are not cheap but work very well.

[fishorgolf]

I second the Richter anchor.

[Chris Haley]

I don't use anchors much. But I do know that having enough line out is crucial to anchors working properly. Obviously in light wind this is not as much a factor. I remember fishing with the late Shannon Kehl on Leech Lake during a serious blow. He told me you want to have five feet of line for every foot of depth you might need to anchor. This allows the anchor to work properly and not let the waves dislodge it by rocking the boat.

[Northlander]

I have a 17' Lund Explorer and I use a 25# Richtor and a 6' piece of coated chain and plenty of rope. I fish rivers mostly and it holds me great. If it doesnt hold the water is to fast to catch fish in.

[Black_Bay]

I'd go with the set up Northlander has.

[titelines]

I got an anchor from the local big C store that is clunky and doesn't fit into any of my storage holds. Above all, it doesn't hold unless I'm on a perfect bottom.

Almost everyone I asked said the same thing..."Richter". After getting blown into shore (while "anchored") last year, I vowed I'd get one as soon as possible. It is on my list and will definitely get one this year.

[Sandmannd]

I have a 17' Lund Explorer and I use a 25# Richtor and a 6' piece of coated chain and plenty of rope. I fish rivers mostly and it holds me great. If it doesnt hold the water is to fast to catch fish in.

I did this last year. They cost more, but man thos Richtor achors are nice.

[Ice Hole]

I did the same thing. Then spent the money on a Richter. Problem solved.

I got an anchor from the local big C store that is clunky and doesn't fit into any of my storage holds. Above all, it doesn't hold unless I'm on a perfect bottom.

Almost everyone I asked said the same thing..."Richter". After getting blown into shore (while "anchored") last year, I vowed I'd get one as soon as possible. It is on my list and will definitely get one this year.

[walleye 4 me]

Has anyone ever used a Digger anchor? I just bought a boat and it came with a 12# digger anchor. Haven't used it yet, looks kinda small for a 18.5 glass boat, but the ad for it says it will hold up to a 20 footer.

[asdfdrew]

I got one of those 16.5' Alumacrafts just like you and the tagline of the Ritcher's holds true..."Buy your last anchor first" I spent a little extra in the beginning and I didn't get blown off a spot once last year. I use the "regular" style for specific positioning once the Ritcher is set - works great!

[Northlander]

Has anyone ever used a Digger anchor? I just bought a boat and it came with a 12# digger anchor. Haven't used it yet, looks kinda small for a 18.5 glass boat, but the ad for it says it will hold up to a 20 footer.

In my experience they are good in sand and muck once you get them to hook up. Make sure you have plenty of rope. I have 120' of rope on my anchors.

[walleye 4 me]

Thanks, there HSOforum says 5 ft of rope for every 1 foot of water. I bought a 150' rope so I should be good. Hope it holds

[caseymcq]

I bought a Richter Anchor a few years ago. I think I have used it all of four times. The price appears to have shot up astronomically. They are good anchors but I don't know if they are worth that kind of money.

[hanson]

25lb Richter Anchor is a fisherman's best friend.

And as mentioned, have at least 100' of good anchor rope.

[AaronM]

Is the 25# really worth it for boats under 20'?

[Hookey]

I have a 17ft Lund Explorer and purchased the 18lb Richter.

The 18lb anchor 'just' fits in the storage compartments of the boat a 25 would not fit. The 18 held me just fine on some pretty windy days last year.

The anchor seems to be designed to hold by the hooking ability of the tines rather than the weight.

When wind and waves lift and drop your boat I am not sure the extra 7 lbs of weight would make that much difference.

[gofishingtom]

the key to anchoring is like all have said you must put out enough rope to have a 45 degree angle to the water so when boat is rocking the anchor doesnt get lifted up and moved from boat going up and down..and 4-5 feet of chain helps keep the rope and anchor down when rocking..i have a 18ft lund and can hold in 3-4 footers on lake of the woods and throw out a 20# navy style anchor

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I have a 17ft Lund Explorer and purchased the 18lb Richter.

The 18lb anchor 'just' fits in the storage compartments of the boat a 25 would not fit. The 18 held me just fine on some pretty windy days last year.

The anchor seems to be designed to hold by the hooking ability of the tines rather than the weight.

When wind and waves lift and drop your boat I am not sure the extra 7 lbs of weight would make that much difference.

That is where a bungee type system really pays off. It helps keep the pull on the anchor more constant so it doesn't work loose.

Save some money and go with the 18lb. Then buy, or make a bungee set-up and you are good to go.

[Northlander]

Is the 25# really worth it for boats under 20'?

To me it surely is. It only makes sense that the more weight the better holding power. I want to KNOW Im going to hold. In some places I fish if your anchor lets loose your in the rocks in fast current or bouncing off other boats. I cant chance it.

You could also get 2 smaller anchors and put 1 out each side of the boat. Ill do that when I dont want the wind blowing the year end of my boat around.

[GBPackerNut]

I agree with Northlander, two anchors is great at times. Being able to control the boat when the wind keeps changing is almost impossible without a second anchor off the back. I have not tried the richter anchor yet, but looking at picking one up this spring.

On another note, what type of rope do you guys like for your anchor lines? Mine are in rough shape and time to replace.