Anchor preference?

Fishing in a lake while anchored can get spooky pretty fast if the wind and waves increase, even if you have rigged your anchor off the bow or stern of your kayak using an anchor trolley, and your kayak is facing directly into or away from the wind and waves.  Be prepared to either (a) paddle or pedal towards your anchor to take the tension off your anchor line so you can pull up your anchor before you get into trouble, or (b) release your anchor line on a buoy, and them return to it to pull up the anchor.

For an example of an anchor setup which can be dropped quickly on a buoy, see http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=15510.msg168110#msg168110  .  This setup was designed for use when sturgeon fishing, where you want to be able to release your anchor while fighting big fish, but it is useful in any situation where you may need to dump your anchor in a hurry.

I suggest a quick release system it you are anchored in moving water.  One quick pull of a rope in a clam cleat and you are free.  Anchoring in the ocean demands extreme caution.  I anchor in bays and sloughs with mud/sand bottoms, but I wouldn't anchor in a rocky area or in the open ocean unless I was confident in my ability to dive down and retrieve it if it got hopelessly stuck.  And always on a quick release, otherwise you are risking sinking your boat and/or becoming separated from it.

My low tech/cheapo version is an old 3:50/4:10 inner tube filled w/rocks and wire tied shut on both ends.  Works great on the slow water of the lower Snohomish.  Quick release with a float so you can get it back if you have to ditch it.  I would never anchor in a high flowing river for any reason.

I posted this a few years ago but this is how I set up a drift anchor from a Trident using a custom made bracket and the well nuts that are made for a rudder. There is a cleat up front for the rope.

That is awesome. I've been thinking about doing something like this for steelhead fishing. Thanks for sharing this pic


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There are SS quick-release snap shackles used on sailboats that might make a good quick-release since they can be opened by a sharp tug on a cord. making it easy to free the anchor if it's at the bow or stern.  They work great even under a lot of tension. 

I use the Yak Attack anchor trolley kit rigged to the bow and stern, and a Ronstan cam cleat with rope guide next to my seat for release.

I use the Yak Attack anchor trolley kit rigged to the bow and stern, and a Ronstan cam cleat with rope guide next to my seat for release.

Do you have any pics of your set up.  I just installed the yak attack trolley system and am looking for a quick release for my anchor.

Before feeling comfortable to go out on the Columbia and anchor up for fall Chinook wobbler fishing (typically in 50-55 FoW, in Portland area) I spent quite some time researching safe setups. I ended up with a system very similar to that shown in the video that Idaho Britt posted on the 18th.
(i wish i had seen that video during my search - it would have saved me quite some time...). So i use a reel that i attach to a buoy and drop in the river when anchoring.

I use a dive reel from Scuba Choice. Go ogle "Scuba Choice Diving Multi Purpose Dive Reel 290ft with Stop Switch" and you will find it (you can buy it on amazon). The reel holds 290 ft, but as I found that it is almost impossible to reel the entire 290ft of rope back on the reel after usage I disposed about 90 ft.

Similar to several posts above i added a quick release. Crucial i.m.o. For this i mounted a zig zag cleat next to my seat. With this i can release in a split second when fighting a fish, it is time for a restroom break, or - and most importantly - there is a tree of other hazard floating your way.

Entire setup (for Hobie Outback)
- Anchor trolley on kayak
- Zig zag cleat on trolley side next to seat

As for the anchor + line:
Anchor (i use a 12 lbs mushroom anchor), attached to tie-wrap (to should break in case of unrecoverable snag), attached to the Scuba Choice reel/Buoys, attached to 12-15 ft thick floating rope (that has a small crab float in the middle, attached to a few feet of thin rope that goes into the zigzag cleat.


Some pros and cons:
Pros:
- This setup really works quite well on the Columbia and so far i have not seen any reasons to change my setup. Nine out of 10 times the anchor doesn't move an inch after being thrown out, also in a strong outgoing tide
- The use of a dive reel enables you to anchor at ANY depth, without having to worry about excessive rope. The "stop switch" at the reel lets you control the amount of rope you let out.
- quick release works as a charm.
- I added the small crab float to the floating line as a precaution: in case the current would pull the buoy under water i would loose everything in case of a quick release. A second float would buy some extra margin. I later found that the Columbia is not powerful enough (at least in the  Portland area) to pull under my float (a sort of an inflatable soccer ball, purchased at Fisherman's) but the smaller float give extra visibility to where the floating rope is in the water when you return to pickup the anchor after a quick release.

Cons:
- The rope on the reel is quite thin and lifting 12 lbs hurts a bit on your fingers. As you need both hands to lift the anchor it is hard to spool up the retrieved rope while lifting the anchor. Because the rope is so thin it easily tangles up if your not careful. It requires some practice to organize the retrieved rope such that it does not end up in a mess.
- 12 lbs is quite heavy. Possibly you can use lighter anchors when using a different design (although then the chance of snagging may increase?)
- when there is no current there is a risk of the floating rope getting tangled in the rudder.


Lastly, i have Benchmade rescue hook attached to my pdf to cut things loose in case of emergencies. Never had to use this yet.
 
 

Creek boat cam cleat.

I think I like that better than a zig zag cleat.
decisions, decisions

My drift sock and anchor rigs terminate in a 10' run of 3/8" yellow poly rope (with no knots in the terminal end). Deploy the anchor, slide the end of the terminal line through the trolley ring, stick 8" through the cam cleat, run the trolley ring to the bow or stern. To release, just grab the 8" tag and pull up.


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Some interesting thoughts on anchoring...

https://paddling.com/learn/staying-put-keeping-your-kayak-still/?utm_source=paddling.com+subscriber+list&utm_campaign=dfbaa31d0c-PaddleNews_01_25_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f2ead8a079-dfbaa31d0c-212655773

I'm new to Kayak fishing, so hopefully this won't sound too stupid..............

I have heard of people using a retractable dog leash for their anchor line. Does this really work? will it retract the anchor, say a 1.5Lb claw type, or do you pull it up by hand and use the mechanism to retract the slack? The longest one I have seen of these dog leashes was like 20' I think, I am usually in deeper water on the lake it seems, and I am curious what you would do in that situation.

Again, hope this doesn't sound too stupid I would just really like to know how it works.

Currently I use a Scotty anchor (Trolley?) with a 1.5LB claw type anchor, 75' of Paracord and a winding device, it all mounted to the bow and seems to work so far.

I wish I would have found this forum eariler, a lot of good ideas here...............Thanks!

I'm new to Kayak fishing, so hopefully this won't sound too stupid..............

I have heard of people using a retractable dog leash for their anchor line. Does this really work? will it retract the anchor, say a 1.5Lb claw type, or do you pull it up by hand and use the mechanism to retract the slack? The longest one I have seen of these dog leashes was like 20' I think, I am usually in deeper water on the lake it seems, and I am curious what you would do in that situation.

Again, hope this doesn't sound too stupid I would just really like to know how it works.

Currently I use a Scotty anchor (Trolley?) with a 1.5LB claw type anchor, 75' of Paracord and a winding device, it all mounted to the bow and seems to work so far.

I wish I would have found this forum eariler, a lot of good ideas here...............Thanks!

A dog leash is not strong enough to pull in an anchor. You will have to pull the line in by hand, then take in the slack line with the dog leash. Since it sounds like you're fishing still freshwater, you have the luxury of being able to experiment in a pretty low risk environment.


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