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I have not seen a discussion about decoy anchors on this board in quite a while, and there have been several "new" offerings that many of you may have tried by now and have an opinion about.

I have always preferred the basic lead strap anchors or "big scoop" type anchors for ease of use, ruggedness, and easy storage on the decoy(the only drawback to these is that they can cause your decoy paint to wear off). One type I would definately stay away from are the bell shaped ones manufactured by Hunters Specialties ---they will break into after a season or two. I tried a couple dozen of the relatively new "Ace" anchors this past season and had mixed results. I liked their storability, but when using them in deep water (which we had a lot of this past year), I had problems with them getting stuck/hung up on the bottom so bad that the rubber straps would break while trying to free them. I lost approx. half of them over the course of the season due to this problem. In shallow water applications, where you could simply reach down into the water to free the anchor if it hangs up, this would not be a problem and I would highly recommend them for shallow water. I have also used the "tanglefree" brand of anchors on water keel decoys to be used in shallow field applications since they are so light weight and ,for the most part, tangle free. These are not a good choice for deeper water applications when hunting out of a boat ---not heavy enough or shaped right to hold the decoys in place, and do not store as well in the decoy bags.

I would be interested in hearing the experiences of some of you with various anchors and anything new you have tried that works well. I plan to add a few dozen more to my arsenal for this season and I am always looking for a better way to do things.

We always used muffin pans to make ours placing a piece of wire bent like a horseshoe in the lead. It slips over the decoys head for easy storage, gets great grip on the river bottom, and if it gets hung really bad no big loss if you can't get it.

I Found Ace Decoy Anchors To Be Not Worth The Effort [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

ALL MY DEKES CARRY AN ACE DECOY ANCHOR... 4 oz. works great in the sloughs... heaviers for faster water... if i can't support a Ms. boy who is trying to do good then i will go back to spark-plugs....Ace is the Place.....

judge jb

Maybe that ole MS boy with ACE will send me a free dozen Ace decoy anchors to replace the ones I lost last year? [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

what happened to them OB.?

judge jb

The Ace ones were pretty handy, but I had several of the Ace rubber bands come loose and the decoys float off, so I am back to the old lead straps this year, with tanglefree line.

probly half mine have the basic strap weights & the other half are the scoop style the fits over the decoy bill. Both have served well & are several years old.
I have had a few of the rubber straps give out on the scoop weights, but then again they areabout 8-10 years old.
Theres a newer version that is vinyl coated
I think its called intruder decoy anchors in the newest mack's catalog.
haven't tried the ace, but think it looks like a purty good rig, I can see where they might be susceptible to hangin up.
I,m happy with the scoop/cone & will buy more [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Use whatever you want as the weight. Use a 1/2 in. strip of auto innertupe looped on the line next to the weight. When you wind up the cord, loop the innertube strip over the head, around the keel, whatever you want. It keeps the weight secure to the decoy and is so easy to handle in cold water. It's been five years and I haven't replaced a single one. It's cheap, easy, and effective. What else does a country boy want? Try it, you'll like it! 'Course it ain't store bought, it takes about 15 minutes of your time to cut the tube strips, and it doesn't use batteries, so I understand it it ain't for everybody!

ACE...Mr. Carl Marascalco out of Holcomb will do whatever he can to make you happy. If you buy anchors, I think ACE are very good. I do have alot of big scoops on my rigs and some even have the old picker spindle [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31