New Anchor
 

Thought about posting this in the Boating section, but it's really a question of what anchor to use in my VBay fishing holes.

I'm in the market for a new anchor for my 22ft bay boat. The sucker is heavy as can be, and I always fish mud/oyster bottom in Vbay, the reefs, and Tiger Shoal. Anybody have a little too much love for their particular type of anchor? I'll spend a little money on it, but I want it to stick when I've got some wind. The danforth that I picked up at Academy doesn't hold in mud.

Bruce

http://www.craigmarine.info/accessor...law_anchor.htm

In a mud bottom ,,,cajun anchor can't be beat...Just drop it ,,, if you put any force to make it stick you gunna have to PULL IT OUT.....They sell them in stainless...I took a 4 foot piece of 1/2" galvanize pipe and put a 2 ft. piece of 1/2 in. rebar and welded with 4 inches sticking out then rounded off the end....welded an eyebolt to top end for rope....I've done dropped it in 8 feet of water holding my 16 ft. boat with 27 inch sides in wind that made trolling motor all but useless.....I'm sure those 6 and 8 foot stainless are beast....

Check out the fortress anchor. Thats what I have. They are very light but they are pricey. It holds my 2104 frontier with no problem. I have a cajun anchor as well. Attachment 82553

The da forth anchor should hold in mud but not good for shell.

I have one like the Bruce claw that I use for shell reefs in the pass.

Question. Do you have a Length of chain on your academy anchor? This helps set the anchor and reduces slip.

Fortress is light but holds great in mud. Make sure you have a heavy chain.

I bought and academ anchor and it sucked. Bought one from west marine that looked almost exactly like it and it holds great. Go figure. Return that academy one!

This is the design I use out there and have no problems with it holding in mud or oysters.

Sea Claw 12# with Bronze Fluke with a 4' rubber coated chain.. Holds my 24' triton in a 2-3' chop at SM 233 20-25' of water.

It's made in Florida.. Best $150 I've spend. Guy who owns the company guarantees your satisfaction. He's a professional tarpon guide.

My boats a pain to anchor because I have to use my gunwale cleat so I don't anchor much. The bow of my boat ends up pointed 45deg into the current. I tried anchoring on Caldwell on a hard falling tide a few times but it was pointless. I would have pulled up anything. Best anchor I have come across is the button on my ipilot remote. But if I am going to be at a spot a while and its shallow enough I use a cajun anchor, power pole, or both. If I am fishing a platform I use a rig hook. Next time I fish Caldwell I am am going to try driving my cajun anchor with a 2lb maul. If you decided to go with a Fortress, I have a brand new one that came with my boat taking up space. I am sure its a great anchor but I hate messing with it, make me a fair offer and I will deliver it.

You are going to hammer a cajun anchor into a reef you plan on fishing?

The noise attracts the fish, smiler to the sound of a power pole dragging a reef. Has to do with mating or something.

[QUOTE=If you decided to go with a Fortress, I have a brand new one that came with my boat taking up space. I am sure its a great anchor but I hate messing with it, make me a fair offer and I will deliver it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Marque, but I'll pass. I had a fortress before my academy anchor. It held much better until I lost it on a submerged pipe offshore, but it was never great. Seems like you need some kind of claw or grapple anchor to stick in this mud.

About $70

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X1,000!
An Aluminum Super Fortress (not a copy or a knock off) has never failed to hold my 22ft boat, on any bottom in any current. As Armand stated you need at least 8 ft of chain, more would be better in deeper Tiger Shoal waters. I've had as little as a 2-1 scope and the anchor held. Don't buy those cheapy ones at discount stores they just don't work. Quality claw would be my 2nd choice.

The current makes more noise there than I could with a hammer. Between that and the seagulls hitting the water ever 2 seconds I doubt they would notice.

bring a sledge in da boat!!!!

We ripped the power pole of my buddy's Majak on Caldwell once. Set it right on the ledge, turned off the motor and it started scrapping. The boat drifted over the drop off and started picking up speed. Before he could get it up we caught the ledge and wham. No more power pole. Ever since then I am hesitant to mess with mine out there.

I have a Fortress as well and it works just fine in sand and mud. I do have a good amount 6' + of chain on it.

Its' going to be hard to get any danforth style anchor to set in oyster though. For that a claw or bruce anchor is probably better from what i've heard.

The gulls and current are natural sounds that they are used to. The hammering of a metal spike into a hard reef bottom not so much.