anchor rigging

[keeper]

Can any of you more experienced 'yak fisherman comment on my idea for an anchor system for my Pungo? What I was thinking of was to mount a small roller on the tip of the bow that the line won't slip off of & then mount a small toothed-cam cleat like they make for sailboats on the side of the kayak about even with the seat. I would use a small diameter floating line (100 ft??) attached to a small collapsible (5lb.) anchor. By attaching a mesh bag to the inside of the 'yak on the cleat side, you could stow the line in there & just release it from the cam cleat when you get a fish on & retrieve it later because of the floating line. Maybe this has already been done, but this is my first 'yak season so I haven't any first-hand knowledge yet. Is this what's typically done?

Thanks,
Keeper

[Bob Parsons]

In a current your line may be dragged under. Maybe a float in the bag to help?

[ruge13]

keeper....are you releasing the whole bag anchor system? or just the line and keeping the bag on the boat attatched so the 100ft of line can just flow out of the bag as needed? This has been my expirience.....If you have the line attatched to the boat...in the event that you get a fish on, that fish my run in a direction that will tangle with the anchor line. That gets messy and has happened to me before. Its rare but is a factor you may wish to consider if keeping the line atatched to the boat via the bag, even though it flows freely and your yak is free to run with the fish, you risk tangling.
If you throw the whole bag and anchor overboard hoping it will float there is something to consider even with floating line...if you are using an anchor you are fishing in current. I don;t really see this happeneing with 100 ft of line but imagine a bouy in a canal. That bouy is tied to the bottom and sways in the current. When floating line floats but not as well as some might think. if the current is strong enough it is possible that the bag end will actually be pulled under by the current when the line goes taught. 100ft of line is alot of line but it is possible. I am sure it wouldn;t go deep enough that you can;t grab it but it i something to consider. YOu may want to use some brightly colored buoy to float the line bag so it is easy to find after you have released your 50 lb'er. I did not have a bag, but I did lose an anchor this way. I was using regular rope, it floats but it did go under when I dropped it and the current caught up to the slack line tied to the anchor. Some kind of Float might have helped. Floating line may be ok on its own...I would try it in heavey currents to see if you need aditional floatation...good luck

[ruge13]

bob snuck on in there.....

[Wes]

This works well, I hope you can visualize this-
Use a loop of line between pulleys at bow and cockpit. (Think of a clothesline, U-bolts might work almost as well and are good tie downs) Attach anchor line to a loop or clip on this line so it can be handled at the cockpit and drawn out to the bow. Makes it a lot easier to get the anchor off the bottom if you can get right over it and pull up from where you sit. You can also use a drift anchor with this set up and pick a spot between bow and cockpit that suits angle of drift you like. Some use a 3 point system on both bow and stern (1 pulley at end and 1 on each side at cockpit) so they can locate anchor line at almost any point around the boat. If the current isn't too strong it's nice to have the area in front you clear of anchor line. Use a few feet of bungee cord in yr anchor line to isolate shocks from waves or you can put a loop of bungee on deck with reinforced eyes and tie anchor off to that.
Be aware that in some areas where current really rips as tide gets rolling you can put a kayak under very quickly so have a plan for an easy and quick release.

[keeper]

Thanks Guys- Good Idea, Bob to use a small float on the end of the line. Ruge13- I was intending to keep the mesh bag attached to the inside of the boat & just letting the line go. Wes- your idea of the pulleys got me thinking some more- that would be a good way to get the anchor line BACK onto the boat after retrieval. My original idea of using a roller at the bow would make this impossible without going back to shore & re-rigging the line back over the roller & into the cleat. I'll be thinking of a way to incorporate this necessity into whatever I end up doing. The only thing about the pulley idea that I don't like is that a clipped line that has moved up to the bow isn't easily released.....

Keeper:)

[ruge13]

let us know what you end up going with and how it works for you...I am always looking for new ideas...good luck

[Wes]

Keeper,
You can accomplish the quick release thing if you attach a carabiner or similar to the "clothesline", run the anchor line thru it and keep the line at the cockpit fixed in a cam cleat. You can attach the carabiner to the pulley line with a piece of bungee, works great with the drfit anchor to softener the waves. If you want to get yr anchor back after a quick release thread a float on the anchor line (float stays outside the carabiner) and knot the end of the anchor line so it releases thru the carabiner but retains the float. :) I'm there's a lot more ways to rig something that suits you.

[mgustav]

I have found that attaching the anchor to the stern is better with a kayak because it lets one swing the line in front rather than in back. Most fish I catch happen near the end of the swing and when a fish runs it goes with the current which will be in front rather than behind. I use a little red bouy on my anchor line and works very well. I have fished in some strong current and found 3 lbs good. I only use 25 feet of line.

[Dando]

First of all, I'm new to kayaking, and I only got one to go fishing. I fished for a few hours three days before deciding to try out an anchor. I fish in White River in Hamilton Co. just north of Indianapolis. 99% of the river is either slow moving or very shallow, slightly fast current. I saw an advantage for a small anchor to hold me in some of the better fishing spots in some of the safe areas to do so. I read a lot of forums, looked at a lot of photos and rigged up a simple line, cleat and pulley from my stern. It would have worked great but I never used it once, and I'll never carry one again.

This past Saturday, I went about ten miles north of where I've been. With the simple anchor system I set up, I carried it in my sit-in kayak behind the seat until I felt the need to pull it out. Again, 99% of the river is very easily navigated, but I ran into one area that narrowed greatly, was about 8' deep and had some fallen trees. I know the depth because, like some very experienced canoe racers I witnessed later, I got tossed. I can't even say how I got tossed because it happened so quickly, but I'm sure I must have gotten side ways and water came over the side of my sit-in. The problem I have with ever carrying an anchor in or even on a kayak, is that in the churning water, the thing came out of the kayak and nailed me in the back of the neck. A couple of inches higher, and I would have been unconscious, in 8' of swirling water.

I know many of you might think this wouldn't have happened with the anchor secured to the bow or stern (I also know of mixed opionions on that matter). Maybe it wouldn't, but a guy on the bank said after I turned over and was under, the current swirled my kayak around a couple of times before I came back up and grabbed it. A stern or bow-mounted anchor could still have easily hit me on my way back up. Some also might say it couldn't have hit me if it was in a storage chamber like many kayaks have. My kayak doesn't have a storage well, and I suspect many will go the inexpensive route that I did and won't have one as well. Also, I've seen some of the "lids" on many models and I don't think that would hold an anchor in when upside down.

Many of you won't agree, many of you will think you have a better way, and all of that's fine. As for me, I'll never have anything in OR on my kayak that could hurt me that bad in a roll-over. Paddles may hurt if churned, but not like a 3 lb. anchor.

Well, that's my story, and by the Lord's grace I'm here to tell it. Anyone reading this can decide what they want, but if nothing else, take from this a caution to consider.

[dlangan]

I have a Pungo140. I have a clam cleat and traditional cleat for ting down the anchor. Perhaps more importantly I have a big float on my anchor line. If I have any concern about anchoring in current I hold the rope of simply sit on it until the boat stabilizes in the current. This has led to me generally sitting on the rope becuase it's easy, I get lazy, and I can release the rope quickly if need be (no hands :-). My cleats are mounted behind the seat. If I want the rope in front. I simply pin it tere with a foot against the cockpit. Overly simple, certainly not optimal, but it suits my needs.

Best of Luck!
d