Pontoon anchor

[buddah426]

ok so i'm determined to chase the fish down the rivers this next year with my new pontoon boat but first i have a question. can anyone explain to me why it's a bad idea to use an anchor in the rivers? i've read a bunch of places thats it's not a good idea but no one ever explains why… maybe because logs floating down the river? not sure. am thinking of doing some side drifting and anchoring up when fighting a fish? just was wondering why its a bad idea. thanks

 

[Irishrover]

I am not on my computer so there might be an error or two but here goes. If your anchor rope is not long enough or gets hung up it could be a full blown disaster. A rope that is too short will cause your pontoon to get sucked under much like many a boat on the columbia river. It is harder to reach around in a pontoon and cut the rope with a knife than it is from a boat. I am very carefull when I anchor my drift boat in the river, knowing the depth and current, so I do not get the boat sucked under. I also have a shap knife close by the anchor line just in case I need to cut the line. If you have a fish on it might be harder to pick a good anchor point while fighting the fish.

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

If you get your anchor stuck in fast or deep water. You're going to have a hell of a time pulling it free. And might even end up submerging you and your pontoon.

Iv been in a drift boat before where the anchor was stuck in real fast water and lets just say that boat is lucky it didn't end up at the bottom of the Rogue River.

Id stick to anchoring in little to no flow. Or water that is deep enough where you can get out and free it while not in your boat. Good luck and stay safe.

 

[buddah426]

well not a pro by any means but yea i had visions of side drifting the long slower moving water and then reeling up to go through any fast water so i'd only be having to anchor if i hooked up in the slower water. I've been told its best just to use the toon as a "taxi" to get to holes and then beach it and fish which is definitely a motive as well just trying to figure how to fish while drifting between the holes.

 

[OnTheDrop]

well not a pro by any means but yea i had visions of side drifting the long slower moving water and then reeling up to go through any fast water so i'd only be having to anchor if i hooked up in the slower water. I've been told its best just to use the toon as a "taxi" to get to holes and then beach it and fish which is definitely a motive as well just trying to figure how to fish while drifting between the holes.

I use to float the rivers in a pontoon quite frequently.

It's way too much of a hassle to side drift while going through a stretch. Bobber and Jig is the easiest.. Can you do it drifting though? Yeah. You can do almost anything in them it just may not be the best presentation or may be a huge hassle.

Whoever told you to use it as a "Taxi" knows what they are talking about. Get out at the top of a run and walk down the river until you have covered the hole. Walk up and head down to the next hole...You can have some banner days getting to all of those holes you couldn't hit bank fishing. . .

 

[DrTheopolis]

It can be done, but get out of the main current, for sure. By that point, you're close to the bank anyway, which is a much easier place to fish from. If it's faster than a slow walk, don't try it.

Probably a good idea to tie the anchor rope somewhere that you can put a knife to it without shifting your weight too much.

And for a small toon, a burlap bag, or natural (not nylon) reusable grocery bag works -- fill it with rocks when you get to the river, and if you lose it (happens), you're not out much dough.

Don't anchor in any sort of fast current. Goes for DBs, as well. And it's often easier to fight a fish when you're not on the hook, but flying solo makes it tough regardless. Get to the bank as quickly as possible, both for fish-fighting, and safety.

 

[waco]

I use to float the rivers in a pontoon quite frequently.

It's way too much of a hassle to side drift while going through a stretch. Bobber and Jig is the easiest.. Can you do it drifting though? Yeah. You can do almost anything in them it just may not be the best presentation or may be a huge hassle.

Whoever told you to use it as a "Taxi" knows what they are talking about. Get out at the top of a run and walk down the river until you have covered the hole. Walk up and head down to the next hole...You can have some banner days getting to all of those holes you couldn't hit bank fishing. . .

X2

 

[DirectDrive]

ok so i'm determined to chase the fish down the rivers this next year with my new pontoon boat but first i have a question. can anyone explain to me why it's a bad idea to use an anchor in the rivers? i've read a bunch of places thats it's not a good idea but no one ever explains why… maybe because logs floating down the river? not sure. am thinking of doing some side drifting and anchoring up when fighting a fish? just was wondering why its a bad idea. thanks

With a toon I don't think that I would anchor and try to fish from it.
I would beach it and wade fish each spot.

It would however be useful to have anchor for "parking" purposes.
Let's say there's a large, shallow area and you want to stop and fish.
You could use the anchor to hold the toon near where you are going to fish instead of dragging it all the way back to shore.

Also it's standard operating procedure to park at the river's edge and put the anchor up on land.
This procedure is very important on rivers with power boat traffic...a boat wake could break your boat loose if the anchor is not deployed in that manner.

 

[buddah426]

thanks everyone some good advice and answered my question. i love this forum!!!

 

[DrTheopolis]

Most of my toon experience is on the Clack in the very low summer flows. In those situations, there isn't much problem anchoring in anything but really fast water. Then again, in the big slow holes, you can also drift slowly then row back up a bit.

We're generally throwing small spinners with an ultralight in those times. A short rod is pretty easy to deal with while sitting in a toon. Was a hoot watching my buddy haul in a ~20# springer on a light rod being drug around in a 8' pontoon. I was laughing too hard to be of much help. He got to the the bank and got the fish, though.

Kicking back in a toon isn't so bad on a warm/hot summer day.