re: Anchoring on hard inshore bottoms

Seriously? On old oyster bed bottoms in a current? Why you think that is? Where are you fishing?

Spot lock will change your fishing for the better. I fish inshore reefs also and I haven’t put out an anchor in years.

My power pole holds my 24 bay boat every time even in hard reef bottoms ouside of vermilion bay. I love it and I am convinced I catch more fish with it instead of the noisy trolling motor.

I also do love my Rhodan spot lock trolling motor. I only use it to hold position and fish when the power pole isnt long enough (deeper than 7' more or less).

I havent used an anchor in several years. They are dirty, noisy, slow to deploy, inaccurate positioning, and a pain in the butt. The only positive thing about an anchor is they are cheap.

No. I literally lay it out and so the standard chain length and rope to depth length and hold the rope as the boat moves and I can feel the anchor bounce on the bottom. And when it moves like 20 yards w/o grabbing I will add rope or shorten rope until it drags another yards and I say screw it because I’m intruding on others. Just priced a lower pile 10’. $3200. Wish my paw paw was still alive, he didn’t need one.

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Just priced a lower pile 10’. $3200

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You could buy used. Same goes for a remote trolling motor.

Creosole, I am an old man too and they are all correct. Get a new or used spot GPS trolling motor with spot lock and you will rarely ever touch that damn anchor. It was made for us. Not only that but say u want to fish a bank, or something, you can just mark or something on that little remote and stay 50 feet off the shore etc. (Sorry my fishing partner, also an old man runs the thing so I don't know exactly how he does it but he messes with that little remote and it works. ) I do know how to use spot lock, u push the lock button. (lol)

Its a game changer bro. They aren't cheap but that was my only mistake on my last boat. I got radar and should have gotten a rhodan

rebar grapple anchor....may be frowned upon by others in the area but it will hold unless you are talking about a solid hard plane like a concrete slab or paved road. They will hold like a concrete anchor bolt on an oyster bar. Easy to make. May be illegal to use in some areas, especially around coral.

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I made grapple anchor with some 1" galvanized pipe and some steel rods smaller than rebar for the hooks. It's strong enough to hold on oyster, but if I have a problem retrieving it, I hook it to a cleat and throttle up and it straightens the hooks out and I can pull it up.

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Thats the idea. It works like a charm. They also do not do as much damage as many think....It doesn't take much of a "hook" to hold...the smaller the rebar or rods used the less damage they will do. Most people think when they cleat the rode off and throttle up it is akin to breaking a danforth or plow type anchor free. It isn't close. Even in coral the rods will straighten out and come lose with barely a puff of sand and coral....where a danforth or plow type anchor will look like a stick of dynamite went off. The problem is that a lot of people will build a grapple anchor like they intend to lift their boat out of the water with it....and that size rod will damage reefs. Smaller rod like you're talking about will not....it doesn't take much to hold a boat in a strong current or wind....