Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 07:21:23 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Recent Topics

[March 27, 2024, 12:49:04 PM]

[March 27, 2024, 07:37:59 AM]

[March 26, 2024, 09:10:45 PM]

[March 25, 2024, 05:15:36 PM]

by Spot
[March 25, 2024, 02:39:54 PM]

by PNW
[March 24, 2024, 07:14:07 PM]

[March 23, 2024, 10:59:04 PM]

[March 21, 2024, 06:23:10 AM]

[March 17, 2024, 06:42:23 PM]

[March 17, 2024, 08:44:53 AM]

[March 15, 2024, 06:45:09 PM]

[March 10, 2024, 05:55:18 PM]

[March 10, 2024, 11:20:08 AM]

[February 29, 2024, 07:05:43 AM]

[February 26, 2024, 01:31:23 PM]

Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye
 

Topic: Whether or not to have an anchor at Swan Island Sturgeon event?  (Read 3419 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

JasonM

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Snohomish
  • Date Registered: Jun 2017
  • Posts: 282
The 176 pound test line which is sold with the dive reels I mentioned is intended for purposes such as towing a diver down buoy or guiding a diver through murky water.  Here is an example of why I would prefer an anchor line with a breaking strength which is more than 176 pounds: suppose you (180 pounds) are sitting in your kayak (70 pounds, plus 20 pounds of gear) fishing with your anchor deployed, a motorboat passes, and the wake hits your kayak, pushing you and your kayak (270 pounds total) against your anchor line.  That is a dynamic load, not a static load; the wake would lift and push you and your kayak.  There might be sag in your anchor line which would absorb some of the shock; your anchor line might have some stretch which would absorb some of the shock; or the anchor might slip on the bottom which would absorb some of the shock.  Or the push from the boat wake might snap your anchor line like a kite string, and you would have lost your anchor.  If it happened when you were diving from your kayak, your kayak might disappear down wind or down current.  That is why I would prefer an anchor line with a breaking strength which is somewhat more than 176 pounds.
Before an anchor line gets to 176 lbs of tension in the situation that you describe, it will have flipped or tombstoned my kayak. Before it got to that point, something else would fail, though. I doubt one or two of the arms from my anchor would even hold that much tension. I know that my anchor trolley pulleys will rip out before 176 lbs of force are applied to them, which would result in holes in my hull. The Quick Cleat where the rope is attached won't hold 176lbs of tension, and if it did the rail that it's attached to likely wouldn't. I would still rather lose the anchor that cost me less than $20 than any of those things failing.

I don't dive from my kayak, and would use both a different kayak and a different anchor if I did.  8)


kredden

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: North Bend, WA
  • Date Registered: Feb 2018
  • Posts: 170
Thanks DWB123, been following this thread as I've not got any kind of anchor setup and wasn't sure I'd be able to get a good setup before coming down.  Was a little worried about the forecasted wind speeds, or is that not usually an issue due to the big boats in there?

For the simple setup you mention is 75' of rope plenty?  I think I'll use this approach for now, and only if really needed.

Kevin


the quadfather

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Seattle, WA. USA
  • Date Registered: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 47
@Quadfather - Don't worry about scope. There's little/no current in Swan Island inside the basin, and you'll be surrounded by 50-100 of your closest friends, so scope is a bad thing. Just get a 10# or so weight and drop it straight to the bottom, and add a quick-release buoy.  But don't anchor at all unless you have to.

If you don't want to get fancy or buy additional gear, try a https://www.animatedknots.com/alpinebutterfly/index.php to a caribiner to your float. Milk jug, whatever. Then just re-tie when you re-set to different depths.

There will be a TON of people there with lines in the water, many of which will be attached to angry and moving sturgeon. The greater the # of anchors, the greater the # of tangles and lost fish.

Thanks DWB123,

I think I have an easy setup figured out.   Looks like this thread took off!   :banjo:


Captain Redbeard

  • Lauren
  • Global Moderator
  • Sturgeon
  • *****
  • Location: Portland, OR
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3290
My point in the example I gave is that a boat wake would push the kayaker and kayak horizontally against the anchor line, putting a dynamic stress on the line.  That kind of event is routine when you're on an anchor.  It doesn't create any danger for the kayaker or the kayak, but it could break an insufficiently strong anchor line.  This risk is also a reason to use an anchor line with some stretch, rather than a line made of Dyneema, Spectra, or some other cord with little stretch, because the stretch would help the line absorb the shock of things like boat wakes.

Pete, I love your posts so I'm not trying to argue unnecessarily. But a kayak is going to put far less stress on an anchor line than a motor boat in the wind and waves. There's just not as much to push against and a fraction of the weight.

Fun experiment: tie a cheap spring-loaded fish scale to your kayak and let your buddy tow you around by it. You'll find that you can move a kayak and dude with very little force (even the acceleration applied to move you from relatively stationary to moving is pretty low).

I weigh 170 pounds and I wouldn't trust my anchor line to hold me from the rafters. I've been knocked around in the Willamette plenty by wakeboard boats and fisherman alike and I usually use a 1:1 to 2:1 scope (mostly so that the boaters around me don't get tangled; otherwise I'd use more). It's true to say I'm not usually very deep, but I've had no problems with my anchor line being stressed. So that's my point of reference.

I agree, re: line with some stretch in it - there's no reason not to do that and it will make your day better if it has some stretch. In fact in my powerboat I used to have a short length of elastic-like stuff between my cleat and my anchor line so that my cleat didn't take so much abuse (and the powerboat definitely took a lot more abuse than my kayak does on anchor).

Cheers!


snopro

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: HR
  • Date Registered: Jun 2008
  • Posts: 1111
In fact in my powerboat I used to have a short length of elastic-like stuff between my cleat and my anchor line so that my cleat didn't take so much abuse (and the powerboat definitely took a lot more abuse than my kayak does on anchor).

It's an idea that works well with kayaks.  When I anchor in an area with chop or boat wakes I incorporate a 6' windsurfing uphaul into my anchor system.  An uphaul is a bungee cord inside of a nylon webbing tube.  The tube is about double the length of the resting bungee.  The kayak alone isn't enough drag to stretch it but if a larger swell comes through it stretches out and I barely feel it.  Uphaul + scope + nylon line = shock absorption.

None of the above really applies to Swan Island.  If it was me and not too windy I'd just drop a 1lb ball off the downrigger and call it good.


Dungydog

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: Beaverton
  • Date Registered: Nov 2017
  • Posts: 162
"None of the above really applies to Swan Island.  If it was me and not too windy I'd just drop a 1lb ball off the downrigger and call it good."

Yep. I've fished there dozens of times with no anchor.   :banjo:
-Craig

2018 Hobie Outback 12
2017 Native Propel 10