pontoon anchors?

[pope]

Any recommendations for weight and type of anchor for a pontoon boat? It will be used in small lakes. I hear people complaining about drifting in theirs - but I don't want to have more weight then I need.

[rycoma]

We use reusable shopping bags filled with rocks from the shoreline. Works good no need to haul an anchor around.

[fish gunner]

Olde plastic barbell plate 10-15 lb will sufice for most situations. Dont use crap yellow poly rope spend a little extra for good rope and you've got an anchor for life.

[Flieguy]

I use a 2 foot length of logging chain, just because that's what I found in my garage that weighed a lot. Used to use a brick, but it wasn't enough in the wind.

-get a bucket/coffee can and fill it with concrete or rocks

-buy a small float boat anchor

-get one of those mushroom shaped anchors

-scrap metal

-2L bottle full of sand/concrete

-cinder block

[nick0danger]

find 5 to 10 pounds of lead make your own. use a downrigger cannon ball.

[tallieho]

5lb pryramid lead.ditto on good quality rope[marine grade]

[sraak]

I had a 15lb mushroom and found it did not hold on the river. I use a pyramid now and it's so much better, specifically I'm using a 20lb pyramid for a large two person pontoon.

[blueshark]

Whatever type of anchor you decide on adding a length of chain to it will improve its holding power. I have always worked on the rule of around 1ft of chain per ft of boat length, based on 1/4" or 6mm shortlink chain, and hardly ever have a problem with drift. Heavier chain, you can go shorter.

[tallieho]

holy crap with that formula...10 ft boat 10ft. of chain..noisey!!!

[Don Andersen]

Where you are anchoring will dictate anchor type and weight. The bulk of Alberta lakes west of highway # 2 have soft bottoms and I use a 5 lb anchor. For eastern lakes or gravel bottoms and where strong winds are possible, a heavier anchor is required. In that case I use a 10 lb and occasionally double the anchors up to 15 lbs even then I occasionally slide in that case a Danforth anchor may be the only option.
For river I use a 10 lb. mushroom and make sure the anchor rope angle is approximately 30 degrees so the mushroom pulls over and digs in.
I've chased 2 pontoon boats who both were anchored with downrigger balls and too short anchor ropes.
I use CDN tire nylon rope that cost $9.00 for 50'.

Regards,


Don

[Duramaximos]

I hate fighting my anchor! Time is too valuable to be wasting with repeated attempts to anchor down solid.

25# river anchor and 10 feet of chain for me. Set it once and forget it. It doesn't budge.

[blueshark]

Originally Posted by tallieho

holy crap with that formula...10 ft boat 10ft. of chain..noisey!!!

True and if you fish an area its not needed its overkill... But if you fish hard bottoms in big tides or fast flows or areas liable to big winds, it is your best bet, in conjunction with plenty of rope and a decent anchor that will "bite" into the bottom.

[32-40win]

i have two 10lb anchors, some days, in some places, they will not hold too well. And I use 100ft ropes so I can fish deep if I want to. Setting the anchors that the waves can't lift them on occasion, can be helped out with a drift sock also. Then there are days when anchoring is not really going to work worth krap, that I will run upwind on the trolling motor and drift back on the drift sock. That can work out really well.

[pope]

I fish some of the same waters you are Don - so if 5lbs will hold your carcass it should work for me. Thanks for the imput!