seansfire,
Yup, you've never anchored in the Columbia...... Near the mouth of the Cowlitz the water is about 50 feet deep. With the running current, you need between 150-175 feet of line to ensure you don't drag your anchor off the bottom. If you pull off a hog line, it pisses off everyone else because now the have to worry about your anchor, your lines, and you when they get hooked up. That is if you even stop anywhere near your intended stop.
Now if your headed to Bonneville, you could have out 150 feet of line to hold in 20-30 feet of water.
This is all dependent on how large your boat is of course. Ours is a 20 Northriver with the extended transom. 22 Feet of boat is a bunch to anchor up. If we didn't run out some line, I'd need a 100 lb anchor and then I'd never be able to pull it.
Just saying, thanks to Keith (Sorry I never got your last name) in the Bayliner for returning our anchor.