[scook]

It may not be relevant to how you use your anchors, but here’s my program:
When the rats got into my 3/8” line, I had already purchased 1/2” for easier grip (not for strength - the 3/8” held in very strong current, even bent my anchor when it got caught under a big rock). I now have a bunch of really nice rope to tie stuff on my truck.
I have three lengths of anchor line for different depths. This is so I don’t have a huge gob of line to toss overboard with a float when we drop off the anchor to play a fish and can come back to the same spot.
I connect the line to the chain with an openable link, so I can switch lines easily and it lets me leave the chain on deck, coiled around the bow cleat and drop the line into a basket in the cuddy.
This works for me, probably because I’ve rigged the sliding hatch to come completely off and stow in a rack under the deck - those hatches are a big pain for doing anchor work.