11-22-2005, 04:30 PM
Hey Luvfshn,
The reference to anchoring off the bow of the craft is from the accepted general anchoring theory for all watercraft in all situations. However, there are exceptions to those suggestions. Your pontoon boat, and the waters upon which you might be fishing, could easily be one of those exceptions. The bow of most water craft is considered more sea worthy - even your pontoon boat, especially if you have an electric motor with a heavy marine battery behind your seat(same thing applies to a gas engine). Also, on a pontoon boat thusly equiped, even with the bow being higher in the water and the waves landing in your lap, the vessel is still better off bowing into the waves or wind.
That said; If you are going to anchor in still waters with little to no wave action, you can safely anchor from the stern or even the beam side of your craft. Further, if the water is shallow(less than 10-15 feet deep), and calm, your 30 foot of 1/4 inch rope could easily suffice for an anchorage - in some situations, a scope of 1.5 to 2 can work, and on a pontoon boat, having a chain on the rode is not necessarily a requirement.
However, the greater the wind or wave action, the greater the scope should be for the anchor to hold, and for it to hold in those conditions, a chain on the rode would be recommended.
The way I usually handle my anchor line is with an electric extension chord winder - mine kind of looks like an extended "H" with the rope wrapped around the middle bar of the "H". Some times ropes and/or extension chords are sold on them. On my boat, I use the accepted standard anchor line coiling techniques(which I find is difficult to impossible to do while sitting on a pontoon boat). I store my anchor in a small heavy canvas bag that, when I fill it with rocks, can double as a drift anchor - I have also used the bag with the anchor still in it and directly attached to the anchor line as a a slow drift anchor because with the anchor and chain in the bag, the bag prevents the anchor itself from biteing and taking hold on the bottom. For a drift anchor, I find a scope of 1 or 1.5 to 1 works well - more than that, I get too much drag and don't drift as I want and there is a tendency for the anchor line to get in the way of fishing.
And as I mentioned before, an old baitcaster or trolling reel with 50-80 pound test line mounted on just the handle of any old rod that you've somehow attached to your craft could hold a cheapo nylon onion sack of rocks quite adaquately and you would have little or nothing to lose if it hung up and you had to cut the line.
Again, anchoring in moving water(i.e. rivers) is much different than anchoring in still waters.
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The reference to anchoring off the bow of the craft is from the accepted general anchoring theory for all watercraft in all situations. However, there are exceptions to those suggestions. Your pontoon boat, and the waters upon which you might be fishing, could easily be one of those exceptions. The bow of most water craft is considered more sea worthy - even your pontoon boat, especially if you have an electric motor with a heavy marine battery behind your seat(same thing applies to a gas engine). Also, on a pontoon boat thusly equiped, even with the bow being higher in the water and the waves landing in your lap, the vessel is still better off bowing into the waves or wind.
That said; If you are going to anchor in still waters with little to no wave action, you can safely anchor from the stern or even the beam side of your craft. Further, if the water is shallow(less than 10-15 feet deep), and calm, your 30 foot of 1/4 inch rope could easily suffice for an anchorage - in some situations, a scope of 1.5 to 2 can work, and on a pontoon boat, having a chain on the rode is not necessarily a requirement.
However, the greater the wind or wave action, the greater the scope should be for the anchor to hold, and for it to hold in those conditions, a chain on the rode would be recommended.
The way I usually handle my anchor line is with an electric extension chord winder - mine kind of looks like an extended "H" with the rope wrapped around the middle bar of the "H". Some times ropes and/or extension chords are sold on them. On my boat, I use the accepted standard anchor line coiling techniques(which I find is difficult to impossible to do while sitting on a pontoon boat). I store my anchor in a small heavy canvas bag that, when I fill it with rocks, can double as a drift anchor - I have also used the bag with the anchor still in it and directly attached to the anchor line as a a slow drift anchor because with the anchor and chain in the bag, the bag prevents the anchor itself from biteing and taking hold on the bottom. For a drift anchor, I find a scope of 1 or 1.5 to 1 works well - more than that, I get too much drag and don't drift as I want and there is a tendency for the anchor line to get in the way of fishing.
And as I mentioned before, an old baitcaster or trolling reel with 50-80 pound test line mounted on just the handle of any old rod that you've somehow attached to your craft could hold a cheapo nylon onion sack of rocks quite adaquately and you would have little or nothing to lose if it hung up and you had to cut the line.
Again, anchoring in moving water(i.e. rivers) is much different than anchoring in still waters.
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