another quection for sneakbox owners

Chris S.

Chris S.

Well-known member
As this is my first year hunting from a sneakbox how do you guys anchor up? Do you use 2 anchors? And what knid of anchors? I was thinking of getting one mushroom style and one of those fold up grapple kinds. Also what weight do you use. Is a a 7lb grapple and a 8lb mushroom good. There is also 5lb grapple and 5lb mushroom. I won't be anchoring in any real rough water and I can always use the grapple in the mud as a stake. Any and all feedback on this will be helpful. These small things are what I am trying to work out in my head. Thanks for the help.
 
Normally we run the bow of the boat up on the bank, then push a paddle or pole down in the mud, next to the motor. We've been using
1-1/4" abs pipe with a cap on one end and a 90 with a plug. Abs pipe will float if dropped and it doubles as a pole to retrieve decoys. If we hunt somewhere with a harder current I use a 5lb collapsible grapple anchor.
 
+1 for the danforth...they bite and bite good with a good length (3'-4') of beefy chain between your rope and anchor..Depending on current and wind conditions, a 3:1 ratio ( 10' of water-30' of rope ) in my opinion, is minimum to have in the boat, up to 5;1 or more for stiffer winds and or heavier current
 
I bought two of the smallest anchors made by Rocna. You don’t even need chain and they set within three feet in any bottom. I won't use any other anchors. I got a bigger one for the tender and it performs as good as the small ones.

Todd
 
Out of a sneakbox it is normally done how kevin had said. Run it up on the bank throw an anchor on land and stake the back if needed. I have both types of anchors a fluke and a grapple both will work, the nice thing about a grapple is they fold. Up in the shrewsbury and navisink rivers they have highlands boxes, they are gunned in reverse with the stren being placed on the bank. Chris
 
I gun my sneak strictly as an open water layout on Lake Erie, so if this helps it does.... I use a #7 navy anchor off the stern with a painter and a float, so I can just drop off the cleat quickly, pickup my downed birds, then re-cleat and go back to sleep. Good luck.
 
You should always keep a small danforth tucked up in the bow with a good length of rope for safety's sake on that one real rough day when the motor doesnt start and the tide is going out......but while gunning the marsh I just pull the bow up on a low bank or drive into a nice cut and push down a pole on each side of the motor and lay back and shoot over the transom..I cut closet poles from home depot and paint with parker paint...they also double as a push pole in the early am when you want to sneak into your spot quietly..
 
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How long of closet rail like 5 or 6 foot I have a 10' push pole made with closet rail and one of those duck bills on the end
 
Sorry Chris for posting info that doesn't pertain to sneak box set ups..Goes to show how much of it I have done..I was thinking anchoring and hunting in general..sorry again..Ernie
 
Ernie its no biggie i am sure if someone uses the search option on the site that the info you gave will help someone
 
You could just use your oars for stake poles, it's one less thing you have to carry with you. If its any deeper than that you can use your anchor. Just round the handle end a bit to make it easier to slide in the mud. Chris
 
I use a variety of things. Usually I pull up against the bank and use those brush gripper thingies (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Blakemore-Brush-Gripper/700181.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dduck%2Bhunting%2Baccessories%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=duck+hunting+accessories&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products)

I also have a sort and long pole in the boat for either the bow or stern end, if there's nothing handy to use the brush gripper with.

I have two bell achors (10 lb and 7 lb) as well as a #4 danforth for the bow which I use when I am in more open water.

Anthony
 
Last season I tried staking the rear of the boat using an old ski pole (with the basket removed from its end) threaded through one of the handles on the back of the boat. In deep water, however, it had a tendancy to work free.
 
I have this boat for the skinny water and I like to get in the weeds where the bottom of the boat is sitting on the weeds or mud or both. In just a couple of inches of water, the boat doesn't wander off and its much more stable when shooting or when the dog is working. Keeping her sitting still on windy or choppy days can be ugly, but then again, it wasnt made for that type of weather.


dc
 
The less crap you carry in the box the better since space is limited. Pull the bow onto the sedge and you are set 90 % of the time. I carry a small mushroom when to throw out in addition to bow on sedge when needed. The mushroom also works nice if the situation calls for sitting broadside to the sedge. I also carry as small danforth with rubber coated chanin length for open water. I use a large brass clip to switch the ropes between anchors, or at the dock
 
Chris, I have 2 mushroom anchors, about 3lbs each. You can anchor in open water or along a bank that you cant pull onto at low tide. I have 3/8" camo line with pool floats on them, the ones off of the pool safety lines between the deep end and the shallow end. Paint them camo and when you go to retrieve a duck you just unhook and when you get back to the shooting position your lines are floating and you just grap them and connect to your cleats. Work great for windy weather.
 
Our ducks are so used to seeing bright white & orange crab trap floats, I just use one of those on my anchor lines & dont bother with the camo paint.

Its great to be able to just chunk the line over-board and back out of the blind to go pick up birds.
 
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