How much anchor line?

[capemike88]

My Dad just bought a 24' Angler and we are wondering how much anchor line we need? I know that as far as scope goes you want from 3:1 to as much as 7:1 as a line:depth ratio. The vast majority of our fising will be drifting, but we do plan on doing some bottom fishing during the off seasons. We have an anchor from our last boat with 300'. Any ideas, comments?

Mike

[catspaw]

How deep are you planning to fish? Usually 3:1 is all you'll need add any extra lenght or two of chain if needed.

[itsmoderating]

Depending on the depth you intent to anchor typical scope is 7to1 .
I beleive Coast Guard recoomends 600' 1/2
ITS

[Capt.ChrisLembo]

It depends on your anchor. I have a Contender 27 and use a 10Kg (22 lb) claw anchor with 15 feet of chain. If the current is slow I generally only let out 2:1 if it is faster then 3:1. I keep extra long line so I can let out more line to change my location over wrecks & structure.

I keep a 1/2" x 100 foot line for anchoring on the reef and in the gulf where it is usually around 45 feet deep.

1 Keep a 1/2" x 200 for the reef where it is usually 70-110 feet deep

I keep a 1/2" x 600 for deeper anchoring.

the 3:1 or 7:1 scope applies if you are anchoring all night in a harbor and need to be sure you stay put.

Sometimes I use my 100 footer in 75 feet of water and it holds.

Trial and error.