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Anchoring when fishing brush piles #11674850 06/18/16 03:32 PM
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jp24 Offline OP
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Do you drop an anchor when you're fishing brush piles in, say, 20-25 FOW with clay bottom? If so, what type and how heavy? My boat's aluminum, 18 feet, with a 100HP Yamaha, so it's pretty light overall. Having a hard time keeping the boat in the proper position.

Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11674865 06/18/16 03:42 PM
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KidKrappie Offline
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Do you have a trolling motor?

Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11674917 06/18/16 04:30 PM
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bush hog Offline
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Most people don't anchor when fishing brush piles for fear of dragging the anchor through the pile but that's the way it was done before trolling motors came on the scene. I think the biggest problem with anchor's not holding is not letting out enough anchor rope (assuming you using a big enough anchor). There are several good articles on how to anchor a boat that you can google.


To whom much is given, much is required.
Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11674922 06/18/16 04:39 PM
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Keith Speer Offline
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I NEVER use an anchor, if the wind drifts the boat across a brush pile, you just tore it up with the anchor.
I use a buoy, watch my graph on the front of the boat and use the TM to keep the boat over the brush pile.
If the wind will not let the TM want hold the boat in place, it's too windy to be on the lake....
My 2 cents.....


Crappie fishing... what else is there ??

Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11674999 06/18/16 05:54 PM
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crappiegetter Offline
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Originally Posted By: jp24
Do you drop an anchor when you're fishing brush piles in, say, 20-25 FOW with clay bottom? If so, what type and how heavy? My boat's aluminum, 18 feet, with a 100HP Yamaha, so it's pretty light overall. Having a hard time keeping the boat in the proper position.
If I anchor it's 40' or 50' away from the pile then troll to my marker on it

Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11675031 06/18/16 06:22 PM
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Ken Gaby Offline
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For an anchor that will hold, get a box anchor. You should let out at least 50 ft of line if the water is less than 15 ft deep. Anchoring in 25 FOW, let out at a minimum of 75 ft. Biggest problem is the boat will not set still no matter where you tie off the anchor rope on the boat. The boat will constantly drift side to side in the wind, unless you use two anchors. If the boat is drifting side to side, and you'er not anchored in exactly the right spot, you spend about 65% of the time not over the brush pile. Sometimes pulling the baits back and forth across the pile is good, but you spend most of the time with your bait out of the strike zone. When you let out the line needed to hold the boat, the boat swings in a bigger arc and again you miss the pile most of the time. That's why most people let out small amounts of line so they can stay closer to the pile and then the anchor starts dragging thru the pile. Then it's usually ruined.
That's why the majority of people don't anchor and use a troll motor.


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Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: Ken Gaby] #11675050 06/18/16 06:37 PM
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dwmoore Offline
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Did he say anchor. No no no


Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11675075 06/18/16 06:55 PM
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DFW-fisherman Offline
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Never use an anchor at brush piles.

Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11678962 06/20/16 11:49 PM
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If you just have to anchor don't do it over BP, do it about 10-15 feet away and slip cork down by your marker buoy and rip some lips!


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Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: dwmoore] #11679882 06/21/16 02:29 PM
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crappiecat1 Offline
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no no no to anchoring over brushpiles

Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: Keith Speer] #11680784 06/21/16 10:18 PM
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SLABXPRESS Offline
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Originally Posted By: Keith Speer
I NEVER use an anchor, if the wind drifts the boat across a brush pile, you just tore it up with the anchor.
I use a buoy, watch my graph on the front of the boat and use the TM to keep the boat over the brush pile.
If the wind will not let the TM want hold the boat in place, it's too windy to be on the lake....
My 2 cents.....

THIS!!!
I've seen too many brush piles destroyed by anchors.


Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11680870 06/21/16 11:17 PM
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I put the anchor about 60-70 feet up wind of brush pile, then drift back to my marker tie off rope. Use the TM. to stay on the pile, only have to worry about side to side. If I see the boat is drifting I can keep off the pile with TM.,and go reset the anchor!


I would agree with you , but then we would both be WRONG !!!!!
Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11681320 06/22/16 03:23 AM
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I guess I will be the contrary one here. I commonly put out two anchors when fishing brush piles. I have a 14 ft semi-v aluminium boat and 30 lb steel mushroom anchors.

I don't have foot controls for my trolling motor, which means that in the lightest breeze, I can maneuver the boat alongside my marker and still have attention left for fishing. Anything above 3 mph, I spend all my attention on the motor, and miss 'the thump'.

Between 3 mph, and 6 mph, I put out one anchor (secured midships) and use the trolling motor to stay over the marker.

Over 6 mph, I use two upwind anchors, two boat lengths apart, secured fore and aft. Setting and retrieving two anchors is a huge PIA, but ya gotta do what it takes. I am conscious of the danger of damaging brushpiles and so always idle upwind first and lift the anchors straight up when pulling them in.

I use the 3 to 1 rule when paying out anchor line, in 15 feet of water I pay out 45 feet of line. So In a 10 mph breeze, I will have 60 lbs of anchor holding the little boat. Never have a problem with drifting.

I go home when the wind gets over 11 mph and whitecaps start to form, so I can't comment on what it takes to stay anchored at higher wind speeds.


Died and Gone to Granger

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Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11681391 06/22/16 04:30 AM
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There was recently another thread about this same subject. There is two opposite schools of thought. I am on the side of NighStalker79. I can successfully anchor (and prefer anchoring) over brushpiles.

I locate the pile with my electronics, drop a marker, leave for a few minutes usually to drop another marker somewhere else, return and maneuver up wind of the marker, drop two anchors to position myself exactly where I want to be. If I'm crappie fishing I'll get real close to the marker and use a lot of anchor rope. If I'm bass fishing I'll drop anchor out further just to where I can cast past the pile.

I prefer to relax & focus on fishing instead of staring at a computer screen and fighting a trolling motor. Proper positioning with an anchor and marker is easy and allows you to fish.

Some people use spot lock over brush piles. I'm sure that is very handy. I don't have spot lock. But IMO you are risking spooking a big fish. I wouldn't worry about it crappie fishing. But when bass fishing I approach brush piles very quietly almost as if I'm hunting. I had a home on Cypress Springs for a few years and night fished a lot and fished brush piles a lot. A noisy boat rarely produced a big fish. But when I fished piles by myself, especially at night, being very quiet, I often pulled multiple big fish off one pile. I avoided making any kind of noise, especially the trolling motor. That's just how I was taught by a couple of lake legends and that's how I did it. And I was very successful at it.

I have never once pulled an anchor through a brush pile. My anchor is never remotely close to the brush pile.


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Re: Anchoring when fishing brush piles [Re: jp24] #11683271 06/23/16 01:19 AM
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Jacob Offline
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I get mad enough wasting time winding up a marker buoy. I'm not gonna jack with an anchor! Keep on the move. Once you put an anchor down, mentally you've committed to that spot for maybe longer than you should.


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