Was wondering if anyone uses an anchor on their yak? And if so what style, like 3 or 4 prong, also what weight works best?


Thanks for the info.

A lot of use them. It really just depends on where and how we are fishing. I have a few different anchors.

Mushroom Anchor - This is the heaviest of the 3 anchors that I have and by far the bulkiest. Its fine if you have room in your Kayak and works well when I'm using it on lakes and ponds. If I were purchasing a new anchor I would probably not purchase this one again for my kayak.



Grapple Anchor - This is probably one of your best choices as they can be found in pretty light weights and you can buy little kits like the one below that you can tuck away easily in your kayak. This is probably my second favorite anchor and certainly a good one if you are fighting current that the grapples will need to really dig in and hold you in place.
<strong>NOTICE:</strong> If you're using one of these anchors I highly recommend using it on an anchor trolley with a quick release cleat. You want to be able to ditch it quickly if you need to.


Sash Weight - This is probably my favorite anchor to use right now. chip (AKA: Treehugger) found a good deal on these on ebay and hooked me up. The great thing about these is that they fit perfectly into your flush mount rod holders so they tuck out of the way easily. They work great in low current.



With all of these, I recommend an anchor trolly and a quick release cleat. You can but one of these foam floats to attach to your anchor line so that if you do have to ditch the anchor you can come back to it.



Here is an article about anchor trolley's if you're curious as to what they are and how they work.

I use a 4 prong 1 and a half pound grapple anchor. It usually suits me pretty well. I have a second rope that I attach to the bottom of my anchor in case it gets stuck, but I only use it if I'm anchored up around bridges...

I use a home made stake out pole as well. It's 8 ft long so I can pole with it while standing.

I was thinking about getting a 4 prong one but was worried about it getting stuck. Also thought about using a 15 lb dumbell i got at my house but figured that would be a pain hauling back up.

You will be fine with the standard 4 prong... You can rig them so they will break away if you get them stuck... Let me see if I can find a photo of the way I rigged my anchor so it will break away if you get it hung. Also I wouldn't recommend anchoring up on a river or some place with alot of current...

Here is a photo I found similar to my setup...



Make sure to test the breaking strength of the zip tie or piece of mono you are using at the top.

I use a 5lb dumbell that came with a old weight set that was a gift (free baby!! ) Its worked really well so far, I've been using it for 4 or 5 years. A 15 pounder might be a little heavy.

YakSushi wrote:


That's a pretty neat setup - I use 2 ropes which is a pain but I've already had to replace an anchor by getting it stuck so it's worth it.

My buddy was asking me why I don't dive down after it...yeah right!

It's a similar setup I used on my Mako 25' CC just scaled down a little!

i ordered a 4 prong from kayakfishinggear.com and one of those fish grips, figured that'll work well for catfishing later this summer.