# Anchor Line-Strong enough?



## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

Would 17 lb sufix siege be strong enough to use as anchor line?


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## cutbait91 (Nov 9, 2009)

to light IMO, but im sure others will chime in. i use 25 and wouldnt go any lighter. because when you have your rod up in the holder with all that tension on it, and the hot summer sun beating on the line all day it will weakin it, and next time you go to throw it will break.


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

i use 17lb suffix Tri...Love it...been treating me good for 2 yrs, this will be my 3rd season using it


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I'm with Cutbait on this one.. No advantage in using 17 over something that will promise to hangon well when that anchor is really being a pain in the arse to drag out.. The 25's gonna have bigger diameter,hold up to more abrassion,and last a heck of a lot longer... jmho..


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

I have used 15lb before. It all depends on how hard you want to throw it. Most of the time I use 20 and dont have any problems. It all depends on what type of reel you have and you want to try to get at least 200 yards of what ever you are using on the reel.


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## TimKan7719 (Apr 4, 2008)

I will concure with the 25lb. I like a heavy line on my anchor rod cause when its been sitting thier sence the early AM and its time to go home it can be a PITA to pull that Anchor out, and if you have to keep buying more anchors it can get costly.


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

Ditto all the 25 answers.Draggin' it back in outta sand is one thing but outta rocks,old piling stumps and shell beds is another.Not to mention the days when schools of kings/spanish/alberts,come through and you have 5-6 pin rigs up against the anchor to drag back.When I started(ain't gonna say how long ago) I lost lots of lead using 17# and even 20#.


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## fish123 (Aug 26, 2008)

I've used 15, as long as you've got a shock you'll be fine. Or at least I was.


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## BentHook (Dec 22, 2002)

I use a 5 or 5 1/2 oz anchor weight on the sandy beaches in Fla.When I used 17lb mono it would break every third or fourth time I reeled in.I changed to 20lb line and the problem went away. 20 or 25 seems just right and you,re only going to give up a few feet in distance casting off a pier.
I also use a lead lift to get my weight off the bottom faster because after about the 3rd week of king fishin there's a lot of line on the bottom waiting for your anchor to drag thru.


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

20# hi vis cheap as i can find that i trust,bps usually has thier brand in 2500yd spools relatively cheap and that spool will normally get me thru a season


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

kingman23 said:


> Would 17 lb sufix siege be strong enough to use as anchor line?


Depends on how big your boat is


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## cducer (May 7, 2010)

Tracker16 said:


> Depends on how big your boat is


lol.... thats what I thought this thread was going to be about !!


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## FishNC13 (Nov 21, 2010)

I used 20lb last year with not many problems. Im gonna up it to 25 this year.


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

Normally I would use 20 but I just got a abu 6500 so how much 20 could I fit on it?


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

i use 20 lb mono. i have heard of people using up to 40 pd mono(way to heavy imho), and short anchor rods(6 1/2 feet?!). do not use anything less than 15 pound test, or more than 30 pound test. also, is the suffix stuff your talking about braid?


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

kingman23 said:


> Normally I would use 20 but I just got a abu 6500 so how much 20 could I fit on it?


 about 150 yds give or take...


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

No the sufix I'm talking about is mono


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

kingman23 said:


> Normally I would use 20 but I just got a abu 6500 so how much 20 could I fit on it?


Plenty for a anchor rod.

As many times as I've seen 20 and 25 lb break at the end of the day, no way I'd go to 17. I'm no old salt, just what I've seen.


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## jamesvafisher (Jul 4, 2010)

you could probaly use anything from 15lb to 50 lb and itll get the job done. I used 15 all last summer and it worked for me..... but all these guys are recommending all these different kinds of line so im sure all types of line will get the job done


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

25 big game for me..cheap..buy it anywhere...never break em off...


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

You have to think if you only put 100-150yrds on it then something happens in the morning like a boat cut you off or you have to cut you line for some reason. Your fishing is done so just try to get at least 200+ on the reel.

:fishing:


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

fish123 said:


> I've used 15, as long as you've got a shock you'll be fine. Or at least I was.


 Where do you fish???? In Hatteras off Rodanthe,a lot of times your anchor winds up stuck in a mud bottom.. NO WAY you're gonna pull it out with 15 after a long day's fish'n,if it did happen once,would not count on it happening again.. Many times rays,turtles,and other critters come by for an "anchor run",with 15 you're defensless,one fray and your outta the game.. Another issue would be what Flathead said,many times you wind up putting out more than one clip because you don't want to have to reel in and recast for a bluefish or something popping your clip.. 

Been using same brand as Chris suggested,biggame 25,with no issues...


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

I did some looking and I found some momoi nylon mono in 20# and it has the same diameter as the sufix 17# that I have now. Any info on this line?


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

I think your kind of missing the point. If your dead set on using a 6500 as your anchor you might as well put some 20 on it or plan on respooling often. Go with the cheap durable stuff like ande and BG. 

Just a thought to keep in mind. Not knocking you by any means bc I drumfish with a 6500, but a 6500 aint really made for the strain of an anchor. Depending the frame and guts of your 6500, your liable to bend the spool shaft, or bend your frame. Just mho


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

Ok thank you all for your input and info


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## cutbait91 (Nov 9, 2009)

you can use 25 on a 6500 and still put plenty of it on the spool! lots of guys on the pier use chrome rockets and blue yonders with 30 lb and they can throw a country mile and still have line to spare. if your that worried about how much line to put on invest in a 7000 they make great anchor reels.


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## LyNn-PiEr-FiShEr (Feb 28, 2005)

ande 20 lbs never broke before


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

"use chrome rockets and blue yonders with 30 lb and they can throw a country mile and still have line to spare"

Can not help but chime in now but a country mile with 30 pound test on a 6500 should be lacking a bit in the distance department due to line diameter of thirty pound, have not measured thirty pound on a 6500, but it must be all of 100 yards capacity.

It has been a while since I put out an anchor, I will admit to spending an inordinate amount of time King Fishing the OBX, and in the absence of the "Loner" I will provide my take.....

When I fished back in the day or early in my career at the time we used mostly Abu 9000C's for anchor rods and twenty five pound test Stren line, same as what we used for Drum, sometimes I would use a 7000C with Twenty pound Trilene. I tried to get my anchor out as far as possible in order to help it keep stuck and also to allow one to move the bait away from the pier as far as possible and out front of the rest of the baits in the instance the Kings were coming in from offshore. At the time we used a twenty foot long Spider hitch of doubled line for a shock, I did not see a double uni until many years later.....At the time I used Fenwick Surfsticks for my anchor rods and fighting rods......we only laid the rods on the rail (old fella style)

The other item that comes into play is the "Mother Lode" principal in which at the end of the day you are on the way in with your anchor and snag up into a large mess of broken lines, pins and, rip rap where people who broke off either on a cast or when snagged up into the mother load of free tackle. If you outcast every one else you get all the mother load action.....just reel slowly on the way in and you will bow up....

I all ways liked the sense of accomplishment when after a long day out in the sun, I brought in a haul of 6-7 anchor sinkers of varying styles and free pins...and swivels...I king fished for a living several summers and I was one broke fella most of the time...................free tackle was tackle I did not have to buy.....if I recognized someones broke off rig and they were friendly I would give it back to them for Karma's sake........if not the tackle went into my drywall bucket (Tackle box). use light line you stand a better chance of just being part of the mother load instead of the fella that got it in......

17 pound will certainly work, but it would be best to have a bit more of line diameter to deal with ray runs, snags, getting back mother load piles of free stuff. I only wanted to cast my anchor out once and have it stuck in the "impact zone" all day........hopefully reeling it in at dusk and have 5-6 sprung pins on it and swirls of sun dried silver on the planks under my corner.....

We (Old People who still fish) consider 6500's to be excellent Puppy Drum reels and I have several on my Puppy Drum rods.....opcorn:


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## cutbait91 (Nov 9, 2009)

garboman its true i should have noted its not any 30 lb line my buddy found a mono called flying fisher and the 30 has a 25 dia or somthing like that and it is mono.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

cutbait91 said:


> garboman its true i should have noted its not any 30 lb line my buddy found a mono called flying fisher and the 30 has a 25 dia or somthing like that and it is mono.


 JMHO,ok??  
Garbo is right,even 20lb test on a 6500 ain't cuttin the mustard.. A 6500 holds 150 or so MAYBE of 25,imho that would be stretching it.. When you take into consideration what Garbo and I have said about ray runs,as well as stray turtles,maybe even a dolphin getting hung up in it,why not use a reel with some line on it for your anchor? Plenty of cheap but good reels out there for that,a sl 30 would fit the bill.. A 6500 is made for fun fishin(casting hopkins to alberts or bluefish,plugging for stripers,ect )and casting the h*ll out of with light mono why not use it for that instead??


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

Well I might use my slosh now that Ive heard its probably not worth using light line and risking the break offs and rays, etc. I might cancel my order anyway because im not even sure if its been shipped yet they keep telling us they are going to give us a tracking number but none yet  But thanks for the info guys, really appreciated


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## cutbait91 (Nov 9, 2009)

i havent ever really takin ray and turtle runs to mind much. everytime it happens i always just cut the line and respool.


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

yeah ive never thought about it because ive never had it happen but garboman, I know what you mean about the "mother loads" i brought up 6 anchors, 3 weights, and about 10 popoffs one time but ive also broken my line before getting caught in a mess like that so Ill go with at least 20#


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

my popoffs are made to put the weight on the fighting rig, now my anchor...far as rays/runs/or other fish, I've used 25lb all the way to 15lb on anchors over the past 15 yrs and nothing is sit in stone. But I use 17lb suffix Tri, and use about 20yrds of 40lb flouro on the end of it & I love it...I fished several piers out of the year and no issues at either or...But if you one of those guys that just pick the rod up and walk backwards and dont take your time pulling the anchor then anything cant break from your knots to the line

If you have a bulk spool of 25 or 30 then thats cool on a bigger reel...But I buy one 3000yrd spool of suffix and its used on 3 anchor reels I have and I have over a half spool left from last year...no line for anchor is bullet proof...it basically boils down to how much you want to spend and how rough you are with it

I use 2 yonders & 1 orange rocket...Back ups are slo 30 & 7000I


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

ReelKingin said:


> my popoffs are made to put the weight on the fighting rig,


So does that mean that once the fish hits, instead of sliding down the anchor line it stays on the fighting rig?


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

yes...I like the extra drag on the fish from that and not so much on the reel...Some people dont like the idea of the weight pulling down on the fish/hooks...But 99.9% of the fish I catch the line is straight from my rod to the fish & if you allow the slack, shame on you. And for 3 years now, I've never had any issues with this setup. Now the way I do mine is alittle different from other that do this technique...But its my own little tweak to the setup & maybe thats why mine works fine...So at the end up the day only thing I bring up is my achor itelf unless I snag other goodies  along with my clip rings that dont weigh one ounce when there is 4 of them & afer 4 popoffs in one, its usually enough


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

I do mine that way too. I bring my pop-off and weight back with the fish so I don't have to bring my anchor back up during the day. Its quicker to get a bait back out in the water after you catch a fish.


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## kingman23 (Feb 9, 2010)

Can you explain how you make one of those popoffs and how you attach it differently from the regular ones?


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

that was the way i was taught on jennettes way back when,so at the end of the day all you brought back up was anchor and any swivels that had popped.personally i prefer the fight w/o the pin on the line still,jmo


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

ReelKingin said:


> yes...I like the extra drag on the fish from that and not so much on the reel...Some people dont like the idea of the weight pulling down on the fish/hooks...But 99.9% of the fish I catch the line is straight from my rod to the fish & if you allow the slack, shame on you. And for 3 years now, I've never had any issues with this setup. Now the way I do mine is alittle different from other that do this technique...But its my own little tweak to the setup & maybe thats why mine works fine...So at the end up the day only thing I bring up is my achor itelf unless I snag other goodies  along with my clip rings that dont weigh one ounce when there is 4 of them & afer 4 popoffs in one, its usually enough


 Weight on your fighting rod,interesting.. So your weight is above the swivel and wire? Your weight is next to your bait?? I have seen this,but once and a while a tarpon will hit your bait,at least here on obx,and don't like the extra weight thrown through the air while he releases the hook from his mouth.. Not in it for the meat as much as for the fun,and extra weight on your fighting rod don't help,at least in the case of a tarpon.. Yes,it may be splitting hairs by saying a tarpon may throw that weight,but it could happen,and the most coveted fish to catch on a pier is a tarpon,and that could happen.. Me,yeap,I'll just stand by my ole sl30 for an anchor with 25 on it,no worries with "sinker runs" from turtles or rays,not as much of a worry with frays and such,don't have to babbyset getting my anchor out at the end of the day.. Not bullet proof,but much better than having to deal with 17 and loosing an anchor.. jmho.....


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

Drumdum,

The weight is at the top of the leaders where the mono meets the the swivel, I make a inline weight from the leader side of the swivel to the leader is where the weight goes, so it will be inline with the fight. Some guys just tab off the swivel & let it dangle, I like for the weight to be inline like a torpedo


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## jobxe327 (Aug 7, 2007)

I have seen this on a lot of the far south nc piers weight stays on fighting rod. Terrible idea I would buy a new release every time before I would do that jmo. Have seen cobia hit a blue and go strait down and sit there for a minute before u know your hooked up he feels anything he's gone. Tarpon too. Another great mistake this rig causes is the Dang weight gettin tangled in another anchor line on greener fish. I don't want anything but hooks and and fish coming back in. Thats complicated enough some times. Juat my opinion but bad idea


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## fish123 (Aug 26, 2008)

jobxe327 said:


> I have seen this on a lot of the far south nc piers weight stays on fighting rod. Terrible idea I would buy a new release every time before I would do that jmo. Have seen cobia hit a blue and go strait down and sit there for a minute before u know your hooked up he feels anything he's gone. Tarpon too. Another great mistake this rig causes is the Dang weight gettin tangled in another anchor line on greener fish. I don't want anything but hooks and and fish coming back in. Thats complicated enough some times. Juat my opinion but bad idea


Exactly.


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

The only thing different in my setup is I have a egg weight at my fighting leader swivel that is inline. So nothing gets tangled no more than a rig getting caught in another rig during battle

I agree with JobXe above that the dangle version can give problems. I've seen it happen one time in the last 2 fishing seasons, and even that time it was mainly due to the guy being new to the game. So just like any other rgi getting tangled, the other kinger cut his anchor & the fish was landed.

Theres many different ways of fishing and every year seems someone does/tries something new, thats why its called fishing. Try a new thing, do it, you get your own feel. If it doesnt work for ya, try something new. Make it your own!!


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

ReelKingin said:


> The only thing different in my setup is I have a egg weight at my fighting leader swivel that is inline. So nothing gets tangled no more than a rig getting caught in another rig during battle
> 
> I agree with JobXe above that the dangle version can give problems. I've seen it happen one time in the last 2 fishing seasons, and even that time it was mainly due to the guy being new to the game. So just like any other rgi getting tangled, the other kinger cut his anchor & the fish was landed.
> 
> Theres many different ways of fishing and every year seems someone does/tries something new, thats why its called fishing. Try a new thing, do it, you get your own feel. If it doesnt work for ya, try something new. Make it your own!!


 no doubt,kinda oleschool at times,but what you are saying about trying new things I've had them work both ways good and bad.. It's good phylosophy trying new things,especially when they work out for ya...


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

the only real drawback to the egg sinker idea is when conditions change thru the day you can't adjust the wieght as needed,personally i carry every sized pin upto 5.5 oz,if i need more than that i go home


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

There is good and bad things to everything. I think if you find something that works for you go for it. I get my weight back with the fish and have caught many different fish the last 5 years and havent lost a fish because of my pop-off still hooked to my fighting rod.


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

i agree guys...

sunburnt: good point man, I have 3different fighting rigs and all three have different weights, and tie my hooks on as I go for each leader, depending on the bait for the day & wind..But great observation

Man, post like this makes me want to wet a hook FAST


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## FishNC13 (Nov 21, 2010)

sunburntspike said:


> the only real drawback to the egg sinker idea is when conditions change thru the day you can't adjust the wieght as needed,personally i carry every sized pin upto 5.5 oz,if i need more than that i go home


I always just use a quick connect and add weight then just slide it down my anchor line. it lays on top of the pin and keeps it down. All my pins are one or two ounces and I add weight when needed.


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## Reelturner (Dec 24, 2003)

*When...*

my pin pops my weight slides down the anchor line...way I've always fished.

I use a minimum of 4 ozs on just about all of my anchor releases. I may ...when there is a SW breeze go as light as a 3 but not often. So far have not had any problems getting back at end of day three 4 ozs releases on my anchor line. I use 20# Sufix Tritanium and change often.

SW breeze....I fished the northern banks piers.

Use what works for ya and keep down the snags.

RT


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## chriscustom (Jun 17, 2006)

LyNn-PiEr-FiShEr said:


> ande 20 lbs never broke before


You never fished Sandbridge before have you? 20 is ok but when the snag monster is roaming the waters that wont be enough. I use 30# Big Game and 99% of the time pull some of the Snag Monster in and gain some more lead.


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

if I use line on my anchor reel the same size as my fighting reel? Time to find a new fishing hole


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## jamesvafisher (Jul 4, 2010)

Hey ReelKingin are you by chance the owner of reelkingin.com or subculture on youtube??


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

"if I use line on my anchor reel the same size as my fighting reel? Time to find a new fishing hole"

You must fish at the Pro's Pier........

When I king fished on the OBX during a 20 year period encompassing what I consider to be "Back in the Day" you could count on the weekend crowd to break off on the cast at least three out of every ten attempts by a well meaning tyro equipped with a heaver and no real time on a practice field....

After a summer of nail sinkers added into the mix. just about every pier gets a snag monster and only a hurricane can dislodge or bury it out of existance....

I always used the same line on my fighting reel as the anchor rod, I could only afford one spool at a time back then......certainly would not consider it to be a detriment. Twenty pound Trilene or Twenty five pound Stren 

14-17 pound test was for a 6500 on a popping rod, no one used a heaver with a 6500 at that time...you would have been termed some kind of wimp...by the older fellas....

With as few fish as you fellas get to even look at these days I would not want to chance a break off with either anchor or fighting line


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## FishNC13 (Nov 21, 2010)

jamesvafisher said:


> Hey ReelKingin are you by chance the owner of reelkingin.com or subculture on youtube??


I was wondering the same thing. Also about the ebay user. Thats a heck of a gaff that "reelkingin" is selling on ebay.


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## jamesvafisher (Jul 4, 2010)

FishNC13 said:


> I was wondering the same thing. Also about the ebay user. Thats a heck of a gaff that "reelkingin" is selling on ebay.


Yep. And if its the same guy with the youtube account he has got a sweet fighting rod setup...penn international with a key largo!!


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Garboman said:


> "if I use line on my anchor reel the same size as my fighting reel? Time to find a new fishing hole"
> 
> You must fish at the Pro's Pier........
> 
> ...


 The last part of that post SHOULD ring true to all these youngens that maybe have 20 kings or less under their belts... Now if it was back in the day when we really caught some kings, would take that same popping rod with a 6500,throw a livebait rig on the end,hook up a nice bluefish,put it on the pin and dropper in...


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

jamesvafisher said:


> Yep. And if its the same guy with the youtube account he has got a sweet fighting rod setup...penn international with a key largo!!


Thanks for the kind words guys...Yes that is me, and for those of you that wrote me regarding nc sportsman...yes...


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## ReelKingin (Aug 3, 2009)

Pro Pier staff here then my friend...

I wrote a long response to this post, but im just leaving well enough along

I got my squiddders & 3/0's (even a old 4/0) & heavers, but im glad for modern technology


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