Yet Another Anchor Question

Hi y'all.  I have a few more weeks stuck in this &**&&^*&*^ cervical collar, so playing with things I might be able to do...  One of which is improving my anchor.

Right now I've got a 3-lb folding grapnel anchor kit, straight out of the bag.  Poly rope at the top of the anchor, 25' of line with a small float, clip at the end.  I have a 100' spool of line that I connect that to, and I just jam it in place against a foot brace (no anchor trolley or buoy).  This has worked well in the shallows and mild tidal currents I've used it in.

Primary usage would be around here in Puget Sound, in depths up to maybe 50-60 ft.  I don't have any plans at this point for river fishing, and I avoid the high-current areas and times.   I'm not sure my boat could even handle being in fresh water, so I couldn't tell ya about lakes...

What I am planning first is to change the anchor setup so it connects to the bottom of the anchor instead of the top, with a release ability if it gets stuck.  A buoy, trolley, and a real quick-release system for the boat end is also in the plans...  Maybe a length of chain at the anchor too (maybe).  The immediate question for you would be about the material for the release-breakaway loop at the anchor top.  I have seen a multitude of recommendations for small zip ties, small zip ties with a nick in them to weaken them, and some for a loop of 20- or 30-lb mono line -- anything that's weaker than the main poly line...  Anyone got suggestions and rationale?

Jim

ignore that first image...  I edited post to include 2nd as attachment, but it seems to have kept the original as well, with black background. 

Jim

The performance of your anchor will be better if you add about three feet of chain to it.  Attach the end of the chain to the bottom of the anchor with a shackle, attach the middle of the chain to the top of the anchor with some quick-release device, and then tie your anchor rope to the upper end of the chain.

As you have pointed out, you can use various things for a quick release device, including cable ties and a loop of monofilament.  Whatever you use, be sure to try it out on land to see how hard it is to break.  The first time I made an anchor system, I used an average sized cable tie, and was amazed at how hard it was to break when I was on land.  If my anchor had been stuck, and I was sitting in my kayak pulling on the somewhat stretchy anchor line, I probably couldn't have broken it.  After some experimentation I ended up using a cable tie which was much smaller than the cable tie which I initially tried.  A loop of mono should also work fine, although I've never tried it myself.  I would be suspicious of using a cable tie with a notch in it, because it would be hard to make a consistent notch in the tie, so you really won't know how hard the cable tie will be to break.  Be sure to leave slack in the chain between the bottom of the anchor and the cable tie, so if you are pulling on the anchor line right in line with the anchor, there will be enough slack in the chain so you can break the cable tie, and you won't be pulling on the shackle on the bottom of the anchor without putting tension on the cable tie.  Keep in mind that when you pull on the anchor line, the cable tie will slide to the top of the loop in the top of the anchor, which might take all the slack out of your chain.

Develop a clean and simple method for attaching the reel for your anchor line and a buoy to your anchor trolley system and your kayak, so you can quickly cut it loose with one hand while fighting a fish.  You don't want to be fighting a snarl of lines and tricky carabiners with one hand while fighting a fish or hanging onto a flipped kayak with the other hand.  Wobbler uses a nice quick-release system which has a length of rope which runs from the buoy, through the ring in his anchor trolley, and to a zig-zag cleat.  It cuts loose very nicely.

I ended up using 17lb mono to tie off the top. I've 'used' it twice now to release a snagged anchor. It worked well both times...safely with reasonable effort. I've never had it release when I didn't want it to.

Here is an anchor line reel and buoy I use to anchor my kayak when I’m spearfishing.  The handles are garage door rollers.





When I was sturgeon fishing with Wobbler a week or so ago, I was impressed by his anchor line system, which is 200 pound Ashaway tuna leader on a plastic tie wire reel.  I’m currently making a similar system.

Thanks, guys.  I'll pick up the required bits & pieces next time I can convince my 'chauffeurs' to stop at the hardware store...  I have the poly spooled on an old electric cord reel at the moment, but your rig looks easier to deal with and stow on the boat, Pete. 

Tuna leader looks an awful lot like utility string    I do have a lot of paracord hangin' around the garage, though...    Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Jim

The performance of your anchor will be better if you add about three feet of chain to it.  Attach the end of the chain to the bottom of the anchor with a shackle, attach the middle of the chain to the top of the anchor with some quick-release device, and then tie your anchor rope to the upper end of the chain.

+1

Tuna leader looks an awful lot like utility string    I do have a lot of paracord hangin' around the garage, though...    Hmmmmmmmmmmm

I don't use hardware store rope on my kayaks or in other recreational activities, because the breaking strength is usually disturbingly low.  I use climbing accessory cord, which is a lot stronger and more reliable.  I have a couple reels of 250 pound Dyneema downrigger line and a reel of 500 pound Kevlar line, but the disadvantage of using them for anchor line is that they're real thin, and I'm worried that I may cut my hands when pulling up an anchor.  The advantage of tuna leader is that it has a 200 pound breaking strength, which is enough for a kayak anchor, it's thick enough to handle by hand, but it's thin enough so it doesn't take up much space on a reel.

For my kayak I'm using cheap 1/4" hardware store poly rope. It floats, it's cheap, and it's easy to cut if I get in a jam. If I needed something stronger to anchor my kayak I'm probably not in a situation I feel comfortable in anyway - but that's just me.

That's kind of my thinking as well.  I already have the poly on a reel, and it's strong enough for the environment I'd be out in... 

Jim

How deep is the water in which you want to anchor?  If you want to anchor in water which is no more than 20 feet deep, you only need 60-80 feet of anchor line, and quarter inch hardware store rope will work fine.  But if you want to be able to anchor in deep water, there may not be enough room in your yak for the amount of quarter inch line which you would need, and you'll need to get a thinner and stronger anchor line so your anchor system will be sufficiently compact to carry on your yak.

Update time 

Since I still don't have clearance to drive, I ended up rejiggering my existing setup more than building a cool WobblyPete reel (couldn't get all the parts within walking distance).  I do have the anchor re-rigged and a length of chain added, but I stayed with my old electric cord reel and 100' of 1/4" poly line.  Jiggered up a leash from the old anchor line.  The remaining item I'll have to pick is a buoy (now I regret giving away the one I found floating thru the Sound last year...) and rig it to the leash.  The big clip on the leash will end up on some attachment point on the boat, for now, until I rig up an anchor trolley.  Not ideal but no worse than before (and by the time I can get on the water I may have it solved...).

Pics attached (hopefully)

Jim

(tried editing my post to add a note but it wouldn't...)

The anchor chain looks kinda funny because our local Ace only has the galvanized anchor chain in a 4' length, so I folded it over, attached the shackle in the middle, and wove some of the old anchor line thru just to snug it all together...  Used 20lb mono between two zip ties at the top of the anchor, to avoid tying on metal.  Tested it a couple times on land, it pops loose with reasonable effort.  LOTS of good ideas from the conversations!


Jim

I don't follow the reason to fold over the chain?  4' of chain is fine. 

I use 6' of heaver chain with my pyramid weight to be sure it lays that sucker down in gravel, and not just skip and bounce along the bottom.

I folded it over just to make a slightly smaller package.   That reel takes up enough space, I wanted to *try* and shrink elsewhere until I can get one of those tie wire reels and smaller cord without spending an arm & leg on 'em...

Jim