I was wondering if anyone had a particular preference for the color/diameter/length of an anchor rope for a small 1 man pram for stillwater fishing for rainbows. I like to anchor up fore and aft to fish chronomids. Just wondering if anybody had any preferences.
Anchor Rope?
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Get a floating rope so if you row away away from it you can still retrieve your rope and anchor
Like polypropylene
J
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I like a white rope so I can see it well in the water if and when a fish wraps. Nylon works well, and Steve was right when he mentioned choosing the right diameter for your pulleys. Length is relative, but I would not do anything less than 50'. Sometimes in the wind you need to create angle in order to hold properly where you would like.
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Ira and sportsman got it right in my opinion. White soft lay nylon is much easier to manage, and it's better to have too much than not enough. Just as a point of interest, they are called lines, the only rope on a boat is the bell rope.
Thanks to all who have responded. I'm in the deciding stage of getting a couple anchor (lines) in the near future and was just wondering what others were using. I am leaning towards two 100 foot sections of soft lay nylon lines in 1/4 inch diameter , but I wasn't sure about the color. Most of the time I fish lakes like Coldwater, Cady, Roosevelt and several lakes up in BC in which the water is a clear/greenish color. I was concerned that a white color line might spook the fish more than a color that would more closely match the color of the water. Any feelings about this? Thanks
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when we moved here, I gave up blue water sailing and sold my boat, S/V Morning Mist (kinda wish I hadn't though).
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And I DO realize you don't need much for a little pram. Here's what my ground tackle consisted of: 350 feet of 1/2 inch anchor line, 30 feet of 1/4-inch chain, and a 12lb Danforth type anchor. That was my primary ground tackle, with a duplicate system for setting swing anchorages, as well as a storm system with a plow. A little pram in still waters will need a 1/4 inch line and maybe 5 lbs or less of anchor depending on the bottom-mud vs. sand vs. rocks. You will want maybe 5 feet of chain shackled to the anchor, and the line shackled to the chain. This ensures that the anchor will bite and not just drag. The general rule for sailing is 7 to 1-7 feet of line for every one foot of depth, but I seriously doubt you'll ever need anything like that, given your craft. Especially with a few feet of chain behind the anchor, maybe 3 to one. You need to give the flukes of the anchor enough angle to bite into the bottom for a secure hold. Your craft isn't going to generate enough force in any wind you'd be out in, to cause the anchor to drag, so you should be able to use very light ground tackle with no problem. Just make sure that it's long enough to hit your bottom depth and allow a decent angle for the flukes to bite. One thing i had on my anchor lines was depth indicators-little colored tags woven into the line that had foot indicators on them. That way I always knew how much scope to give it.
Don't really think color would be a problem for fish, but if they can see it, wrapping your line around it will be a target for them!
And I DO realize you don't need much for a little pram. Here's what my ground tackle consisted of: 350 feet of 1/2 inch anchor line, 30 feet of 1/4-inch chain, and a 12lb Danforth type anchor. That was my primary ground tackle, with a duplicate system for setting swing anchorages, as well as a storm system with a plow. A little pram in still waters will need a 1/4 inch line and maybe 5 lbs or less of anchor depending on the bottom-mud vs. sand vs. rocks. You will want maybe 5 feet of chain shackled to the anchor, and the line shackled to the chain. This ensures that the anchor will bite and not just drag. The general rule for sailing is 7 to 1-7 feet of line for every one foot of depth, but I seriously doubt you'll ever need anything like that, given your craft. Especially with a few feet of chain behind the anchor, maybe 3 to one. You need to give the flukes of the anchor enough angle to bite into the bottom for a secure hold. Your craft isn't going to generate enough force in any wind you'd be out in, to cause the anchor to drag, so you should be able to use very light ground tackle with no problem. Just make sure that it's long enough to hit your bottom depth and allow a decent angle for the flukes to bite. One thing i had on my anchor lines was depth indicators-little colored tags woven into the line that had foot indicators on them. That way I always knew how much scope to give it.
Don't really think color would be a problem for fish, but if they can see it, wrapping your line around it will be a target for them!
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60+ fish days say that they are not afraid of white anchor line, but I'm willing to entertain the possibility.
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You didn't mention what brand or style of anchor pulley/lock system you are using but just a word of caution, I have a couple where the smaller diameter ropes will slip so you might want to test it with a short piece of rope first.
As far as color, it might matter being vertically anchored and fishing directly under the boat rather than away from the boat but my guess is that the other noises created from you and the boat would be a bigger deterrent.
As far as color, it might matter being vertically anchored and fishing directly under the boat rather than away from the boat but my guess is that the other noises created from you and the boat would be a bigger deterrent.
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On my little 15 foot Alaskan, the anchor rode's yellow. No problems!
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A suggestion - choose different colors for front and back anchorlines. Makes untangling much easier.
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I also like braided.
my lines happen to be 50 foot and orange for visibility
they measure 1/4 inch actual diameter and fit my pulleys.
I could not say what the diameter on the packaging was.
I have tied little black cord markers into them at 10 foot intervals and put knots in those marker cords to indicate the number of tens deep, 1 knot for 10 feet, 2 for 20, etc
again, so when I row away from it and I neglected to tie the in to the boat, I can find it
actually it was my buddy that rowed us away from the anchor and left it behind.
He really needed a fishing day that day.
we went back and found it, no prob.
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my lines happen to be 50 foot and orange for visibility
they measure 1/4 inch actual diameter and fit my pulleys.
I could not say what the diameter on the packaging was.
I have tied little black cord markers into them at 10 foot intervals and put knots in those marker cords to indicate the number of tens deep, 1 knot for 10 feet, 2 for 20, etc
again, so when I row away from it and I neglected to tie the in to the boat, I can find it
actually it was my buddy that rowed us away from the anchor and left it behind.
He really needed a fishing day that day.
we went back and found it, no prob.
You nailed it on your prior post, sounded like you had the right setup for that craft. Some people don't realize that the chain is there take up the effect of the 'surge' you usually experience in open waters.....keeps the line/cable from pulling on the anchor. Problem with any chain on a pram is that you'll never be able to pull it completely out of the water. My 15 lb. mushroom bow anchor with a SS quick snap and a fairly long knot ( clove hitch & 2 overhand knots, and tape about 5"of the tag end ) clears the water and doesn't hit the bow. BTW, I despise having such a knot on any boat I have owned. I know you can use a hollow needle and splice braided line, but 1/4' soft lay is really slippery, so I put up with an ugly knot. All the years commercially fishing, we spliced everything...especially the 2 in 1 Samson purse line we used....actually a really cool and fun splice to do...unless it was used line, then it was a B....H! The alternative is to use 3 strand, but it doesn't coil like braided line and a little harder on the hands. Color? I have no data either way, but whose to say the white line doesn't 'spook' the fish towards your fly?!
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