Being able to quickly anchor your boat in any situation is one of the most important things for a boater (especially if you’re trying to catch fish and want to make sure you stay on your fishing honey hole).
It’s also a massive safety hazard if you have a small, weak anchor that won’t hold you during a storm, ripping current, etc.
But have you ever been confused (or uncertain) about which anchor is best for your boat?
Well, you’re not alone…
Turns out the majority of boaters we interviewed said they just bought an anchor “because their buddy had a similar anchor on his/her boat” or “because it was on sale and fit in the front hatch of their boat”…
NOT GOOD!!!
That’s why we had Salt Strong Fishing Coach Capt. Peter Deeks embark on a multi-month underwater investigation to find out exactly which anchors are best, and just as important, which anchors to avoid.
Let me tell you, the results were a bit shocking!
Let’s just say that the most popular anchors you see on boats are NOT the best!
Here are the main types of boat anchors that we tested:
Danforth Fortress Fluke Anchor
Common Danforth Fluke Anchor
Small Fluke Anchor (West Marine)
Danforth Steel Fluke (West Marine)
Bruce Anchor
Mushroom Anchor
Grapple Reef Anchor
Folding Grapnel Anchor
Plow Anchor
Next, we tested each of these anchors out in every one of these situations (with and without chain – and with different rope length scopes):
The best anchors (ranked from best anchor to worst anchor):
Bruce Anchor (47 Points)
Best in Mud
Best in Sand
Best in Hard Sand
Best for using shortest Rode
Quietest Anchor
2nd in ease of use and storage
Tied for Best Structure or Wreck
Plow Anchor (44 Points)
Large West Marine Brand Fluke Anchor (37 Points)
Small West Marine Brand Fluke Anchor (37 Points)
Danforth Fortress Fluke (28 Points)
Folding Grappling Anchor (26 Points)
The Most Common Cheap Fluke Anchor (25 Points)
Welded Grapnel Wreck Anchor (36 Points)
Specialty Anchor – Best for Structure and Ledges
Mushroom Anchor (24 Points)
Specialty Anchor – Best for slowing a drift or light force use
Click here to download the Google sheet with all of the individual anchor scores
4. Conclusion – The Best Boat Anchors (RANKED)
In conclusion, the BRUCE ANCHOR was the best overall anchor for fishing boats.
The Bruce, The Bruce, The Bruce is on Fire!
What’s crazy is that no one on our immediate Salt Strong team had one in their boat (we all had Danforth flukes and even a new Danforth Fortress – which was one of the WORST anchors).
But you can believe we’re all headed out to get a big Bruce anchor after seeing all of this.
The next time you’re at a sandbar, check out what anchors are being used.
I bet you’ll see more cheap fluke anchors and Danforth fortress anchors than anything else (which this study proved to be not very effective at holding boats).
Did you have any “aha’ moments from this anchor course?
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