I respectfully disagree. I've sat on one pile for over 2 hours plenty of times especially at night. I don't run and gun. If i'm fishing a brush pile I'm fishing for a big bass. Many times they don't cooperate until you [censored] them off enough which can take time. Slow down if you want to make catching bigger fish a more common occurrence. And just because you don't get bit in the first cast of two doesn't mean a big ol sow ain't staring at it. If you want numbers keep moving. If you want to catch big bass on a pile slow down. And be vewry vewry qwiet.

What about people in Kayaks????

The brush pile stuff is news to this old fart, but if I built a nice brush pole or just found a good spot I'd just as soon drop a grenade as an anchor on my spot.

With all the money y'all put in rigs today, why is there no power anchor system?

In the time it takes you guys to drop 2 anchors and 150' of rope, I can drop a marker, drop the TM, drop a jig, and put a half dozen keepers in the boat...even in 10mph wind. Any higher than 10mph, I'm going to move to a more protected area. If you can't control the TM and feel the thump at he same time, you need more practice and patience.

If you build most of the brush piles you fish, it will make you think twice about using anchors. They are easier to destroy or drag apart than you think. I haven't anchored on a brush pile in 10 years.

If you need an anchor when fishing for crappie, really what your saying is you need a bigger trolling motor.

NEVER

Or anchors lost because they are hung up. Think of it this way even with a single anchor off the pile your boat will still move around. I tried that once on a big Corp pile my boat drug the anchor and I almost lost it for it was hung up. Instead now I mark both ends of the pile and just use the TM to hover over it to fish. Then you can move around over the pile to fish it.

Anchoring is TABOO
If I can't keep on the pile with the TM, it's time to find more protected water, or load the boat and fish later....
A lot of the piles I fished 3 yrs ago that you can't tie off to something close, as is the case for most of them, are now ruined and scattered along the bottom

One exception that I can think of - only when using the Motorguide Xi5 trolling motor in "anchor" mode! Never have to worry about tearing up the brush pile - unless you are in very shallow water!

I understand most comments about dragging an anchor through a brush pile and tearing it up. If you use the proper size anchor you can anchor without messing up a brushpile. I sink my own brush and anchor over the piles and have been doing it for years without any problems. If you are proficient at running a trolling motor (which I am not) you can save time and effort initially, but not having to deal with boat positioning at all is very nice.

NO ANCHORS!! Please!!

This is how the person I fish with does it.

I anchor when in my canoe on a trout lake, totally different. It always seemed to me that as soon as I drop anchor start fishing I want to move. So for many years now I just don't have an anchor except for my canoe. I have a transom mount TM and a bow Mount TM.

If you are dragging an anchor thru a brushpile and tearing it up, isn't that really called drifting? If one knows how to anchor, then you will not tear up a brushpile.
I anchor, kick back and relax.

You'll save time in the long run if you just learn to use a trolling motor and trolling motor over a brush pile. Anchors are a pain in the butt on my opinion.