Kayak Anchors

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by 805gregg

Have you ever used that to hold you in place? It looks a little flimsy to me. I use a folding Grapnel anchor on my small boats, kayak and inflatable. A 1.5 lb is $12 at WM, takes up little space and weighs, you guessed it 1.5 lb. I could see the need of and good anchor in an emergency, in case of a big fish, injury or gear failure near large breaking waves, or other unseen occasion.

I know I already commented on this but I wanted to come back when I had time to actually say something.

First take a look at this picture.


Now those things in case you do not know it are not anchors. They are Irons, lures. Have you ever used one or hung one up and seen how they can hold you in place when fishing a kayak?

Those little hooks (even though they are not very big) when attached to something solid on the bottom are more then enough to keep a kayak from drifting in most conditions.

Now does that mean that you should attach ten feet of chain, and a hundred feet of 1/2 inch anchor rode to one of those jigs and deploy it to save your boat in the case of an emergency, injury, or gear failure near large breaking waves, or other unseen occasion? Of course not! That would just be stupid.

My little anchor just like those Irons is not a storm anchor, it's not for boats, it's not for boating emergencies, it's not heavy ground tackle that should be used with chain an rode, to protect you from drifting in a anchorage in high winds and breaking seas.

It's just just a fishing tool. Something that will grab the bottom quickly, and hold you in one place in normal fishing conditions.

Yes because it is flimsy by design it's something you can also easily pull it loose when it gets hung in the rocks, the tines will straighten under load and it will come free, and that is something your little 1.5 lb $12 at WM folding Grapnel anchor which is designed for boats can not do.

Have you ever used that 1.5 lb $12 at WM folding Grapnel anchor to hold your kayak in place? It'll grab and hold no doubt, but I quarentee you that if you use it from your kayak around rocks you will eventually hang it up, and then be unable to retrieve it from your kayak because you will not be able to put enough force on it from a kayak to pull it loose.

Then in the words of StinkyMatt: "Get a sharp knife....." ..because quite frankly you are not getting it back.

One more thing rather then depend on secure ground tackle to save you in the case of emergencies involving large breaking waves, or other unforeseen hurricane like difficulties, like you might have to do in a boat, my advice is simply to avoid such conditions by paddling in and getting off the water.

Kayaks are not yachts you don't anchor up and ride out the storms on anchor in a kayak.

Jim