Anchor for 18' fish and ski

[Jcris]

My boat weighs about 2300 lbs and is 18' long. I use it in a fairly shallow (15' average) warm water lake. I'm looking for an anchor recommendation. I'm leaning toward a Danforth type with 6' feet of chain and 75-100 feet of nylon rope. The bottom here is mostly mud/sand and weedy. There are several good fishing spots that are rocky though. The max depth in my home lake is 50' . I'm an older guy that usually fishes alone so I'm wondering what weight anchor to get? Also, is a swivel of sorts necessary at the anchor /chain attachment point? This lake , Clearlake in California, typically gets windy in the afternoon and can be rather treacherous. I'm overly cautious on the water and am rarely "out there" when things get rough. That said it would be nice to just anchor up in a cove to do some lazy bait fishing even when there is a minor breeze. As opposed to using the trolling motor so much. Well there you have it, an old guy trying to catch a fish without working too hard at it.
Your help is always appreciated,
Jcris

 

[jkust]

Does your boat have a dedicated anchor locker? My previous 18 footer did and would only fit the Danforth that came with the boat from the manufacturer. So I had to decide, use the danforth that requires a decent amount of chain and rode or try something else that wouldn't fit in the dedicated spot. I stayed with the Danforth.
I've seen a lot of chatter lately about the ease of use of box anchors.

 

[oldjeep]

Box anchor - size small. They hold great in mud/sand/weed bottoms and fold up and store with their line in a flat bag. No chain required and only a 2-1 scope.

Now if your bottom is large rock then a box anchor may not be for you.

 

[shrew]

Danforths are not great in weeds or rocks. They perform extremely well in sand and mud. Swivels are useful in all chain rodes, but line/rope rodes don't benefit much from a swivel. average anchoring depth will dictate amount of rode. 75 - 100ft will be >= 2:1 at 50 ft. I would get enough length to be able to get to 7:1 at my average anchoring depths.

Around 8-10lb would probably be adequate size for most anchors for your sized. boat.

 

[wrvond]

Despite the current wisdom, I have had great luck with a mushroom anchor with about a fathom of chain. I believe it is a fifteen pound rubber/plastic covered unit. It will take a set in mud, rock, or weeds, yet releases easily.

 

[Jcris]

Thanks everyone for the help,
The box anchor is new to me, never even seen one. Also noticed that box anchors are pricey. There is a storage compartment below the floor that looks like it could easily hold most any anchor system
Jcris

 

[claytn74]

Huricaneanchor.com best I've come across.

 

[Jcris]

I checked out the "box anchor". Very unusual looking. It doesn't look like it would handle grass/weeds very well.
Saw the Hurricane also. It looks more conventional. It occurs to me I should give some more detail about how and where I usually anchor.
Most of the time I won't be using an anchor in more than light winds, less than 10 mph. And I don't plan on mooring the boat ever. This anchor will be just for holding me in a spot for a short time. If I find fish holding I may anchor up and bait fish for cats with one or two poles. If I were fishing with a friend I might be tempted to hang after dark but only so long as the fish are active. When I was a kid I could fish all day and remain hopeful. These days I need some activity to keep me from getting bored. My patience needs work.
Thanks again,
Jcris

 

[oldjeep]

I checked out the "box anchor". Very unusual looking. It doesn't look like it would handle grass/weeds very well.
Saw the Hurricane also. It looks more conventional. It occurs to me I should give some more detail about how and where I usually anchor.
Most of the time I won't be using an anchor in more than light winds, less than 10 mph. And I don't plan on mooring the boat ever. This anchor will be just for holding me in a spot for a short time. If I find fish holding I may anchor up and bait fish for cats with one or two poles. If I were fishing with a friend I might be tempted to hang after dark but only so long as the fish are active. When I was a kid I could fish all day and remain hopeful. These days I need some activity to keep me from getting bored. My patience needs work.
Thanks again,
Jcris

I can tell you that the box anchor most certainly handles weeds well, it can be a challenge to get it off the bottom and will come up with 30lbs of uprooted weeds attached to it

 

[Jcris]

I ordered a small box anchor today. It was pricey but seems like a good all around choice.
Thanks for the help.
Jcris

 

[thumpar]

Get an anchor buddy line. My boat will stay steady with a 15 lbs anchor with one even is moderate winds.