June 14, 2011

I would like to take this time to thank you for your service and the quality of your product. I received it two days after the order, however my daughter thought it would be cool to try to give it to me for Fathers Days, she did not get away with it. After I got it I discovered that the workmanship on this is incredible, 1st class!! I have been shopping for a long period of time looking for the "just the right one" well I found it.

I had it installed on my boat in no time flat, it looks great and works even better.

Another plus is it's Michigan made!!!

Thank you very much.

Jim Bolling
Byron, Michigan

May 18, 2011

The Anchor Wizard was exactly what we needed to land several spring Steelhead on the Big Manistee. This anchor system allows for great maneuverability; it put us right where we needed to be. No more cranking by hand, getting wet, and sore back muscles. This anchor system allows for easy stop and start flow on the river. It is a must purchase for anglers!!!

Mark
Upper Michigan

April 13, 2011

The Story of My New Anchor Wizard

OK..so where has this thing been all my 50 years of boat/fishing? I am not a mechanical kind of person, but I had the Anchor Wizard Jr., a pulley, and the tower mounted to my aluminum boat in 15 minutes. Most of that time was looking for simple tools. All it took was a drill and anything that can turn a screw or bolt depending on how you mount it. I got the clamp on Jr. which grabbed my double tube gunwale solidly with only hand turning the knobs (took 1 minute). I rolled up almost 100ft. of 124lb. work load braided rope onto the spool then headed to Bass Pro for an anchor. I can see where my Danforth anchor could fit the tower, but I wanted to try out a black coated river anchor with four blades.

I took the Anchor Wizard tower in Bass Pro with me just to make sure the river anchor I chose would fit. There was no need to, it did but it was really fun showing the tower to the young sales people and comparing it with the very small ones sold with anchor systems there. Even the greeter marveled at the tower commenting, "That is one serious piece of equipment." I tied on the 12lb anchor, reeled it up tight so it snuggled into the tower and took off for launching. While driving, the anchor was secure and all line was neatly spooled on the Jr. spool.

My first test was in the Blakely River that empties into Mobile bay. For the first drop of the anchor I went to the bow and pushed the anchor free of the tower then went back to the console, gave a slight turn to the crank and the anchor dropped slowly. I turned a little more and to the bottom it went with no backlash. The depth was 20ft. so I let all the anchor rode play out then wound it up but this time did not tighten it enough to fully grip into the tower. The anchor had set but it took very little effort to wind the boat to the anchor then pull it just by cranking the spool. It was covered in mud so I just let it drop once more a few feet into the water, reeled it up and mud was gone. I held the line, gave a little more turn and I was good to go for the next test. While running the anchor did not bang against anything.

I ran to a channel between two marsh islands that are notorious for not being an easy place to anchor. The currents and wind will either land you into the marsh or out in the channel that is the entrance to a yacht club. I was able to anchor with ease any place I wanted and it was at that time it got comical. This device is so easy to use, works so well, it feels like you are cheating. I can now do all needed done to boat and fish from behind my steering wheel or scoot over to a fishing chair. My boat is unstable and me with a bad back, wobbly legs, and told too feeble to boat any more, but the Anchor Wizard has me back in the nautical saddle. I really had gotten to the point where I could not anchor or tie up to pilings anymore but now I can anchor without even going to the bow. I don't even have to stand.

My last test was a stealth mode thing. I cut the engine, used my transom mounted trolling motor and moved near pilings that once were a pier. We have many many of those here in the southeast due to hurricanes. Instead of spooking the fish that hang around this structure I anchored up wind from it, turned off the trolling motor and allowed the Anchor Wizard to play out the line as I got closer to the target. The water around the pilings was very shallow but it was no problem for the boat because when I was ready to leave I just moved the boat back to deeper water by easily cranking the spool.

Back at the dock the tower and spool were no problem any more than anything else is in docking. I docked starboard where the Wizard is mounted, put out a fender and no problem. The gear stayed away from the dock even though I have my spool cocked over a bit to give plenty of clearance from the clamp bolts.

As I told a fishing buddy at the dock, "This is too easy." He said I was just getting lazy. I said, "You got that right!" Seriously, anchoring in my part of the fishing world is a dangerous hassle. From broken legs in anchor wells, people falling overboard, banging up boats with anchors, skippers mad because you did not drop the anchor right where they wanted...it goes on and on, I find the Anchor Wizard so useful it should be stock equipment on boats. The quality of the materials and construction are about as good as it gets made by professional hands on machinists and metal workers, not some machine that stamps out thin steel to make a part. It is so easy to use I would not even consider an electric mass produced anchor system because our salty environment simply eats electronics in no time, but I'm sure if your application needs a motorized Anchor Wizard it will be heavy duty, not flimsy.

The cost of the Anchor Wizard is actually extremely reasonable for what you get. It just does not compare to others I've seen in the retail stores which I think would be rusted out very soon. If I still had my bigger Gulf boat I would be trying to figure out a way to have a bigger Anchor Wizard model mounted to it. Anchoring in rough seas, or any seas in the Gulf of Mexico is not an enjoyable part of boating but this device would take the hassle and pain (probably one reason I have a bad back) out of getting that anchor in and out of 100ft. of water, or more, while the waves are trying to throw you overboard.

Pleased customer in the deep South.

JB

(click here for actual letter)

Bruce VanScoyoc
The Anchor Wizard
14883 90th ave
Evart,MI 49631

Re: Duck hunting application

Bruce,

I know I have not been responsive in doing my part of our deal and for that I apologize. Life has been crazy and whenever I get one of my video skilled friends to commit to taping the use of your product something has come up last minute. Anyway, I have enclosed a disk that is unedited with some footage of using the Anchor wizard duck hunting. It is an excellent product and would be very useful to any duck hunter that hunts with long lines or “mother” lines from a boat.

I thought this raw footage might be useful for you to see how we use it and maybe you have some one that could use it to edit a 30 second clip for the sport shows. After using the Wizard a few times I would recommend that you need either a swivel base or a strong guide like the Anchor Wizard tower so that the line feeds on to the spool at various angles. The prototype you gave me holds five long lines which is enough for 8 dozen~decoys in water of 15 feet deep or less.

I will still try to get a professional video clip for you but 2010 is sneaking away quickly and I am on the road most of the fall and early winter. Good luck and happy thanksgiving.

Thanks,

Capt David Baker

(click here for acutal letter)

“The response from over 200 folks is over whelming. The control it provides me while fishing is unsurpassed. I can control the speed of the anchor so it doesn't slam into the bottom of the lake hard. It’s by far more comfortable to use then trying to release an anchor by hand. There is no product on the market today that provides the rope capacity and product features of the Anchor Wizard.”

Bruce VanScoyoc – Manufacturer/Developer

"I have been steelhead & salmon fishing since 1986. The Anchor Wizard has truly made my fishing trips alot easier and more precise. By dropping the anchor quickly the Wizard allows me to get very tight behind log jams. It instantly gets my chain to bottom which allows me to fish more of the hole or run. It also allows me to pin point the runs.

The Anchor Wizard holds over 300 feet of 1/4 inch rope, allowing me to fish long runs without stirring up the bottom by sliding the anchor. This is really important to prevent spooking your fish. It retrieves rope much faster than an electric winch. It takes up about 3 feet per wrap, so when you're ready to move it is a snap to pick up and move to a new spot. For years my fishing partners have had to hand over hand the anchor rope and lift the anchor in and out of the boat, which gets real unpleasant in cold weather. The Anchor Wizard has changed all that. Thanks."

Dennis Morgan
231-878-0225

"Bruce VanScoyoc has been a fishing partner of mine for several years. When Bruce shared his anchor wizard with me I was truly amazed. This device has enabled me to fish more stealthily as you can let out extra rope and not worry about the retrieve as it has excellent gear ratio that makes anchor retrieving a breeze!