Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
Bryon Anderson

Any of you kayak guys have thoughts about the Anchor Wizard?

Recommended Posts

I'm interested in the Anchor Wizard kayak anchoring system. See it here: http://www.anchorwizard.com/kayaks/?sort=pricedesc

Right now I have a sort of DIY version of the "Bernie's River Stick" type shallow water anchor, (see that here https://www.berniesriverstick.com/ ) but I've found that it doesn't work that well for me on the rivers where I would want to anchor up.

 

I've exchanged a few emails with the owner of the company, which happens to be here in Michigan, asking him about how well this system works for anchoring in rivers. He tells me that he uses it in rivers frequently, using a 5-lb. length of chain covered with a length of rubber inner tube as the anchor, and says it works great.

 

I was just wondering if any of you on here who fish from kayaks have any experience with it, and might be able to comment on how it works in rivers.

 

Just so you all know, YES, I know that anchoring in current can be a tricky business, that it is not to be done without a lot of forethought and caution. Regardless of what anchor I might use, I would never anchor in heavy current, or in any place I knew to have a lot of submerged woody debris that an anchor could get tangled around. I would never kayak in a river without a PFD secured to my person. IF I decide to go this route, I would be very careful about it, and if I determined it couldn't be done relatively safely, I would abandon the whole proposition.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to provide some feedback on the Anchor Wizard system.

 

Bryon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I do not fish rivers.

Hardly ever do I use a traditional anchor but a drift sock or a pvc pipe (which can double as push pole) to which I tie a length of rope.

Either one is attached to a trolley system so it can hold the kayak/canoe at different angles.

 

Without much examining, this anchoring system seems fixed to the back of the kayak, and just for that, I do not think is for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Byron,

 

Kayak fishing has been my favorite pastime since 2006. I NEVER get in the boat without a PFD despite being a strong swimmer. My kayak is a Hobie Tandem Outfitter, which I have rigged with a DIY anchor trolley that cost me about 15 bucks for ring bolt, and small pulleys. It is also equipped with Ama stabilizers or pontoons. It has dual pedal drives so my hands are free to fish or quickly retrieve the anchor(s) in case of sudden change of winds.

 

I have used different anchors at times but the best ones have been 5 lb barbell weights from thrift store. Rope ties through hole in middle.

 

I am always nervous when anchored because the winds tend to increase rapidly with little warning. More so in the inlet areas with currents, although that is often where where the trout congregate. I use one anchor on the trolley in front mostly. If the boat starts tacking or swinging out of position I will sometimes use an second anchor, short-lined off the back. Now I will get to my point.

 

I can't really see the problem you are hoping to solve with this device. I checked their website and see the merits of it for heavier drift boats and big watercraft that require HEAVY anchors. Not so much when light weight craft are in play. I will be using a rubber covered piece of chain, I think it makes the anchor more snag-free, a good idea.

 

So, keep us posted on what you learn and hopefully more members will jump in here.

 

Ken

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Bimini, Capt. Bob and Ken for your responses. It occurs to me that I should have given a little more information in my original post.

I have a NuCanoe Frontier 12, which does have an anchor trolley on the right hand side. I got it when I got the boat because they are almost universally recommended for kayak fishing. Honestly, though, I've all but stopped using it, even in still water. The reason I don't feel like it adds much value for me is that the seat in my boat is elevated and it swivels 360 degrees. If the boat swings on the anchor line due to wind, I just spin the seat so I stay facing the direction I want to. For the last two seasons, I've kept it deployed at the stern and never moved it.

The problem I'm hoping to solve is an hiring safely in mild to moderate river currents, in such a way that I can "sit on a spot" and fish it from the boat. In a current, I'm assuming that having the anchor run directly off the center of the stern would be best, as that would encourage the boat to stay parallel to the current.

One reason I think the Anchor Wizard might be good for this is that, if the anchor were to become snagged, you can release the brake on the spool, allowing it to spin free, which, theoretically at least, would allow you to paddle back toward your anchor on a slack line and retrieve it.

I also like that it keeps the anchor rope out of the way and tangle free when the anchor is stowed.

 

Thanks Capt. Bob, as well, for the link Tom the kayaking site. I will check it out. ☺️

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I know a few people who have the Anchor Wizard. The real advantage of this system is when fishing lakes or ponds that are real deep. Easier to crank the anchor up than trying to pull it up from 30 to 60 feet. if you really want an anchor off the center of your stern, get a Scotty Anchor Lock. There is a real safety concern with any anchor system you can not easily disconnect and ditch. That is why an anchor trolley system is so popular on kayaks. I use an anchor cleat with some eye bolts on my Native Slayer Propel 13 with a 5 pound coated barbell weight with parachute cord tied to it. I am thinking of going with a kettle bell weight instead of the barbell. I have only floated a river a couple of times for smallmouth bass. With my propel drive, I rarely find the need to anchor. If I am in shallow enough water I will just wade with my kayak tied off.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

if you really want an anchor off the center of your stern, get a Scotty Anchor Lock. With my propel drive, I rarely find the need to anchor.

I'm not familiar with the Scotty Anchor Lock; I will check it out, thanks for the tip.

 

 

. With my propel drive, I rarely find the need to anchor. If I am in shallow enough water I will just wade with my kayak tied off.

I do the same thing when it's shallow enough to wade. There are some rivers that I would like to fish, though, that are not easily wadable, and those are the ones on which I'd like to be able to anchor up on a promising bend or run and fish from the boat.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

lots of good info above. Having fished from canoes and kayaks for 40-some years, I see no reason for an Anchor-Wizard on a kayak. I'm confident that even in deep water I can recover my anchor just as quickly by hand. A trolley system and two opposing jam cleats, or one mini-zig-zag cleat is the solution to 99.9% of anchoring situations. Trying to anchor in "moderate" river currents is an impending mishap. I do use a drag chain off the stern or bow to slow my drift. It takes a bit of experience and attention to detail to get it right, with constant adjustment of the line.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Saw it brought up on another forum about habitat damage done by dragging chain that way, disturbing the bottom etc.; wonder what your thoughts are? Of course one boat on one trip would not do a lot, these guys were talking about heavily kayaked streams.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well I'll tell you what I'm starting to think. I'm starting to think that, if I want to float a river and anchor on spots that are too deep (or whatever) to wade and fish them from the boat, I need to suck it up and buy a driftboat.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I do not know what your water is like, but would a drift sock be of any help?

 

I've considered a drift sock for still water, but my understanding is that they don't do anything in a river. Just like the boat, the sock would just drift along at the same speed as the current.

 

Re-reading my post above, I realize it sounds a little petulant--didn't meant for it to. I'm probably going to give the Anchor Wizard a try, I think, come summer. Worst case scenario, I can just use it when fishing still water.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not petulant at all.

I lost track of the fact that you were river fishing, so, you are right, you would literally go with the flow.

 

One last thought, and I am out of ideas. How about one of those pedal kayaks that can go backwards? Would that be manageable in current?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not petulant at all.

I lost track of the fact that you were river fishing, so, you are right, you would literally go with the flow.

 

One last thought, and I am out of ideas. How about one of those pedal kayaks that can go backwards? Would that be manageable in current?

I've read posts on other forums from guys who claim to be able to "hover" in a current in the pedal kayaks. I'm not sure how easy that would be, but it would be a neat trick to know if one could master it. I'd be curious to try one of those at some point, however a new kayak isn't really in the budget right now. If and when I replace my NuCanoe at some point, I plan to check out the pedal-drive options.

 

As long as I'm speculating about "someday", I'll tell you what my ideal set-up would be. This boat: https://www.soloskiff.com/ with a jet outboard for running upstream in skinny water. Of course, the biggest outboard you can put on one of those is 5hp, and, last I checked, the smallest jet outboard made was 20 hp. This is the kind of thing that makes me think I'm going to have to break down and buy a "real" boat at some point. Until that time comes, though, I'm quite happy with my NuCanoe. I really love the idea of being able to anchor up on a nice run or bend and fish it thoroughly from the boat, but that sort of thing may have to wait until a bigger boat is in the budget. As problems go, these are good ones to have, so I hope I don't sound too whiny on here. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I hear you. I have gone through the scenarios in my mind a few times, and I still can’t see getting a boat that requires a trailer and a motor for as little as I currently fish the places where it would be nice to have it.

 

You seem to be closer to it, so, as long as you are looking at tiny boats, are you familiar with Gheenoe?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...