Mushroom anchor for small boat

[ward cleaver]

I have a 14 foot aluminum boat and I use a mushroom anchor because all the lakes I fish at have mud bottoms. I have read that I need anywhere from 2 feet to 14 feet of chain between the anchor and the rope. But it seems to me that really does not apply to mushroom anchors since they sink (and work their way) into the soft lake bottom rather than dig in like most other anchors. I understand how the chain helps this digging in action. But I am wondering if the chain is actually making it harder for my mushroom anchor to set properly since it is causing it to tip over rather than sit upright which is important for setting the mushroom anchor properly. So question is, do I ditch the chain?

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

Ditch the chain, around some of our lakes here we have some that are silty (muddy) bottoms. The chain serves no purpose on that anchor and for how deep you are fishing in. The mushroom style when we set it, and it is only on a rope, we drop it to botom then give it a tug by hand to sink it in. It is amazing after fishing a few hours how hard it is to get back up and the muck it brings with it. Pops has used one of them anchors for over 30 years in his fishing boat.......never would think to add a chain to that. So enjoy.....

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

No, pretty sure you still want that thing to fall on its side, and the chain is there to help make sure it stays on its side.

Mud or not, I DO NOT like mushroom anchors, unless you're talking about a very very heavy one (300+ lbs) that is left in the bottom permanently for a mooring.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance-articles/36497-mooring-systems.html

This is in reference to a permanent mooring/anchor, but I believe it still applies. You can skip to the bit about mushroom anchors, but a little education never hurt, so I'd still suggest reading the entire thing. Never know when another part will apply to you.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

Soggy, I understand what you are pointing out with the link, but he is fishing and in a small craft. Not sitting where a big storm is going to drift him and his anchor overnight. The question was very simple and with all the details needed for an answer.

Personaly I don't have one, I dont have a fishing boat, as I anchor for overnights on the water, a mushroom is not even in my grasp. It does not change the fact that when I fish with my dad and that is what he uses and it does well in a lake that has a muck bottom. I am replying to him on personal experience for over 30 years fishing with him, the chain is a pain in the muck, if you have ever walked a mud flat and got your boots stuck you can imagine what a mushroom anchor is like to pull out after hours of sitting.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

I use a 15lb mushroom on my 16'er and don't use any chain and have never had a problem even in wind, I use a Minn Kota deckhand and chain just won't work, the key is getting out enough rope for whatever situation you are in, sometimes you can use just a little more than the depth and other times I have almost all my rope out, it just deopends on the situation.

 

[badkins50]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

Our old boat was a 19 1/2 open bow. One calm day our little harbor area I thru out the mushroom instead. This not a speed area so the wake form others are nothing at all and we definitely ended up in a different area than started. I know we were probably alot heavier with the fiberglass vs aluminum and we had me, the wife and 2 kids so maybe the total weight was too much for a mushroom type. I know with our fluke anchor we set up in some 3 to 4 rollers with occasional 5's and did not move. Good luck

 

[robert graham]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

It ALL depends on where you anchor, currents, tides, type bottom, depth, wind speed, etc. On my 1870 jon boat I use a 20#Mushroom/River anchor without a chain, and it's fine most places, creeks, lakes, rivers where we anchor, but it's near worthless in strong currents, deep water, etc. So just ask yourself where you're gonna be anchoring, and choose the correct one. You may need more than one anchor, depending on where you're going. Good Luck!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

Mushrooms are a special use anchor. When you are researching "anchors" disregard mushrooms--all the stuff about chain, scope, size does not apply. It's like reading a manual for a 150 hp outboard to figure out how to use an electric trolling motor. No 7:1 scope; no chain the length of the boat (or chain at all).

Mushrooms are great, though. I even use one on a 21' center console at times. Plop it over, stay put, pull it up with one hand and move. They make great beach anchors and second allignment anchors.

But as you noted, for it to dig in it has to tip over, so your anchor line has to be at an angle, and longer than just the depth. How long depends on a dozen or more factors; there is no rule. Seldom, though, would you leave a boat solely on a mushroom unattended; it's not that kind of mooring.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

As others have mentioned, mushrooms in a mud bottom are an entirely different game. Drop it straight down, and then pump the rope up and down a couple times. That is creating a little washout hole that the anchor will sit in, and if you aren't in strong wind/current, it should suction itself VERY well into that bottom. The longer it stays, the more it sinks down. (I use mushroom anchors to tie up party island inflatables in my little bay, 3-6 feet of water. After a couple hours most of the anchor will be below the surface of the bottom. Leave it a day or two and the entire anchor will have worked its way into the sand/mud.)

 

[2 Eagles]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

I have used a Mushroom anchors for years and never hand a chain on it. So I say no chain. But as others have said I would get a second anchor of a different type just in case. Plus it never hurts to have a spare on hand.

 

[ward cleaver]

Re: Mushroom anchor for small boat

Thanks for all your responses. To be clear, I am fishing on small lakes with muddy bottoms in a 14 foot aluminum boat. The only problems I encounter is wind. And if its too windy to cast I don't go out. So I agree with those that say ditch the chain mainly because it doesn't help anchor the boat. So why mess with it? Also, I might add that in my experience it is the only anchor that will work well with a nearly 1:1 scope that I like to use when I want to stay exactly in one spot.