Fish Hook Anchor?

[culpritish]

A guy was selling a small 2" metal anchor on Ebay, and stated that he thought it to be a decoration, but also said it might be a real anchor because he knew that there was a way to secure a boat with a fish hook. Any body ever try this, or even heard of it? I'm sure it could be done in extremis, but you'd have to have a very small boat and a very large fish hook! At least that is what I'm thinking. Any body know about this technique?

 

[Coldwood]

Sounds like a fish story If you have a very small boat, it should be easy to drag it up on shore and tie it off to a tree. Otherwise, you could buy a small 10# kedge, mushroom or Danforth anchor from almost anyplace that sells canoes. I've seen them at Gander Mountain. They're not expensive.

 

[mp510]

Sounds like a fish story If you have a very small boat, it should be easy to drag it up on shore and tie it off to a tree. Otherwise, you could buy a small 10# kedge, mushroom or Danforth anchor from almost anyplace that sells canoes. I've seen them at Gander Mountain. They're not expensive.

And as I recall, a rock and rope can make an improvised anchor easy enough in the field- I would trust that over a fish hook.

 

[FoxholeAtheist]

If you're improvising an anchor, keep in mind that the way anchors work is by hooking into the bottom, not just by being heavy. A 35 pound anchor will hold a 14,000 pound boat in pretty heavy winds, and it does so by digging in to the bottom. In contrast, you could drag an engine block for miles with the same boat.

I'd vote for tying it to a tree.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Where I come from (Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean) an anchor is used out on the water , not at shore.
You tie to a pier, a tree, or stake it out (rope to a stake driven in the ground).

The question was, can you secure a boat with a FishHook?
Answer: YES!!!! and it's not uncommon.
Here is how you do it. Plot a course to a charted wreck where the fishing is good. Keep casting out, and sooner or later you will hook into the wreck, and be stuck forever depending on the test weight of your line. This also works for underwater cables, submerged pilings, and any other "unknowns" in the murky depths.

I have pulled entire boats through the water, while reeling, after being snagged.

I have cut away enough fishing rigs over my life to be able to say , yes, you can secure a boat with a fish hook. It's a one time deal, cut your line and move on.
A decent rope and a 12" tent stake should do the job.

 

[frediver]

I would need to see the listing but this might be a divers "Reef Hook".
They are used to anchor a diver in place in strong current.

 

[2dogs]

A common anchor in kelp beds is lightweight polypro rope and a snap hook on the end. You wrap the rope around the kelp and snap the hook over the rope. Another is to dive to the bottom and hook the rope around a rock or use a small anchor and cover it with rocks. I suppose a large fish hook would work that way.