Setting the stern anchor.
 

Most of the time when I anchor at a sandbar or other popular hangout, I use two anchors. If it's shallow and warm, I set the bow the usual way, drop back until I have a good scope, then I'll jump out and set the stern anchor a good ways back with my hands and feet.

But if the water is deep, after I set the front, I have trouble setting the back. I been just standing on the swim platform and throwing, but it's hard to get any distance and a good set. Usually I end dragging the stern anchor around as the wind picks up. Any hints?

Setting stern anchor
 

You are actually on the right course.Set your front anchor as usual. Sight in the spot where you want to end up, and back past that spot either by power or keep tossing your stern anchor back and pulling the boat to it while letting out more line in front. Once you are wall back passed your desired anchor spot, leave the stern anchor and pull in on the bow anchor while letting out stern line. when you get to your desired end spot, your rear anchor is set and you are pulling horizontally setting it deeper, while you are doing the same with the bow anchor. Pull both lines tight and cleat them and you are set with enough scope so you are not pulling upwards on the anchor. When youre ready to leave, let out on the bow anchor while you pull yourself toward the stern anchor. When you are above it, pull upwards to dislodge it and repeate the process to dislodge the bow anchor.;)

Setting Stern Anchor
 

Do you have a length of chain on your stern anchor.
If not, add a piece of 4' - 5' 5/8" chain onto your anchor, that will help it sink and bite when you try to set it.

I've had decent luck getting my stern anchor to set in 20' or so of water using the chain.

Both Aquadeziac and jmbbop have it right.
The key is scope.

Another trick in the event you are concerned that either anchor might get stuck for one reason or another. Danforth anchors have this ring on the shaft, it's there so you can tie a line to it and either attach it to a small float or bring it back on board your boat with plenty of slack.

The way it works, if your Danforth anchor won't come up you pull on the line attached to the ring, that pulls the anchor from a different direction and usually loosens it enough from the bottom so you can haul it back up rather than end up cutting it loose and leaving it on the bottom!

I'm clear on the whole scope thing. I was just looking for the trick to get the get some scope on the stern anchor. With the old boat, it was always small enough to anchor in wading depth. With the new one I find myself doing more deep water anchoring.
I have a bunch of chain in the front anchor. I removed the chain front the stern anchor figuring I could get more distance on my throw. I like Aquadiziac's idea of backing past the spot, I'll try that next time. I'll also try putting the chain back on the stern anchor. If I don't have to throw it, the chain won't be a hindrance.

Airwaves, I've read about using a trip line. I've only lost one danforth in last fives years, so I'm a little lazy about doing it.
Thanks all

Try a 4.4 lb "Bruce" style claw anchor with 4' of 3/16" proof coil chain and 3/8" rode (this is my stern anchor setup). It's extremely easy to kedge (throw) and gets an amazing bite for such a tiny anchor. It was really inexpensive and takes up little space. I've had two 20-21' boats rafted up my 25' boat and the little stern anchor never dragged at all. It has also set perfectly on the first try every time I used it. Can't say the same for the Danforth or Delta anchors I've also tried.

Only 4.4 pounds, less than $20 and it holds well. It's worth a try.

The new boat came with a delta anchor clone on the bow. It sets a lot better than my old danforth clone. I use an 11 pound danforth clone for the stern. It usually sets well, if I can get the angle.

where do they sell Bruce anchors?

West Marine sells "Bruce style" anchors. That's what I've got and is where I bought mine. If they do not have the size you need in stock, you can pay for the size you want in the store and they will ship it to your house for free. Only takes a day or 3. Alternatively, eBay is a wonderful anchor resource. I bought two anchors on eBay for reasonable prices.

If you think the Delta clone sets well, you are gonna love the Bruce clone. I have a polished stainless steel 22lb Delta clone on my windlass. It looks sweet but only sets well 75% of the time. When it land upside down, it just drags and will not self right like a Bruce. Got any tips for making sure it always lands right?

I've only had the boat/anchor since May, so maybe I've just been lucky. I don't do anything special, just press the down button on the windlass.

Mushroom anchor vs Bruce anchor
 

A friend tells me that Bruce type anchors could be very tough to pull in if they get hung up on rocks in Winnie. He suggested a mushroom anchor.

Will a mushroom anchor works as well for a 22’ boat in the lake trying to anchor near a sandbar?

Never tried a mushroom and I have never seen anyone use one in anything bigger than a 14 foot boat. I think it could work if you could bury it, but I don't picture it burying itself like a Bruce, plow or Danforth.

The Bruce style anchor I have described is pretty cheap to buy at <$20. I would not spend more than 20 minutes trying to free it, were it to foul. It has provisions for a trip line too so if you attached the rode to the trip line point, and tie wrapped it to the anchor shank, you could quite likely free it without much effort just by tugging hard enough to break the tie wraps and reverse the pull. Does this make sense?

We dropped a mushroom in Wolfeboro Bay one 4th of July from the bow of our 22' bowrider in ~20 feet of water. The bottom was very muddy and we went nowhere. Not sure how it would work at a sandbar.

My experience with a mushroom anchor is that it works best in mud, and is resistant to tangling the anchor line when thrown. Another problem with the mushroom is that you can't throw it very far (even a 5-pounder) and still expect to get enough scope. Anchors—especially Danforths—shouldn't be thrown anyway, or adventures result.

The tie wraps on the Bruce anchor make sense and a really good idea for a stern-anchored boat. When the weather changes (and it will change), you won't get 20 minutes to free it. Boat wakes have swamped stern-anchored boats.

That said, I'd select the appropriate anchor based on the bottom, set the stern anchor first, pay out the line, then go forward and set the bow anchor and adjust each anchor/line for scope. (A variation of Aquadesiac's technique).

On a side note, I've read that rafted boats should exercise the etiquette of having only one boat anchored. There's also a big chance of tanglements in bad weather.

I have an 8lb mushroom that I only use on a sandy/muddy bottom. The trick with a mushroom is to lay it down and have lot and lots of scope to keep it lying flat on it's side. I primarily just use it as a lunch hook when there is no one else around and wave and wind conditions are calm. It might work as a stern anchor but again, lots of scope.

From what I've read, a mushroom is a pretty poor anchor. It takes a lot of weight to get any reasonable holding power. And it only works in mud.

I think the anchors that dig in to the bottom, have a much better holding power for every pound of anchor. This includes the danforth, plow, delta, claw, CQR and all their copies and clones.

Throwing a primary anchor is not typically recommended, but the ability to throw and set a small anchor (kedging) is a good skill to have and an acceptable way to set a stern anchor in shallow water.

Often, one can use kedging to self-recover from a soft grounding. Anybody who spends time boating on rivers or tidal waters, where sandbars tend to shift, water levels vary greatly, and soft groundings are common; should have this skill and good kedging ground tackle on board. We use our boat in many waterways, including rivers (we overnighted on a sand bar on the CT River last weekend) and are prepared for soft groundings.

You can't automatically conclude that the person throwing their stern anchor is ignorant, though many are...

Actually a properly set mushroom anchor holds very well.

The key is scope.

If you are in 10 feet of water and only have 30 feet of line don't use a mushroom!

To set a mushroom the shaft has to be lying flat on the bottom and the "mushroom" of the anchor has to dig into the mud, if the shaft bounces up and down then the anchor will lose its hold. (that's where the scope comes in)

If you're boating on Winni you really should have more than 30' of line on board :eek:

BTW I also carry two Danforth clones, as I said I only use the mushroom as a lunch hook on a muddy or sandy bottom in calm conditions!

Never tried a mushroom anchor, I'm just parroting what I read. I'm glad it works for you.

As to boat wakes swamping stern anchored boats. I use a stern anchor to keep my stern is facing shore and the bow pointed out. In most cases, it's impossible for significant wake, wind or waves to come from the shore.

Away from shore, stern anchoring may be a higher risk. But although, a bow anchored boat will usually point into the wind and the wind driven waves, that's not always the direction of the boat wakes.

In a steady wind my boat likes to tack when on a single bow anchor. It will turn the port side to the wind, and the swing around and turn the starboard side to the wind. It will keep swinging back and forth. A stern anchor usually slows or stops the tack.

Anchor Buddy
 

Here's a neat gizmo for dropping a stern anchor: It's an anchor line that stretches—a whole lot!
(Animated sketch). http://www.waterskiworld.com/boatacc...chorbuddy.html

There's a 2-ton model and a Jet-Ski model.