Anchors for the River

I know there are lots to posts to read... I have read them all... with that out of the way... has anyone put together and drift anchor system for river use that maintains the use of the rudder.  I'm driving a T13, so this is what I am thinking of.

I would skip using the rudder when anchoring in quick-moving rivers.  It is very difficult to control and creates unwanted drag when anchoring unless you are in slow-moving water.   Your best bet would be putting together some kind of drift anchor arm that fits around your rudder, which may not be an easy task but I'm sure it can be done. If I were you, I would go with your Mini-X as your medium-to-small river boat.  That boat would be easier to mount a drift anchor arm on given the lack of rudder.  Once you get the feel for how it handles in rivers(and trust me, you NEED to get the feel for it first) it works really well.  Good luck and let us know what you come up with.

Rev,

What are you attempting to accomplish with the drift anchor?

I see lots of PB'ers use drift socks when hog lining. When I'm anchored in the TI I put the anchor off the bow and use the rudder to slide side to side in the current as needed.

I bought two drift socks but haven't needed them for the Columbia. Haven't tried them drift fishing the salt but I think they may be useful in wind and swells. With an anchor trolley in theory I can adjust the angle of the hull to the waves.


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Aytch, you're drifting, old son.

Don't want a drift sock in the river, at least not for the answer Rev is seeking. Rawkie has him on the right track....

Oh and Rev? look on the front page articles of the site. Someone, i think it was Spot, posted up a nice drift anchor build.

Yes - it is even on the same kind of yak.  Excellent arty.  I have a mini-x and am thinking I may need to set that up and forget about the rudder.  My concern is how the mini seems, from my limited experience, to have a tendency to be "grabbed" by the water if you get a little sideways. 

I was wondering about experiences that would allow for the retention of the rudder usage.

On a tight river you're not going to have an easy time turning a T13, even with a rudder. What river are you thinking about floating?

satsop... chehalis... wynochee... those are at the top of my list.

OK, got it. I looked up drift anchors in Wiki and was looking at sea anchors, drift socks, etc. used anchoring in fast currents or in windy conditions. "The River" in the title of the post led me to assume we were talking about the Columbia or another big deep river.

I checked out the NWKA article, too.

The Jackson Coosa has a provision for using a retractable dog leash to deploy a simple length of coated chain to do a controlled drift in shallow streams (see 5:50 in this video):

http://jacksonkayak.com/jk-kayaks/kayak-fishing/coosa/coosa-walkthrough-video/

I'm sure something similar could be made for other kayaks for small rivers, not so useful on anything deep or fast.

Just installed a pair of Scotty anchor locks on the back of my Pro Anglers.  Cut a 4" x 8" backing plate template made out of Teflon cutting board, and attached 15 pounds worth of weight lifting plates on each one.   Stops me on the Satsop like a parking brake.  Only need about 30 feet of rope for the shallow rivers like the Wynoochee and the Satsop. If you get into trouble you can just let the length of rope run out of the anchor lock.  The weights work great, as they are not lead, and are round so they don't catch up on things.

Tight Lines

Did you consider using a Scotty rail mount on the grab bar instead of mounting it on the deck?


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The Scotty mount that holds my pole to the rail doesn't hold solid enough at all.  Not about to throw 15 pounds of banging weights onto the same kind of mount.   Never keen on drilling permanent holes, but most of the rivers I drift require a solid drift anchor.   As they are pea gravel/small stone bottoms and the only anchor I can get to grab in the top of a run or slot is sheer flat weight.  The deck mount holds the anchor out of the water completely too so it doesn't create any drag.

Did you consider using a Scotty rail mount on the grab bar instead of mounting it on the deck?


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Thats how I rigged mine with some slight modification and I can hang a 15llb pyramid off it all day long.

Why so heavy on the weight 15lb? I fish the lakes,bay and ocean,but don't anchor in the ocean yet. I have in the bay with a 3 lb grapple and held great with 6-7 feet of exchange.

is this mainly for rivers?

15lb seems like alot?

Thanks

10-15lbs is common for rivers with a decent amount of current, Columbia, Wilson, Trask, Willamette and the like.  If you don't have enough anchor you're screwed for the day, having a little extra holding power is never a bad idea.

I tried 8 in the river and it won't won't hold... at least not in the satsop.  15 is what I was thinking might hold.  thanks for sharing.