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richz

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Just got a new boat. Lowe 170W. I am going to be flyfishing the Kankakee river in Indiana. Anyone have any ideas on how to slow the boat down while drifting, drag chain or some kind of anchor?

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Sea anchor; look at Bass Pro or Cabela's. It should be listed with boating accessories. It's a funnel shaped net that you drag behind the boat.

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Twelve to 18 inches of heavy logging chain, wrapped with Duct tape works well. I have also used an old window sash weight, wrapped in Duct tape. The elongated shape allows it to drag over rocks without getting caught. Also, always use fairly light rope when dragging an anchor, and keep a sharp knife handy to cut loose, if needed.

 

The worst thing that can happen is for the anchor to snag between a couple of rocks in heavy current, and drag the stern of your boat under. It only takes about 5 seconds for the boat to fill up with water! So, always have the anchor rope close to hand, and a way to cut it.

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If the boat is drifting with the current, so will the "sea anchor". Sea anchors are only functional in still water where the idea is to keep the boat from drifting because of wind.

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BTW you might consider a little trolling motor pulling backwards.

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FlaFly that's what I thought about with the sea anchor. I do have a bow mount trolling motor and when it is on hi speed I can move against the current but for how long due to battery charge I don't know. I work for an overhead crane company and we replace a lot of chains for chain hoists. Think I will cut some different lengths and see what works. phg is there a reason for wrapping the chains in duct tape?

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I don't remember much about water flow in Indiana rivers except the Eel and Wabash (home town rivers). In both of those, you could anchor ... not enough current to pull the boat under, etc.

 

If your river is slow enough, you won't need to drag anything. I fish a slow river here in Florida, now, and I am either moving with the current (searching for bites) or anchored and fishing a spot.

My anchor is easily dropped, so I fish with it up until I get a hit, then drop it and fish the area for a while. I can raise it, drift a few yards and drop it again. Drifting freely or anchored, I am never muddying up the water I am drifting into (or destroying habitat) by dragging something constantly over the bottom.

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I don't bother slowing the drift while river fishing which is 75% of my fishing. If there's that much current I'll just anchor and fish, release some anchor line, fish some more, release some more anchor line, fish some more and when the anchor line is exhausted I reset it. I tend to fish much more methodically this way. With the proper length of anchor rope attached to the bow never the stern the current will not drag a boat under. In early spring I routinely anchor a 14' and a 16' tin boat in very heavy current during the shad run where you have to set two anchors to hold (not this year, once last year) If there is enough current to pull a boat under that is anchored from the bow with the proper amount of rope then you shouldn't be out fishing.

 

Most people don't have near as much anchor rope as they should have. A good rule of thumb is 7 ft per foot of depth. 10 ft per foot of depth for heavy current or really bad weather.

 

A drag anchor in heavy current only promotes falling overboard when it gets hung up. A sea anchor only helps if the wind is pushing you faster then the current. A sea anchor has one benefit when river fishing. They work great to keep the boat from swaying in the wind when anchored. In which case I usually use my pee bucket.

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I get four hours per charge on my motor. I got an Odyssey PC25 Powersports Battery (small gel-type battery). I also got a NOCO Genius G750 6V/12V 750 mA smart charger and maintainer to go with it. Sure beats having to have a big lead-acid battery in my canoe!

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If the wind is pushing me faster than the water moves (if it moves at all) then yes a sea anchor. Otherwise a drag chain. Poopdeck's comment on sudden stops because of snags should be heeded. I've had some, ahem, interesting moments. I also wonder what damage a drag might do in some environments so I usually don't even carry a drag with me anymore. My IPilot with cruise control does a fantastic job on most days to keep me in a range of the drift speed I like. I don't usually need a sea anchor or drag at all. I'll use the trolling motor with the sea anchor to keep the stern inline with direction of travel when the wind wants to blow me around though.

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Just remember, folks ... don't put your sandwiches in any buckets on Poopdeck's boat.

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My trolling motor is on the stern, so it naturally keeps me inline. I thought about that though, when someone mentioned using a TM on the bow. (downstream end). You'd have to keep steering to correct for diversions.

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... is there a reason for wrapping the chains in duct tape?

 

It keeps the chain from clanking on rocks, etc. It also reduces the chance of getting hung up a bit. Not totally necessary. I know guides that don't wrap their chains, and they don't seem to have any problems.

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Mine's on the bow, it has a lot of bells and whistles though($$$). The GPS built into it will not only track a course once you set it, but will adjust to maintain a speed if you want. If the current/wind speed is higher than your setting it will actually slow you down (that puts you in a stern first drift at times). I have the remote control around my neck so I can be anywhere in the boat. The boat ramp is fun, pull up, step onto dock, kick boat out, send it out 20-30ft, and hit anchor button. Boat stays put while I get the truck then remotely drive it back to the dock or to the trailer. People kinda freak sometimes. I don't tie up the dock this way and there is less of a chance of someone grabbing something while I'm at the truck. I've never done this in ripping current, if the motor is just barely able to hold or even struggling at all in a given current I would not try it. But it does really slow me down enough to fish.

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Just remember, folks ... don't put your sandwiches in any buckets on Poopdeck's boat.

Lunch bucket, pee bucket, is there a difference?

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