Anchors away…

[up2nogood]

I fabricated three of these , welded up a hollow steel pyramid welded the hook inside , then took it next door to the galvanizing plant , and had them galvanize, and fill them with zinc . Never weighed them , but guessing around 15-20 lbs . Works great for my pontoon boat .

 

[SurfnFish]

during winter flows anchoring upstream on coastal rivers to fish a drift can be tough, lost a couple of pyramids in a five year period when the boat slid and the pyramids wedged, had to be cut loose...after the second went with a Tornado plate anchor on my drift boats, never wedged and grab like disc brakes. Not cheap...neither is a back strain.

 

[doublespey]

My fave (and cheap) is the mesh square with 4 metal eyelets that I use when I hike in with my packraft. Fill it with rocks and hook it up to the carabiner and you're good to go.

 

[FinLuver]

Know any place to buy old rail (railroad)?
How long a piece would be needed to equal 10 lbs?
Is the stuff easy to cut and drill (to add a shackle)?

Just a thought…

 

[Shawn Seeger]

I use a 12 pound round dowrigger ball on the bow and carry a 10 pounder for the stern when needed (never windy in eastern wa ). They are dule purpose, use them in downriggers sometimes.

They hold great! (Most of the time)

 

[Flymph]

If the wind is blowing so hard that my 10# mushroom doesn't hold, I quit fishing and go home. In the Okanogan you can pretty much be assured that the wind will no cease any time to soon!

 

[G_Smolt]

Another user of natural anchors here.
A square yard of seine mesh with a looped line threaded through the perimeter meshes is how I roll. Get to the fishin spot, bag up some rocks, and Bob's yer uncle.

 

[Roper]

I have 10# and 12# cannon ball molds you could borrow is you want?

That would be great!

 

[Kilchis]

Sash weights.

 

[MELinOre]

Sash weights.

Had to look that one up KJ

 

[Salmo_g]

Sash weights.

Been using an old window weight of 5 or 6 pounds for decades. It always worked great with my canoe, and I transitioned using it with my pram, which apparently catches a little more wind. Had wind in the Okanogan last month and again this last week. If the sash weight doesn't sink in some vegetation, the wind was blowing me off anchor too many times. A light weight anchor is nice when you want to pull up and re-deploy often as you search for a promising fishing spot. But if it doesn't hold, then a heavier anchor alternative and the extra exercise seems to be necessary. It's got me thinking about a fairly light anchor with some grappling hooks.

 

[Chucker]

Sash weights.

Sash weights are pretty good in lakes with a soft substrate and weeds . You drop them straight down rather than lowering them to the bottom and they go through the weeds and stick upright in the mud. They hold well like that, and you don’t drag up a ton of vegetation when you pull them up.

 

[krusty]

I've used pyramid, conical, grappling hook, and mushroom style anchors for my fishing kayaks. Each has drawbacks, depending upon substrate, and even on the same body of water that often varies considerably. Grappling and mushroom anchors work well on bottoms with less vegetation, but can accumulate enormous quantities of weeds.

After acquiring a Hobie kayak with forward and reverse propulsion I no longer need to carry any anchor at all because even in strong wind I can easily maintain position and orientation with the rudder and Mirage drive....without relinquishing constant control of the flyrod.

 

[dep]

10 lb downrigger balls go for $30+ at Outdoor Emporium. as mentioned earlier, check CL.

 

[Buzzy]

I've used pyramid, conical, grappling hook, and mushroom style anchors for my fishing kayaks. Each has drawbacks, depending upon substrate, and even on the same body of water that often varies considerably. Grappling and mushroom anchors work well on bottoms with less vegetation, but can accumulate enormous quantities of weeds.

After acquiring a Hobie kayak with forward and reverse propulsion I no longer need to carry any anchor at all because even in strong wind I can easily maintain position and orientation with the rudder and Mirage drive....without relinquishing constant control of the flyrod.

How much time do you spend at your anchorless anchored position using strike indicators? Sometimes I want to remain in exactly the same spot and orientation; I'm curious how much rudder/Mirage drive manipulation it would take to be essentially motionless with your kayak? (I've given quite a bit of thought to buying a Compass.)

 

[krusty]

How much time do you spend at your anchorless anchored position using strike indicators? Sometimes I want to remain in exactly the same spot and orientation; I'm curious how much rudder/Mirage drive manipulation it would take to be essentially motionless with your kayak? (I've given quite a bit of thought to buying a Compass.)

While indicator fishing isn't my favorite type of flyfishing I end up doing it quite a bit when other approaches are not effective.

The 180 Mirage Drive and rudder certainly allow me to 'camp' on one spot far better than when I'd anchor up one of my paddle kayaks, even with an anchor trolley system. Hobie drives allow an incredibly nuanced level of propulsion control in a wide number of lake conditions. The rudder really 'seals the deal'.

In most conditions I've got the drive in reverse with my back to the wind...and holding position with the drive and boat orientation with the rudder.

Trolling (or idling) in reverse (flyrod in hand and observing rod tip and/or indicator) is essentially effortless. Extremely productive...and you can easily keep the hooked fish on the side of the kayak you prefer to use the net. No anchor line to worry about tangling the flyline. A big fish can't pull you into the weeds.

One additional advantage occurs in cold weather/water situations; you stay far warmer than those kicking fins in an inflatable. Regardless of how much poly or wool you wear under waders you're losing a lot of heat with submerged legs.

During the shoulder seasons I wear some wading pants to make launching the kayak more comfortable....and stay quite toasty all day, even in a cold rain with a raincoat.

And wind means very little...I can cover all parts of a lake multiple times...when an inflatable flyfisher must consider how difficult an upwind trip will be....especially if necessary to get back to the launch site!