Anchoring/trip line

[leachjef]

I live on a lake in Texas. The lake we boat on is small and was created by daming a river. So most of the bottom is covered by old dead trees, many still standing. After getting my danforth stlye anchor hopelessly stuck one day, I went out and bought a delta plow stlye anchor and trip line gear.(luckily I was able to retrieve my old anchor and rode a few days later as a back-up, good to have friends who can hod their breath) I am new to boating and ususally achor close to shore in small coves and only for the afternoon. My question is: What is the best gear and techniques for my situation? I understand the correct answer is find a better place to anchor, however the only places I know to have a clear bottom are poor place to put a hook since they are areas of high traffic and I think it would be unsafe. Any help/ideas would be appreciated.

[sawingknots]

I think almost all boaters have lost an anchor sooner or later in this manner[remember the nfl players in fla.]a trip line will work just tie a line to the heel of your anchor and a small buoy to the other end,give slack to your anchor rode and retrieve the anchor,using the trip line.one method to retrieve a fouled anchor is to slip a heavy iron ring over the end of the anchor rode and manipulate it until it slides over the shank of the fouled anchor so that it can be pulled from the heel,its better to have the line to the iron ring pulled by another boat so as to gain a better angle

[Craig Smith]

www.rocna.com/kb/Buoyed_retrieval_line

[leachjef]

Thanks for the advice. Going to try the trip line this weekend. Just hoping that adding another line doesn't increase my chances of catching another tree. The bouy retrieval system looks awesome, however since my main problem with fouling is trees I don't think the ring or the retieval system will work. It is awesome how quickly the posts came in. Again, thank you very much.

[Craig Smith]

You're worried about the rode fouling more than the anchor are you?

The only things I can suggest are:

1. use a very large anchor which allows you to use a really small amount of scope, e.g. ~ 2:1, which will lower the chances of fouling by reducing the length of line out there and also keep it relatively vertical
2. use a throw-away rode in those circumstances, cheap rope with not much chain, but still use a retrieval line on the anchor - you might lose the rode but hopefully can still get the anchor back
3. use a buoy on the rode placed a distance away from the anchor which is a little more than the depth - in light conditions the buoy will float or be near the surface, keeping the rode up and so reducing the chances of fouling, but with more wind the rode will pull it under and you still get the necessary scope. There's a bit about this here: www.rocna.com/kb/Kellets_and_buoys

[mwrohde2]

Originally Posted by Craig Smith

[*]use a buoy on the rode placed a distance away from the anchor which is a little more than the depth - in light conditions the buoy will float or be near the surface, keeping the rode up and so reducing the chances of fouling, but with more wind the rode will pull it under and you still get the necessary scope. There's a bit about this here: Kellets and buoys (Rocna Knowledge Base)[/LIST]

That is a clever idea. I've got the same problem on my lake and have resulted to "local knowledge" on where and how to anchor. This may be something I can use.

[scottyt]

how about one of the grapples that can be bent. basicly its a grapple that you use to snag something on the bottom, when its time to leave you pull real hard till the tines straighten out. once back on board you rebend them to a hook.

there is also anchor that has some sort of release position, it looks like a dansforth, i dont know what its called

edit here is the one with the release position
bass pro anchor

not saying its the best anchor but in an area with a lot of snags it might work well

[leachjef]

You have been very helpful. I found a spot that I feel better about. Even though, I think I am going back and getting the bigger Delta plow(I was at the upper range of the previous one). Hopefully the reduced scope along with my trip line will keep my out of trouble. Just in case keeping it in shallow water will allow me to go down to solve any future issues. The Bass pro anchor looks good, but unsuitable to my boat. (28ft Boston Whaler walk around)

Again thanks for all the info and ideas, they will be put to good use.

Jeff

[Craig Smith]

The Delta's not the most efficient anchor, and not all that well suited to low scope pulls - a more modern design would suit better. Additionally, weed/grass is an Achille's heel for it, a common bottom in lakes.

[MysticGringo]

Hey... I haven't been around for a bit, wish it was because I was sailing, and not because of just life.

Having a buoyed line seems like a clever idea, but there is a chance it will be missed in the dark of an anchorage, and end up snagging a prop. I wonder if another idea might work.

What about attaching a trip line to the anchor in the normal fashion, and then attaching it part way up the anchor line. When you are raising the anchor, if it's stuck, you can grab the trip line, and pull using that, instead of the line attached to the shank, and ideally freeing the anchor.

I am setting up a new anchor and rode soon (Rocna if I can afford it). I plan on having 50' of chain (34' boat), and attaching a 60' trip line to the anchor, and then to the end of the chain. Chances are I am not anchoring in 50' of water that often, which means I can grab the trip line when pulling the anchor if it sticks.

The issue I see with this setup is snagging on something. But if the trip line is floating then it should float a little above everything, but with it being attached to the chain, it won't reach the surface. Or... attach the trip line to the chain with some sort of breakaway clips (which ofcourse only break away when I want them too & not by accident, and they are durable, won't corrode, are easy to find and replace, and are cheap .