Anchor Question

[6wapiti6]

I have a 16ft drift boat, and plan on doing quite a bit of fishing in the Willamette this spring and summer. Last year I used a 25lb pyramid anchor (no chain) and slipped more than I'd like. My question is would a claw type anchor and chain work better with a small bouy? I'd like to be able to use a buoy so I can break off to fight a fish if need be. Any suggestions would be great.

[Grant Scheele]

The only situation that I have found that calls for a 25lb anchor is tidewater.

With any kind of current I am always running a 40lber. I hate it when I slip!

[Flatfish]

Get the anchor ball if you don't already have one. We anchor in the Willy and the big C with a sand anchor and 10 feet of chain. Don't work on rocks, but great for everything else. Easy(light) to pull up too.

Mark and the dog.

[D Money]

I have a 30 lb claw that holds my drifter anywhere I want and probably some places I shouldn't be. 40 lb claw may be overkill, I don't think a 40 lb pyramid would hold as well as a 30 lb claw but I may be wrong ( my pyramid is also 30) My 2 cents.

DM

[husker]

get a claw with 50% boat length of chain.....300' of rope......u wont slip..remember 7-1 in the columbia....usually u can get away with 5-1

[BigWaterBigFish]

Good advise from "Husker" ... a length of chain and having too much rope rather than not enough is key. Coast Guard and Sheriff will tell you most accidents and loss of boats occur during anchoring/unanchoring.
When in doubt, find a guide or two who look like they know what they are doing ... or hang out at the nearest boat ramp to where you are going fishing and see what other's are using.
Freeing your anchor while under power in a driftboat is a tricky deal at times, especially with current ... best to watch some old timers or those you believe to be safety conscience. :smile:

[Mojo]

Don't bother spending the money on the anchor puller system if you don't have a motor on the drifter.
I agree with the suggestion that you get a 40, and the ball is nice to mark your line. The question I have is how would you get the ball through the pulleys on your anchor line.
Do you have a floor mount or side mount anchor system?

[6wapiti6]

Mojo,
I have a bow anchor cleat that I run to the side for some extra support so I'm not worried about the ball. I also have an 8 hp motor. I think the tricky part will be pulling the anchor up witht he motor because of the way drifters are designed. I appreciate everyone's comments. I think the claw type anchor with 6-8 ft of chain should help out alot. At least thats what I'm going to try.

[Gus Orviston]

In springer depth water I wouldn't worry about pulling the anchor with the boat/ball most of the time since I don't fish in congested areas often.

If you are in an uncrowded area and have a lot of room just yard the anchor back in by hand, 20 feet isn't much to deal with as long as you aren't doing it above a crowed hog line. You can slip back pretty fast so if you are by yourself give it even more room than seems necessary.

If you are by yourself and in a hog line, go ahead and lift the anchor with the boat/ball, and pull away from the Hog line far enough to get all your stuff back in the boat safely before drifting back into everybody.

gus

[Jooky]

If you are in an uncrowded area and have a lot of room just yard the anchor back in by hand,

If you are by yourself and in a hog line, go ahead and lift the anchor with the boat/ball,
<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Hmm i think the exact opposite. Dont you dare pull your anchor with the ball from a hog line. It is way too dangerous.. Risking your life is one thing, risking yours and the boats next to you are another.

I see old 80 year old men pulling anchors in by themselfs. if they can do it so can everyone else. It might be a time to rethink the ~50 lb anchor and 20 feet of useless chain. I do fine with a 18 lbs and 3 feet of chain. of course i dont have a huge/heavy boat.

All i am saying is stay safe, slow down, think of others.

[6wapiti6]

I'm not a huge fan of anchoring in hog lines. I tend to stay away from them and have done just fine putting fish in the boat, so I'm not really concerned with that aspect. My main concern is staying put and safe.

[ 01-07-2003, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: 6wapiti6 ]

[Gus Orviston]

different strokes, If you are by yourself you are risking immediately floating back and risking missing your slot,,,, thus getting tied up in others anchor lines..

seen it done, and it could have been avoided.

Drop your anchor with care and you won't be risking the tangle up.

of course this all depends on how much room you got like I said.

gus

[ 01-07-2003, 09:03 PM: Message edited by: Gus Orviston ]