Opinion poll on anchoring systems

Hey gang,

Just wanted to get an idea on every ones preferred way to anchor for crappie in somewhat windy conditions with water over 12' deep. The new anchor poles seem great for shallow fishing but are extremely pricey for what they are. I know hummingbird is coming out with one that will reach down 12" in 2014 but still to pricey in my opinion. Do you prefer electric winches or find manual to be better? What anchors hold the best in windy conditions? I find with one 25 lbs mushroom style anchor I have the boat still tends to drift off my spot with moderate wind. I am just trying to decide if I should by winches for both the front and back but do not want to wast money or spend time installing if it does not make that big a difference. How do you hold your boat on a spot without stirring up mud on the bottom? Does it always require 2 anchors and if so what type do you use? I love the new I-pilot that you can get to help navigate with your hummingbird fish finder but from what I understand it keeps you within about 10' of your spot and runs 2 grand.....wow! Just wanted to get some of your opinions on staying on fish in tight quarters.

"Any day fishing is better then a day at work":biggrin

I seldom anchor except Catfishing. I have homemade lead anchor on a rope attached to the bow which holds good in the wind.

Throw out a bouy and use troling motor. That way you can fish all around the spot without throwing out anchor and you don't stir up a bunch of mud or disturb brush with anchor.

I never anchor , don't like to disturb the bottom and stir up mud plus it destroys brush piles which I'm trying to fish, I would only anchor if I were going to back away and cast to nearby brush or in shallow or clear water conditions

Those of you that do not anchor. How do you keep your boat under control in the wind? Do you have the i pilot or just continue to use foot control as it becomes more difficult when you get a fish on to keep the boat under control and land the fish.

Here is the one I have in 20 lb mounted on elec winch on stern of boat. Works ok unless wind gets up pretty good. Don't anchor much but if I do use Ipilot motor to move back and forth to stay in position.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...product/45253/

Stay on the trolling motor, and keep boat into the wind. I have a small 15 foot war eagle and can keep it pretty straight most times. Mine is an electric steer which is a lot harder to steer in windy conditions. Just don't worry about what's going on with the rest of the boat just keep on the trolling motor and you will be fine.

I don't get to fish as much as a lot of these guys on here, so my anchor don't get used very much at all. But I have gone through 3 electric anchor winches in the last 4 years. all of them I've found that were in my price range were cheap built forein crap. Just ordered 2 hand crank winches last week. should be here tommorow.

I never anchor jigging, last time I did was because trolling motor quit ! Use foot control on lowest speed needed. Forget the dip net and pull fish in unless it is unusually large. I steer into the wind to help hold position. With variable speed trolling motor can hold position with ease except in high winds over 15 mph. Remember your boat catches less wind with bow pointed into it. Plan your moves ahead of time , approach target (tops ) from down wind and allow more space for other boats in higher winds.
I really hate to see folks anchoring on stakebeds or tops. Like it was said they tear them up and even more so with too light of anchors.
In my opinion the I-pilots are OK for deep water but suck in shallow target specific fishing. They tend to run too fast trying to hold and wash out your fish on shallow brushpiles. Nothing beats a bouy marker and good boat control with a variable speed trolling motor. I like foot control because it leaves my hands free to fish.

I just used the ipilot last year, probally do the same when I get my boat this year. spot lok works ok for me.

I have 70 lb minkota maxxum variable speed , I wouldnt trade it for 2 ipilots, when vertical jigging I like to use a rod in each hand therefore the ipilots has to be used with foot control and the noise those things make will drive ya up a wall, if your pullin cranks or spidering the remote could be handy but u can also just get your speed right and set it on continuous run , just don't see spending the money on em , not for me ! This is only my opinion and there again others will say they are the greatest thing ever invented!

I would recommend that you just solely use your foot controlled trolling motor. Don't worry about messing with anchors.

I never anchor, ipilot is all I use.

If I'm fishing a brush pile I throw out a bouy and stay on the trolling motor. If I'm fishing a general area kind of like lake x,y,z or something like that I put my spot lock on the i pilot and let it do the work. If you really watch craigslist you can get a heck of a deal on a terrova from time to time. I drove down to northern LA and picked one up with ipilot and us2 for $750 and it was in excellent condition.

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Originally Posted by crappie greg

i have 70 lb minkota maxxum variable speed , i wouldnt trade it for 2 ipilots, when vertical jigging i like to use a rod in each hand therefore the ipilots has to be used with foot control and the noise those things make will drive ya up a wall, if your pullin cranks or spidering the remote could be handy but u can also just get your speed right and set it on continuous run , just don't see spending the money on em , not for me ! This is only my opinion and there again others will say they are the greatest thing ever invented!

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Spot Lock on the Terrova works pretty good. I have an 8' MK Talon on my boat that I'm going to upgrade to a 12' when it's available. I use chains occasionally.

12' talon in my immediate future. I'm pretty good with boat control with the trolling motor because I've never used anything else but on the pretty windy days it will wear you out. The older I get the less I like to have to work hard. Lol

Got a new boat in 2004, got an ipilot on recommendation. 2 months later, traded it in on a Maxxum 70. Got new boat in 2006, kept the TM. I had no use for the electronic TM's. I keep a 15 lb anchor on a rope, just coiled in the front. I use it only when I chunk a buoy on a brushpile and just want to fish it from a cast away. Windy days will be here from ....... um ......... tomorrow, until about August!!!

If I'm moving all around a brushpile or structure, I do what these guys do and just 'stroll' around it. I need to kick TM on/off/on/off/on/off with foot, and use both hands to fish. I also can raise and lower it without having to walk to the bow of boat.

My two cents.

I use an ipilot. Hand held controls is an adjustment. Spot lok allows me to dual pole when the wind is bearable, but when the winds pick up, spot lok does not always keep my boat in position as well as I would like when vertical fishing.

Overall I like the ipilot technology and glad i invested. but if you are on a budget, you can buy a nice foot controlled trolling motor for a lot less money and stay on the fish.
I would not drop an anchor while vertical fishing. Scares the big ones away.....

I never stop.:biggrin

Yea....I have herd negative and positive on the i-pilot...not sure if I need the expense right now. Thanks to all of you for sharing. I really do not care for anchoring either and really enjoy trolling but when they are in their winter patterns fishing still and slow produces the best for me so boat control is definitely the best choice!

"A bad day fishing is better then a good day at work":biggrin

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Originally Posted by arkcrappie

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X3 Spot on Greg, BZZZZ,BZZZZ BZZZZ. it never ends. LOL

I only use and anchor when I have the fish pin pointed with a jig and bobber and I need to cast to get them.

All of the above is true. The ipilot/electric steer is not for everyone. I do not use spot lock for staying over a brush pile because I am convinced it hurts the fishing. I do not like the electric steer in the thick cover or stumps either. That being said, when I needed another trolling motor, I got another iPilot equipped. You can't beat the 2 autopilots when trolling and also the ability to operate the motor from anywhere in the boat. I mainly use the spot lock for when I need to retie or do other things that can be done faster when devoting your full attention. You can fish any style with any trolling motor, but I would suggest picking the motor that you think you will suit your needs according to what type of fishing you do most.

I use the old window weights ... Some ppl are prolly scratching their heads saying "window weights" lol the old timers know what I'm talkin about ... And I have actually found three diff sizes but I use the smaller of the three in my kayak ... If its a windy day I have to hang it over the side and let it free fall as fast as it can to the bottom and it sinks straight down into that mud bottom in the cove with little to no interference of brush piles. My dad ha that stupid grapple anchor and I hate it I would never use it on a lake for the simple fact that if it is windy it won't hold ya and then he has to paddle back to the truck for a window weight. It happened the last time we fished . The floor of the cove is mud bottom it's almost a greasy tacky mud to be honest so I had to think to myself how much weight is it gunna take to hold me sittin on top of the mud... Then I thought to myself what would it take to penetrate that mud and in fact use the mud to help hold me, that's how I come up with window weights ... Obviously I have to anchor down I would rather not but if im going to be able to fish it and catch fish and stay out of everyone's way I have to anchor down ... If ur persistent about anchoring think about something like that window weight that's somewhat long , heavy , straight , and has minimal drag resistance upon penetration