Lets talk anchors!

[Guest fishermedic]

I've read alot of threads here and I've searched as well but I haven't seen anything about anchors so here we go. I'm in the market for a good anchor and I've been scouring the internet researching them in hopes of learning what I need.

Here's my situation. The boat is an 18'6" aluminum full console and will probably weigh around 3000-3200 lbs loaded with gear and people (I'm guessing). I'll be using the anchor mostly to fish with the kids, there will be four or five lines in the water at once so drifting and trolling are out! I'd like to be able to hold in a good stiff breeze on any type of bottom and not worry about the anchor dragging and putting us up on shore.

In my internet travels I've looked at The Old Stand-bys, they still make them for a reason. These different styles have been around for a while and they do their job. The problem with them seems to be they each have a bottom type that they are best for, outside of this they start to fall short.

Then there are the newer slipring style anchors like this. They claim to work on any bottom type by digging their spikes into the ground or wedging in between rocks. A nice feature with this style is the slip ring, by motoring up to the anchor the slipring moves to the upwind end of the anchor shaft allowing you to pull the anchor free from any bottom with little effort (so they say). These are a lillte lmore expensive than the old style anchors but if you get what you pay for then they may be worth it.

The Digger is the one that I am really interested in. I haven't seen a bad review of this anchor. It works on the same principal as the slipring anchor but it has a release inside the shaft instead of using a ring on the shaft. This one comes up completely straight so it would release from any bottom type and mud and weeds should fall off on the way up.

So here are my questions to you;

What size is your boat?

What type and size anchor do you use?

How does the anchor hold in mud, boulders, gravel, sand etc.?

How easy or difficult is it to lift from different bottoms?

Does it come up clean or do you need to take off weeds or mud?

How well does it hold in high winds?

So how 'bout it? Anyone have any anchor info?

Bryan

[Guest Kevin Green]

I've read alot of threads here and I've searched as well but I haven't seen anything about anchors so here we go. I'm in the market for a good anchor and I've been scouring the internet researching them in hopes of learning what I need.

Here's my situation. The boat is an 18'6" aluminum full console and will probably weigh around 3000-3200 lbs loaded with gear and people (I'm guessing). I'll be using the anchor mostly to fish with the kids, there will be four or five lines in the water at once so drifting and trolling are out! I'd like to be able to hold in a good stiff breeze on any type of bottom and not worry about the anchor dragging and putting us up on shore.

In my internet travels I've looked at The Old Stand-bys, they still make them for a reason. These different styles have been around for a while and they do their job. The problem with them seems to be they each have a bottom type that they are best for, outside of this they start to fall short.

Then there are the newer slipring style anchors like this. They claim to work on any bottom type by digging their spikes into the ground or wedging in between rocks. A nice feature with this style is the slip ring, by motoring up to the anchor the slipring moves to the upwind end of the anchor shaft allowing you to pull the anchor free from any bottom with little effort (so they say). These are a lillte lmore expensive than the old style anchors but if you get what you pay for then they may be worth it.

The Digger is the one that I am really interested in. I haven't seen a bad review of this anchor. It works on the same principal as the slipring anchor but it has a release inside the shaft instead of using a ring on the shaft. This one comes up completely straight so it would release from any bottom type and mud and weeds should fall off on the way up.

So here are my questions to you;

What size is your boat?

What type and size anchor do you use?

How does the anchor hold in mud, boulders, gravel, sand etc.?

How easy or difficult is it to lift from different bottoms?

Does it come up clean or do you need to take off weeds or mud?

How well does it hold in high winds?

So how 'bout it? Anyone have any anchor info?

Bryan

14' Shallow Lund

15lb Crab Claw

Holds well in everything as long as you let out enough rope so the claw can dig in.

Not to hard to pull up but it is fairly light.

It does hold some mud but not a lot. Easy to wash off in the water by moving up and down a few times.

Holds well in high winds key is having lots of rope out.

I think the 4 pronged anchors with the slip ring would be awesome. For the size of boat you have I beleive you would need a 30lb anchor if memory serves me correct.

Good luck

Kevin

[Guest Munshaw]

Whatever you get, make sure you put 6' of good chain between the end of the anchor and the rope. A lot of the issues with anchors working loose is the stress put on them by the wave action (up and down rocking). Chain lies on the bottom and lifts when the waves roll through, absorbing much of the energy. They also give the anchor a much lower bit angle with less rope, due to the weight of the chain (think horizontal pulling on the anchor instead of vertical). Use a fairly heavy chain for this, and you can get away with lighter anchors saving weight in the bow of the boat.