I have a TU Colorado Pontoon boat and was wondering if any give me tips on proper anchoring in order to minimize drift and swing in the wind? Isn't there a ratio of rope depth of water? Where is the best place to anchor front, side, or back? Thanks for the help.
Regards,
LuvFshn
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[cool][#0000ff]I'm sure you will get other input, but here is mine. First, there are a lot of variables. Beginning with the type of bottom and the depth you will be anchoring in. Next, there is wind speed and how long an anchor rope you leave out. The other variable is the type of anchor you are using.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In a mild breeze, you can hang a bag of rocks off the side of your toon, straight down and maintain reasonable position without having to use your fins. As the wind picks up, you need to hang the anchor off the back of your toon, preferable as close as possible to the middle, to minimize swing. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are still using the bag of rocks, or a small "mushroom" anchor, you will likely not be able to hold on a mud bottom in a stout breeze. Then you will need an anchor with hooks or blades, to dig in and hold. Of course, those would be poor choices in heavy rocks. And, if you use one of the types of anchors that needs to drag a ways and then digs in, you should have a length of chain between the anchor and the rope, to hold the top of the anchor down until it digs in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The amount of rope you let out depends on how deep the water is and how strong the wind is. The more depth and wind, the more rope it takes to get and maintain a good "bite". Personally, when "the perfect storm" is rolling in, I worry more about anchoring my butt inside, in front of the game, than anchoring my craft in harm's way.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are no hard and fast rules, and the style and weight of your craft will influence how well any specific anchor works for you, on whatever waters you fish. It will likely take some experimentation to work out the two or three different anchors you will use the most. Rarely will one anchor and rope setup suffice for all fishing situations.[/#0000ff]
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Welcome to the board LF
I had a TU Colorado, I would use the mesh bag that came with the TU and some rocks from shore. I would drop it from the pulley on the rear and adjust my rope to where I wanted to fish. If the rocks wouldn't hold me in place, it was time to do some drift trolling.
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[black]Anchoring your pontoon is easy. There are several that I have used that have worked for me. I copied parts of a post here that I made for another BFT member some time ago to assist in the anchoring issue.
Yes, there is a "ratio" that is recommended in many situations for anchoring. That is ratio is refered to as the scope - for example: a scope of 3 to 1 means that you have 3 times the amount of anchor line employed as is the depth of the water. Or, if you are in 10 feet of water, you would have 30 feet of anchor line out. The stuff that you have between your anchor and your boat is called the rode - that includes the anchor line and the chain(if you use one - highly recommended for many types of anchors and in many kinds of situations).
However, depending on your situation, that being a pontoon boat and the probable application, you may not need all of that anchoring theory just to fish. Again, it depends upon where you will be anchoring. Rivers or moving water is much different than small lakes or stillwaters.
Here are some of the methods I have used:
On my pontoon boat:
1. 3 # folding grappling hook type. Attached is about 5 foot of chain and 100 foot of anchor line. This held against 20 + mph winds and 3 foot white caps on Utah lake while anchored in 8 foot of water - I had a scope of 9 to 1.
2. 1 # Navy type anchor. About 4 foot of light chain and 75 of anchor line. This one held against 15 mph winds and 2 foot waves at willard while in 9 foot of water and a scope of 8 to 1.
3. Empty heavy canvas bag - fill with rocks - weight depends on conditions(this anchor has to be heavier in the boat than the other anchors) - attached to 50 foot of light poly rope. This type of anchor can allow drift or drag in wind. If you rig the rode with a small chain(I used a 3 foot length off some snow tire chains) and increase the scope to over 8 to 1 it might even hold in some wind.
On my float tube:
4. A line counter trolling reel spooled with 25 # test line (for a pontoon boat I would recommend 50-80 #)and an onion filled with rocks(the bag was doubled for strength to hold the weight of the rocks and for abrasion). I used my fins to hold postition while fishing and assist the drag of the anchor that tended to move a little.
5. The line counter trolling reel with 25 # line tied to a tree on the bank of a river while fishing in an eddie, and a large boulder on the shore of a lake while drifting wind the wind and fishing the shoreline. When I got far enough or past the area I wanted to fish, I just reeled my self back to the starting point and did it again. I used my fins to maintain the correct orientation for casting.
Depending on a few variables like water and wind conditions, depth of water, and bottom structure your pontoon will not need anything greater than about a couple to three pounds of anchor. Of course this depends on if the water is moving or still.
You should attach a small length of chain between the anchor and the anchor line - it does several things - reduces chaff on the line, maintains the bite of the anchor by keeping the anchor line motion at a minimum, etc.
Your anchor line should be either poly or nylon(some like braided, others like twisted) and should be about 10 times longer than the average depth of the water where you would be likely to anchor. This length covers most situations. Realistically, for your application, you can get by with much less line.
Here's a few rules of thumb concerning anchoring:
1. ATTACH THE BITTER END FIRST - BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE !
2. Anchor from the bow of the boat and orient the bow of the boat facing into the wind and waves. You can anchor from the side, if the water is a lake and there is little or no wind.
3. Increasing the scope of the rode, increases the hold and stability, and decreases drift, drag, sway and chances of loosing the anchor.
4 Always have a sharp serrated knife(or other suitable cutting device) handy to cut yourself and your craft free in an emergency !!!
5. Always keep a PFD on your craft if you intend on anchoring anywhere.
OK, now let's be realistic with your application(fishing from a pontoon raft) in mind. You have almost no weight and your craft is quite manueverable. You are going to be busy fishing and don't want to deal with too much just to be stationary for a few minutes to fish.
A heavy bag with rocks and about 50 foot of rope would do adaquately for a lot of the fishing you would probably do. Or, if your pontoon comes with an anchor accessory, you can use that as well, as long as you remember that anchoring in moving water is different than in stillwaters. Also, unless you use 2 anchors, pivoting or swaying is inevitible - use your fins to maintain position and casting orientation.
Notes on types of anchors.
1. A bag of rocks - this can hold you if there is no wind - if the water is moving or there is wind you should expect some drift.
2. Mushroom anchors are slow to take hold and only work in some situations - they have to be burried in the mud before they work and there is a tendency to pivot around them unless there is adaquate chain on the rode - even then there will be some pivoting.
3. Grapeling hook type anchors. These can hold against any conditions but can also hang up - attach a release or recovery line before hand just in case. Rescueing an anchor from a pontoon boat would be very difficult at best and impossible from a float tube.
4. Navy type anchors are about the best kind, but, they are relatively heavy and require a chain. They hold in almost any situation.
5. Danforth types - I don't think they make them in the size you would be able to carry on your floating craft, and, the pointed teeth could be a little sharp. Danforths do make the best emergency anchors because of the relative light weight and excellent grabbing power of them when employed correctly.
6. Old fashioned - you won't use one, so don't bother considering them.
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Hey Fishound,
thanks for the reply. Your info. is very helpful.
You mentioned to anchor in the bow. Is this because the front is more "sea worthy" on a pontoon boat? On my pontoon boat the "bow", would probably be right under my seat attached to the frame. Is there a di
vantage or a safety concern if I anchor my pontoon on the back part of the frame?
Can you tell me how you store your rope? I was thinking about putting the rope in a bucket but then it takes up more room on the potoon rack. On my TU Colorado pontoon boat it has a place to wrap rope around but I can only get about 30 ft. of 1/4 nylon. Do you have any other suggestions.
Thanks again
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Hey Luvfshn,
The reference to anchoring off the bow of the craft is from the accepted general anchoring theory for all watercraft in all situations. However, there are exceptions to those suggestions. Your pontoon boat, and the waters upon which you might be fishing, could easily be one of those exceptions. The bow of most water craft is considered more sea worthy - even your pontoon boat, especially if you have an electric motor with a heavy marine battery behind your seat(same thing applies to a gas engine). Also, on a pontoon boat thusly equiped, even with the bow being higher in the water and the waves landing in your lap, the vessel is still better off bowing into the waves or wind.
That said; If you are going to anchor in still waters with little to no wave action, you can safely anchor from the stern or even the beam side of your craft. Further, if the water is shallow(less than 10-15 feet deep), and calm, your 30 foot of 1/4 inch rope could easily suffice for an anchorage - in some situations, a scope of 1.5 to 2 can work, and on a pontoon boat, having a chain on the rode is not necessarily a requirement.
However, the greater the wind or wave action, the greater the scope should be for the anchor to hold, and for it to hold in those conditions, a chain on the rode would be recommended.
The way I usually handle my anchor line is with an electric extension chord winder - mine kind of looks like an extended "H" with the rope wrapped around the middle bar of the "H". Some times ropes and/or extension chords are sold on them. On my boat, I use the accepted standard anchor line coiling techniques(which I find is difficult to impossible to do while sitting on a pontoon boat). I store my anchor in a small heavy canvas bag that, when I fill it with rocks, can double as a drift anchor - I have also used the bag with the anchor still in it and directly attached to the anchor line as a a slow drift anchor because with the anchor and chain in the bag, the bag prevents the anchor itself from biteing and taking hold on the bottom. For a drift anchor, I find a scope of 1 or 1.5 to 1 works well - more than that, I get too much drag and don't drift as I want and there is a tendency for the anchor line to get in the way of fishing.
And as I mentioned before, an old baitcaster or trolling reel with 50-80 pound test line mounted on just the handle of any old rod that you've somehow attached to your craft could hold a cheapo nylon onion sack of rocks quite adaquately and you would have little or nothing to lose if it hung up and you had to cut the line.
Again, anchoring in moving water(i.e. rivers) is much different than anchoring in still waters.
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