Shallow Water Anchor Systems Aren't Just for Bass Fishing

If you have been to the boat ramp of a popular bass-fishing lake on a nice day or pay attention to the TV when a bass tournament is airing, then you have probably seen the two leg-like anchors on the back of many bass boats. These anchors range from 6 feet to 10 feet long and use hydraulic pressure to deploy and drive a fiberglass stake into the bottom of the lake, anchoring the boat in place without the need for a heavy metal anchor and tangled rope taking up space in the boat.

If you’re a seasoned fisherman, you know exactly what I am talking about, but you would be amazed how many times I have been approached at the ramp and asked, “What the heck are those things on the back of your boat?”

Now, I like to think of myself as a versatile fisherman, but I would be lying if I said that black bass didn’t hold a special place in my heart. I am a regular on the local tournament trails and can be found many days picking apart the brush on the bank hoping for that famed "thump." Although bass are my target of choice, I thoroughly enjoy chasing slab crappie and delicious walleye. I admit, I do get some funny looks when I show up at a hot spot in a glittery bass boat, surrounded by deep V walleye boats, and those looks only intensify when the "walleye guys" watch my Minn Kota Raptor anchors punch into the mud.

When I first put the Raptors on, I envisioned them being pretty one dimensional. I figured they would be great to hold me in one spot so I could pick apart a downed tree or a dock and that’s about it. The Raptors quickly became one of the most useful tools for multi-species fishing that I could ever put on my boat, second only to a spot lock trolling motor. I can go on all day about the different ways they can be useful, but I will lay out some real-world examples from this past season.

Multi-Species Applications

My local reservoir is small, barren and bowl shaped, but it can be loaded with walleye. There is a strong current fed in thanks to an irrigation canal system, and when the timing is right, the walleye run up into that current to eat fish coming through the diversion. Most boats run up into the 7-foot deep channel and toss over an anchor or hit the spot lock button.

If you’re experienced, you know current will sway a boat that’s connected via an anchor rope, and at times spot lock has some give as it continuously locks onto the same spot. I was able to cruise right up the channel, point the boat into the current, deploy the anchors and hold solid in one spot as I proceeded to pick off eater walleye out of one certain hole for the next three hours. The best part was, I didn’t have to mess with a heavy anchor, or drain my trolling motor battery by using spot lock. I was also able to hold in one spot, meaning I knew the exact cast I needed to make to run my jig through the hole the fish were staged in.

If you fish for crappie, you know they can almost always be found shallow, and out deep, but one of my favorite places to fish on my local crappie hole is a giant hump coming up from 30 feet of water, getting as shallow as 4 feet. I used to drift for crappie by getting upwind of the hump and let it punch me over, normally good for a couple bites. On one outing, I approached the hump, put the front of the boat into the wind, and put the Raptors down.

• Related: An In-Depth Look at the Minn Kota Ultrex Quest Trolling Motor

I then started fan casting, walking around the entire boat so I covered as much water as I could, and I had a live well full of slabs in no time. That changed the way I fish that spot, a waypoint I have fished my whole life, if boat traffic allows. I will likely use the same process each time I fish there now. Plus, fan casting is just a much more fun way of fishing compared to drifting, in this fisherman’s opinion.

These are just a couple of examples, but ones that changed the way I have used my anchors. There are many other ways to use them, such as slowing your drift on deep water walleye spots, using them to slow your approach to a dock, and now people are adding “brakes” to them, which are essentially a small trolling motor on each one so that they can come to a quick stop when using forward facing sonar. I am sure as technologies improve the uses will increase as well. I put the Minn Kota Raptors on for my bass fishing adventures, but it has made me a much better multi-species fisherman over time, and don’t let anybody tell you differently, you can catch walleye from a bass boat.

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