FishDoc,

I have some experience in "lean and mean" anchoring (I'm a wee little man and have trouble hefting a large anchor). I can anchor my 3000# boat in 50' of water and 1 kt current using a 7# anchor. When it sticks, it buries itself deeper and deeper as the pull increases. I can motor in the direction of pull, and not break it loose. This is a key design point of the Bruce and Danforth style anchors.

The EZMarine anchor is a totally different philosophy. This anchor "rakes" along until it finds something that the tongs can stick to. Then, it settles down and bottoms out on the prominent central beam. It will never bury any deeper than the tongs are long. This means that a lot more mass is required, which is why EZMarine recommends a 26# anchor for my boat in mild current, and a 32# for medium current.

At retrieval time it gets interesting. I can retrieve my 7# anchor pretty easily, once I break it free. That 26-pounder (plus 20-30# of chain) is a different story. Like I said, I'm a wee little man, so I would probably need one of those EZMarine retrieval buoys to make it manageable to retrieve several times per day. At this point, the EZMarine solution becomes a logistical issue because of all the gear, and where am I going to stow it all when it's not in the water? My little boat is already cramped for space.

I'm told the EZMarine is SOP because of the gravelly bottom of the Columbia (not to mention the bikini-clad poster girls prominently shown on their website :p ). That may well turn out to be the pivotal factor, but I believe that an upsized Bruce or Danforth (still only 11-16#) would suffice.

Another key consideration is how much chain is used. In any anchoring configuration, chain helps, by allowing the anchor to lay down and dig instead of just skating along. To be sure, a very heavy anchor probably doesn't need any chain, just by virtue of its mass. However, chain is a "force-multiplier," such that it makes a small anchor work as effectively as a much larger one without chain. I use 10' of 3/8" galv chain with my 7# anchor. This doubles the weight, but increases the anchor's effectiveness a lot more than just doubling the anchor size, especially in rough conditions where the rode is constantly bouncing up and down.

Bottom line -- I'm headed down with a 16.5# Bruce-style anchor, 15' of 3/8" galv chain, and 150' of 3/8" nylon. I'm hoping that works well. It might not. I'll post my findings Even if it turns out to be a bust for the river, it will make a superb backup heavy-seas anchor for the salt.