I need to get a lead anchor for my drift boat. It sounds like 30lb-35lb would be about right for an Alumaweld 16x54.

For you guys with more experience than me, does that sound right?

Yes.

Fish on...

Todd

+1 If you can find an older animal anchor, 30# is the way to go.

30# is okay and my fishing buddy used to jibe me about my 35# being overkill. 30s will slip and drag in anything much more than an eddy particularly with three people on board. I like to run plugs and divers on the hook while eating lunch and such, and sometimes, holding in THE spot is critical. If you have the arm strength, 35-40 is like setting a parking brake anywhere you like.

Just make sure you trim the boat forward to account for additional weight in the stern.

I have a 40lber and It holds me in place ...

Superior to the pyramid, enter the Animal Anchor...aka Ramsey Anchor

Behold...


This one is mine and weighs in at about 30#
Has survived many drops since new in '87.

Minimum anchor weight seems to be a function not only of anchor shape, but also of how many lard asses are on board.

had a 35LB. on mine, if that's not enough you need to get into softer water

The cheapest..and my next purchase will be a kettle ball weight used in weight lifting. . check em out 50$35lbs. ..

i wouldnt dare drop that down in a lot of places in the sol duc. you wouldnt get it back

i have a 25lb, 30, 35, and a 40. i use the 40lb 95% of the time

In that case, you'd have even less chance of recovery with a Wegdematic (pyramid).

Thanks guys. I was curious if I'd get a response of "If you need more than x, you shouldn't be anchored there."

Arm strength isn't an issue as there's already a 45lb homemade monstrosity hanging off the back now (that came with the boat).

I'll go see what's on the shelf and grab something 35-40lbs. I'll mostly be on the Klickitat, and I have only seen pyramids and a couple chain anchors. Not sure if there's a reason for it.



^^^That's funny. I watched a boat struggle to anchor this spring on the Snake. As he drifted by, he asked what size of anchor I had. I replied, "26lb CR anchor with 8ft of 3/8" chain." He said, "Huh, I can't get this to stick. It's 50lb. Sportsman's was closed so I got this kettle ball from Sports Authority."

The key is to not go full retard and drop in fast/deep water.
Find some soft water and drop.
Look at the adjacent bank structure and that will often reveal what the bottom structure is like.

Small freestone in soft water is the safest place to drop hook.


But when you think it all through, the best thing to do is to beach the boat and get out and fish like you've done this before.
Much better to tangle with Mr. Big with your feet on the ground.

Mano a Mano....no boats or nets.
No drags....direct drive.
Deep water revive/release.

Thx swifty...maybe ill pass on the kettle:)

30 pounds of lead will hold your boat better than 50 pounds of steel or iron, that's for sure.

An anchor debacle once caused me to have a boulder and cam straps masquerading as an anchor for a day...fugger easily weighed 50 pounds and didn't work worth a Crap. Bailed out by Robbo with a backup anchor the next day, which is another funny story...but was able to retrieve my anchor early the next day and all was right with the world again.

Lead is sticky...steel and stone is not.

Fish on...

Todd

DD I'm quite impressed you havent lost that anchor since the late 80's. I have on/off seasons where sometimes I lose one or two and then go for years without losing any.
That thing looks hella grabby though. You must fish and anchor in pretty chill spots. Many times the water I want to fish doesn't yield to the best anchoring conditions, but I drop it anyway.

Yep, when I was a n00b I'd drop in some sketchy places.
Almost lost it a couple of times.

Now, I look for better places to drop.

Do NOT buy a steel anchor if you help it. My boat came with one and it takes forever to stop in moderate flows.

Was it a steel pyramid ?

Indeed it was