PONTOON BOAT ANGLING: Stable Anchoring Is The Key To Success

WORDS: Werner Lubbe IMAGES: Werner Lubbe, Ruaan Lubbe

When fishing for carp off a pontoon boat or other large floating platform, it is important to anchor very firmly to provide a stable platform from which to present the baits properly. Some movement of the vessel can be allowed for by the way the rods are rigged and using hangers etc, but large swings will make it impossible to keep the bait still on the bottom, especially when fishing over extended periods.

A few important principles apply for effective anchoring:

Four anchors are essential – Anchoring the vessel off all four corners will keep it stable, and prevent the bow from swinging in a current or wind. A small swing of the bow makes a large impact on the rod tip, especially those that are cast out to the sides. (Sketch 1).
Small Angles – The angle between the rope on the vessel and the bottom should be as small as possible, but definitely smaller than 15 degrees. Here the depth of the water is the deciding factor. To get smaller angles, you need longer anchor ropes. (Sketch 2).
Chain them up – Each anchor needs to be fitted with at least two metres of chain, and not bathtub chain as you need weight, using at least 5-6 mm thick shackles. This reduces the angle further and absorbs wave movement of the vessel, preventing any upward pull on them.
Weight and Surface Area – Two successful anchor designs, namely the round plate anchor or the mud anchor (fitted with flaps) can be used, but make sure you have enough weight to penetrate into the lake bed and enough surface area to create a suction effect. Both designs work well. However, the round plate anchor is easier to store and stack and safer to handle, but is heavier at around 25-30 kg each.
Snap it – When anchoring everything must be quick and easy to use, with versatility built into the process. To maximize this, invest in good quality shackles of a good size – 5-7 mm work well.
Thicken up – Thinner nylon ropes are lighter, take up less space and are strong enough to keep the vessel anchored; BUT with a 7mm nylon rope it is extremely difficult to pull up a 30kg anchor from 10 metres! Use a thicker main rope and connect the last 10 metres to the anchors.
Prepare – Make sure you are well prepared, and you know exactly how long the ropes are and that you have extras on board that can be snapped on in a jiffy.

Preparation

Multiple days on the water will cost you a lot of time, effort and money, so do not waste it by being ill prepared.

Get the following items as a start:

4 x Large Plate or Mud Anchors
4 x 2 m chains
4 x 20 m 7mm anchor ropes with 10m of thicker rope attached , total length 30 m.
3 x Electrical cable rolls – those that revolve around the static handgrip are the best.
2 x 50 m 7mm nylon ropes with small knotless loops at the ends.
20 x shackles – 3 x per anchor rope = 12, tied as follows- shackle – rope – shackle – chain – shackle – anchor. 2 x spare rope = 4 (1 for the buoy (smaller size), 3 for spare buoys (smaller size).
1 x 5 litre watercan with short rope tied to the handle.
3 x 2 litre bottles with short rope tied to the handle.

Attach the shackles to the places as described.
Roll 1 – Start rolling one anchor’s rope from the thick side onto the roll, with the shackle at the bottom. At the end of the rope, attach the next anchor rope (shackle to shackle) on the thin side to end with the thick side shackle on the end of the roll. Mark this anchor – “Back” on the roll.
Rolls 2 & 3 – Use the 50 metre rope as backing, starting with the shackle, then add the thin side of the anchor rope (shackle to shackle) and roll up to the end with the thick side shackle. Mark these “Front 1” & “Front 2” respectively.
Clip a shackle onto the 5 l oil can (anchor buoy), as well as the extra 2 l buoys. This will be used to keep the joining shackles of the two back anchors afloat during the anchoring process.
Clip a chain to each anchor by means of a shackle.
Load everything onto the boat in the position that it will be used – eg two back anchors at the stern with the “Back” roll and buoy, and the front anchors and rolls at their place in front. Put the spare shackles in a place where they are easily accessible when needed.