For those of you who do not have a spot lock on your trolling motor what anchors does everyone use? Also do you run an anchor on the front and the back for fishing brush piles while trying to stay in one place?
For those of you who do not have a spot lock on your trolling motor what anchors does everyone use? Also do you run an anchor on the front and the back for fishing brush piles while trying to stay in one place?
I run a Fortrex and have no anchors. I don't have problems fishing brush piles as long as the wind isn't howling 20 mph. 5 to 15 mph is pretty easy to maintain good boat control. Dead calm is almost as bad as high wind but not too hard to acclimate to it after a little bit. I was considering an ultrex but haven't got to fish with one yet. I have fished with the Xi5 and the ulterra and would not consider either one. The spot lock on those two was not to my standards. If the ultrex is way better i may consider one of those but i don't think it will match what i need for my fishing brush or standing timber. Will keep an open mind though. I saw 10 ft variance with the other two and while it would go back to the spot you locked on the swings were too much to effectively fish in the brush without getting hung up. Anchors seems like a lot of work if you have to move around and search.
I don't typically use anchors either. I won't say never but it's awful close to it. I just use the TM and buoy markers. I had another boat before this one that had a Terrova with spot lock. It was an aluminum boat and the wind would blow it around pretty bad so I liked the spot lock at times when I was off the front deck for a few seconds or more but it was not accurate enough to hold me right on a brush pile. The new versions of spot lock may be better I don't know. The boat I have now is much less affected by the wind and a basic foot control trolling motor works fine for me. If I was anchor shopping though I would look at these http://richteranchors.com
Originally Posted by Bass Junkie
That is a heck of an anchor, i would cry like a baby the first time i got that hooked up in one of our gnarly brushpiles!!
I always felt anchors freak the fish out. I do carry one but it's for only times when it's too much wind and I'm re-tying a few different lines up. Or mudding the turtles....��
1994 SWIFT boat 200-SDX
1999 Mercury EFI 150
I have both spot lock and a talon. I use the Talon more for panfish than I do bass
I would love an Ipilot Trolling motor but I would have to put up camp inside the boat if I bought one!! LOL
I have one of the Richter anchors like the above ones but only use it in running water. Rivers and spillway tail waters.
I poured two pancake shaper anchors,9” or so dia.by about 2” thick out of lead. Weigh about 22# each and use them on still water or light current.
Once they hit bottom and lay flat they work well. Got to be careful sometimes though. I was using them on the Red River in slack water. After about 2 hrs I decided to move. They had silted over and I had a heck of a time breaking them loose.
That Red River can silt some stuff quick!!!!! Leave the livewells unplugged and you have nothing but sand in them when you pull out the water......not to mention the sand bars that are created when we have high water down here.....sorry a little off topic....
YOU are not entitled to what I have earned!!!!!
2014 Phoenix 619 Pro / 2014 Mercury 200 Pro XS
Yes the Red can be unforgiving of many things. No place to let your guard down.
No anchor. Seen too many good brushpiles destroyed from anchors. Watched mom and pop in their pontoon boat wipe out one of my best Bois d arc piles by dragging their anchor through it. Scattered the pile. What was good for a limit of fish is now good for 3 or 4. I wish they would outlaw anchors here.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Hmmmmm
Ill quit there
It happens a lot here so we quit putting brush in the coves where the majority of pleasure boaters use to escape the wind. Usually around here it is generally the biggest cove on the North and south side as those are the prevailing winds here. Some of the guys who troll for fish have grappling hooks made to move or scatter the brush piles if they are in their run pattern. Frustrating for sure but we have to share the water so really hasn't caused any major fueds yet.
I have a Richter anchor I use a few times a year. I tie a rope tight from the front cleat to the back cleat. I then tie my anchor rope to that rope, It will swing your boat to the area you want to fish and you can keep leting more line out and retieing to cleat rope.
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