DIY Anchor or Rental

[lonegeneral]

Hi there,

I'm a newbie. I've been out to the upper lake a few times with friends and they like to fish by the buoy line by the upper left tip of the lake. Every time, they tie the rental boat onto the buoy line. From what I know, that's illegal and we could get a ticket. They laugh it off when I tell them, but I'm uneasy about it. The anchor that comes with the rental is pretty useless. Any tips on how to make a good anchor DIY style or a good place to buy a anchor that works well? My local big 5 didn't have one.

[lonegeneral]

Another completely N00B question. With an anchor, how to I keep the boat still? I'd need something heavy enough to go 90 degrees straight down to hold the boat in place? If the line is at an angle, the boat could be moving around in whatever way the wind/current goes, right?

[benichi]

Another completely N00B question. With an anchor, how to I keep the boat still? I'd need something heavy enough to go 90 degrees straight down to hold the boat in place? If the line is at an angle, the boat could be moving around in whatever way the wind/current goes, right?

diy is a coffee can filled with cement and a o ring bolt with the nut on it pushed in the middle of a filled can...

if you want your boat to stay still in or in one spot drop anchor and let your boat move in to the spot you want with the anchor line on angle never straight up and down then throw another anchor off the opposite end of the boat and pull the line to snug should hole your boat pretty still we do this when we are finesse jigging with flashers.

if your anchor line is straight up and down and there is a wave it will lift the anchor off the bottom and you will move

if your in moving water you anchor and let your boat drift back the throw a 5 gal bucket off the back it will hold your boat pointing up stream if your anchor is on the front of your boat.

hope that helps

[lonegeneral]

Thanks Benichi! Yes that does help! I guess I'll be making 2 anchors. :-)

[flyhigh123]

Check amazon or even Walmart. You can pick up a cheap anchor and get some rope. You will need at least double the depth in rope. Check the tips forum as I posted tips on how to anchor. If you don't want to sway, u need 2 anchors. Depending on wind and the sway u can anchor in either a v formation or one in front and one in back.

I suggest not to make it. It'll be a waste of time and money if u plan to do coffee cans with concrete. Anchors are like 15 dollars each on amazon. A cheap danforth should keep you in place.

[lonegeneral]

Thanks Flyhigh! I'll definitely look at Amazon and Walmart.

Any recommendation in anchor weight for a rental boat?

[benichi]

Thanks Flyhigh! I'll definitely look at Amazon and Walmart.

Any recommendation in anchor weight for a rental boat?

I had a 10 lb or 15 lb on my 16 footer


you might be able to buy them cheaper now days back in the day a bag of quick dry cement and empty coffee cans was really cheap you just had to buy the bolt which was like a 25 cents

but gas was 99 cents a gal back then lol

[lonegeneral]

Thanks for all the input guys. I'm going to buy 2 anchors and give it a shot next time we head out. If you see some dude in a rental by the buoy trying to mess with 2 anchors but spinning in circles. You know who it is. :LOL:

[DEVOREFLYER]

Buy a concrete cinder block (8x8x16") at the Big Box Store and you will lose no tears if it gets hung up and you lose it.

[bassmeister]

Just pick up a big rock on the shore and tie it to your anchor rope. Free and there are a few guys who employ this technique.

[fishinone]

You can get 600 foot of 1/4 inch electrical pull rope at Harbor Freight for $18. Buy 2 rolls. You might want to get some gloves while you're there. Thin rope is tough on your hands. Put the rope on plastic spools made for extension cords. I like the Home Depot ones.

Spring for real anchors and don't forget to put a long (10 to 15 ft) heavy chain 5/16" + diameter above each one. I buy tie down chains from Harbor Freight and throw the hooks out. The chain keeps the rope from lifting the anchor off bottom each time anything happens.

The wind at Castaic makes anchoring even with a good setup tough. Sometimes it works sometimes we do it again.

Chunks of rock and coffee cans work in places but not in deep water like at the buoy line or Necktie Canyon.

[GhettoBasser]

Or the marina could provide more than 20 feet of knotted rope.

[karlow]

These guys are leaving out an important detail, you need chain for your anchor.
I would use at least 10ft or more between the anchor and rope. The chain can be 1/4" or even a bit smaller.
You can use a cheep fluke type anchor, but at the local lakes you need a lot of rope!
In run about 20' of chain on the front, and 15' on the rear with 300ft of rope on the rear and 350 for the front.
The rear anchor is a 7.5Lb claw, and the front is the 12 lb one. That setup works in 90 ft of water.
Now you know what it take to do the job right!

KP
See you on the water, but don't try to anchor need me, you are too cheep to but the right gear!

[fshnritchey]

Hi there,

I'm a newbie. I've been out to the upper lake a few times with friends and they like to fish by the buoy line by the upper left tip of the lake. Every time, they tie the rental boat onto the buoy line. From what I know, that's illegal and we could get a ticket. They laugh it off when I tell them, but I'm uneasy about it. The anchor that comes with the rental is pretty useless. Any tips on how to make a good anchor DIY style or a good place to buy a anchor that works well? My local big 5 didn't have one.

@ lonegeneral - one trick you can use while fishing the buoy line is to tie a bow knot on the buoy line- when you see the lifeguard or sheriff coming just grab the end of your rope and tug and your knot will slip out easily and you will drift away. As long as you keep an eye out for the lifeguard you shouldn't have any problems at all to be off the buoy long before they arrive