Anchor Rigging / River Rigging

I found a good deal on a 18 foot Tracker Deep V so I picked it up as I want to concentrate more on river fishing and specifically cat and sturgeon fishing. Plan on getting it all rigged up and ready for next season.

This boat does not currently have an anchor rigged up.

I ordered a 20# Cat River anchor.

Now I need to figure out how I want to rig it.

The boat does have 2 Horn cleats on each side of the bow. But I’m thinking I should install some sort of rope or anchor cleat on the very front of the boat?

Maybe something like this:

or a zig zag style cleat?

What would you suggest for river fishing?

I also wonder about rope management. How do you keep your anchor ropes from getting tangled?

And as long as I am asking about cleats – what is your preferred mooring knot for the horn cleats?

I have a cat river anchor and I love it, but I just upgraded to a Motorguide Xi5 trolling motor with anchor lock, and I haven’t had the anchor out since. I’m sure there will come a time when I will need it, but it’s great not dealing with it!

I would use some form of a quick release cleat or keep a knife close to the anchor rope, just in case a tree floating down the river gets caught up in your rope.

I personally add chain to my ropes to help the anchors dig in and for drifting. For drifting I will remove the anchor and let the chain drag to slow me down.

Zig zag cleat on the bow of my boat is quick and easy to use. Never slips.

Thanks.

I decided to go with a quick cleat on the bow.

Sounds like I should go with at least 100′ of anchor rope?

What do you guys do with rope management to keep it from tangling?

Get a good quality rope. That makes untangling easier. Ive seen some guys put them on reels for extension cords. 100 feet of rope is right.

Check out leelock.com. A solid $100 investment if you fish alone, or with people you don’t want touching the anchor line. It also allows you to drop or pull up without walking to the bow of the boat. I second buying a high quality line for less tangling but would say if you are going to sturgeon fish 100′ is certainly too short and are better off with 150′ to get the proper scope yout need to hAve the anchor set good in wind. 150′ of 3/8th fits perfectly on an electrical cord reel.

any suggestions on a high quality line?

Ok so I decided on 150 ft of 3/8″ braid. The end of the rope has a thimble.

So to attach the rope to the chain do I use a 2 shackles? One on the thimble and one on the chain and connect the two shackles or just 1 shackle with thimble and chain inside?

Also from what I have been reading if I bring in the anchor rope hand over hand it should feed out just fine next time around. I do have a storage space in the front of the boat so I think I’ll give that a try.

When using rope and not electric, always have knife ready as stated for trees and icebergs coming down the shoot. 👍🎣