Bruce Anchor

I have been thinking about my fishing future and was reading about Anchor trolleys on our site. I have read about claw anchors, mushroom anchors. I want to know if anyone have used a Bruce for their anchor system. We use them on the fire boat and they work great for hold. They have a hole at the base of the anchor and a eye at the arm. I would connect it permanently at the base and add a breakaway at the eye just in case I had trouble breaking it loose from the bottom. Thinking about Salmon ,sturgeon steelhead fishing on Willy and Columbia. So any advice?

I've never used one but have always liked the way they look.  I don't see why it wouldn't work.  Sure, it might be snaggy, but it looks like if you rigged it right it would be easy to free it if it was hung up on something. 

Thanks Jeff. I was looking at the post you placed with your anchor system and that is what I am going to put together for my yak. I have an in at US Distributing so that is where I will get my supplies. The reason that I thought a Bruce would work well is because when we have trouble anchoring the fire boat we pull out the Bruce. It never fails to set in any type of bottom and I have never lost one because I could not get it loose. If I have questions as I put my system together is it ok If I PM you with questions?Thanks again

I've never used one but have always liked the way they look.  I don't see why it wouldn't work.  Sure, it might be snaggy, but it looks like if you rigged it right it would be easy to free it if it was hung up on something.

Do you think the yak will have enough drag to set the Bruce?  I had a large Bruce (great for soft to small rock bottom) for my offshore boat and I always used the engine to help roll it over and get it dug in.  They are light for their size as anchors go and use their shape to hold more than dead weight.  I would worry that one sized for a kayak would not have the bite or the weight to get good purchase on the bottom (larger rock especially). I would fear that once you dropped it you could go sliding down river (out of the hole you want to fish) as it skipped over the bottom trying to get it to stick. When anchoring the yak I like an anchor that when I get on station and deploy sticks right where I drop it.  They also aren't cheap, and in the grabby bottom of the willamette without the aid of a powerful engine to pop them free it could get expensive fast.  For perspective I have never seen or know of anyone in the salmon/steelhead powerboat sled crowd that uses a Bruce.  If it was a good option for local conditions I think it would get used.     I use chain anchors in the grabby stuff and lead pyramids in the non grabby areas.

Peelagic a lead pyramid was my second choice. The fact that I don't have much drag or an engine to set did enter my mind. The fire boat has lots of drag as it is a big boat and never needs the engine to set, drag alone is enough. But then I am not in a fire boat So maybe a lead pyramid might be a better fit. How does the chain thing work and how would you set it up? What size of chain and how much would I need? As for the Bruce I can get a 4lb one and not have to put out much $ on it. I might just give it a try, but I will for sure look into a lead prymade. What weight prymade would I need to stick me the first time but not be so heavy that it is a pain to pull up? Thanks for the response as I am still learning the way of the Yak!

Provided I get enough lead to do so, I plan to make another run of 8lb and 11.6 lb "INSAYN Pyramid" kayak anchors.
I'm going to tweak my molds a little and do the casting in a different way to hopefully make them a little prettier.

The 8 lb anchors hold really well in lakes, and light current flow.
The 11.6 lb anchors hold really well in just about anything you would attempt to safely anchor in.

The upside of this 3 sided design with the recessed top, and the flat bottom is that the weight is distributed better than a 4 sided anchor of the same weight with a pointed bottom.
Deployed with a 3'-6' header chain, the leading edge will dig in quick and hold solid. 








Width of 11.6 lb anchor.


Height of the 11.6 lb anchor.



27.6 lb 4 sided test slug from another mold I made, and the 11.6 lb side by side have the same foot print. 

I run a 10lb pyramid on soft bottoms and have no problem sticking.  In the Willie, I usually use an 8lb mushroom anchor, again, with no problem sticking.  I find that in snaggy conditions the mushrooms have a better chance of releasing.

-Spot-

Pelagic raises some good points.  I'm relatively new to anchoring in rivers.  I would go with a pyramid if you can.  I use the same setup as Spot mentioned - 8 lb. mushroom or one of INSAYN's 11.6 pyramids.  I don't actually use chain except for the rare occasion I use my little grapnel in a lake. 

Insayn, do you sell your 11 lb'r?


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Insayn, do you sell your 11 lb'r?


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Yes, sir I do. 
When I get a few made I'll be sure to post them up in the Classified area. 

I also have a design I want to fiddle with that is made entire of steel, and is a hybrid mushroom/pyramid style.

I would not recommend using a lead pyramid upriver from the Milwaukie boat ramp to Cedar Oak ramp on the Willy, that section gets grabby with the Basalt flows that make up the bottom, also above the old bridge in OC is snag central for anchors.  Below Milwaukie through the harbor and most places on the Columbia the lead pyramid is my goto swift water river anchor.  That said its totally over kill for things like lake fishing and even some river anchoring.  The 8-12 pound mushroom anchors works great in most places and they are cheap. 

When I mention chain anchors I'm talking about the old school anchors called boom chains (used in the past to connect log booms together) used by locals in really snaggy waters like the base of Oregon City Falls.  For my sled I use one, sometimes two, whole sections of chain for really ripping water up at the deadline.  For the Yak I cut a chain down into a shorter length that weighs 16lbs (plan to cut it down to about 12lbs) and sticks the yak like glue yet I've never snagged it.  Its ability to flex and move keeps it from getting wedged like a static anchor design would. Its a "dead weight" anchor, it doesn't dig in etc. it just sits there and hence the need for slightly heavier anchor.