any insight on anchoring a canoe for fishing. say on a river as opposed to a lake. any special gear or techniques.
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anchoring a canoe
- Thread starter forest runes
- Start date
Buy a basketball net. Tie the bottom closed. You can tie the net to a rope, fill it with rocks and anchor away. When finished just pour the rocks out and repack the net (before or after drying).
I've been spring shad fishing on the delaware river and had to motor past the anchor point just to release, also even when paying out line to gain position it can seem precarious, wondering about where to tie off to increase stability.
Around the ozarks where I canoe most, the drag chain or rock net style is frowned upon. It upsets the habitat for the trout as I understand it, but I'm not a fisherman or anchorer, so take that for what it is. Regional at best, or maybe just folklore to keep others from catching the fish.
I would look to what the locals do as anchoring can be fairly region specific as far as water flow and bottom material go.
I would look to what the locals do as anchoring can be fairly region specific as far as water flow and bottom material go.
http://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Sports.../dp/B00BIRJ7TY
I use this system. The setup consists of a rope to Attatch on the canoe and a second rope as the anchor rope. Basically pop a hole about 2 or 3" below the gunnel in the bow and stern and attatch something to hold the clips, could be as simple as a loop of cord with a knot on the inside of the canoe and the remaining loop outside, or pop rivet / bolt a folded over piece of webbing onto the outside, tie one end of the rope to the included ring. Then run the rope from your bow anchor point, back around the stern and tie the other end on the ring as well. The anchor rope will feed through this ring down to the anchor.
This setup provides two things...
First and foremost safety as it lowers the anchor point and the potential to have the anchor line pull the gunnel under water during waves and current.
Second, it is adjustable, meaning that as you pull on the big loop running from the ends, you can adjust the pivot point of the anchor in relation to the boat. If your sitting in the stern you can drop the anchor overboard, then adjust the ring out to the bow, or half way, or where ever, depending on your fishing location.
Jason
I use this system. The setup consists of a rope to Attatch on the canoe and a second rope as the anchor rope. Basically pop a hole about 2 or 3" below the gunnel in the bow and stern and attatch something to hold the clips, could be as simple as a loop of cord with a knot on the inside of the canoe and the remaining loop outside, or pop rivet / bolt a folded over piece of webbing onto the outside, tie one end of the rope to the included ring. Then run the rope from your bow anchor point, back around the stern and tie the other end on the ring as well. The anchor rope will feed through this ring down to the anchor.
This setup provides two things...
First and foremost safety as it lowers the anchor point and the potential to have the anchor line pull the gunnel under water during waves and current.
Second, it is adjustable, meaning that as you pull on the big loop running from the ends, you can adjust the pivot point of the anchor in relation to the boat. If your sitting in the stern you can drop the anchor overboard, then adjust the ring out to the bow, or half way, or where ever, depending on your fishing location.
Jason
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G
Guest
Guest
I have been unable to pull up anchors a couple of times in moving water, once in a motor boat and once in a canoe. Both times the anchor became irretrievably lodged or snagged on the bottom and the anchors are still there after cutting the rope.
I won’t anchor in moving water. Have a knife handy if you do.
Yes Mike ,I've been there the only method to dislodge is to go upstream of the anchor point with enough momentum to free it or cut it off. Jason, thats an interesting rig but as my river canoe is a chestnut voyager wood canvas type I would hate to drill holes in her, but I agree lowering the anchor point below the gunnels seems to be the solution just wondering if there is a traditional method. I have read while lining, hooking a loop to the bow keel rather than above the gunnel prohibits porposing wondering if it would help anchoring?
G
Guest
Guest
In those instances no amount of motoring or paddling upstream (of off to one side, we tried every which way) would free the stuck anchor.
A lower attachment point would provide more stability, but I will not tie anything to my boat, or my boat to anything, in a location that I cannot reach with a knife.
A lot of sporting goods stores sell fishing net replacement nets, I use those with rocks. The nylon ones last longer, pack very small and are lightweight. I too always tie up where I can easily and quickly reach with a knife if need be.
muskrat; That sounds a little bizarre! I can't see how a mesh bag with rocks can cause more damage than the flukes on a regular anchor. if you drag a bag, you might flip over a few rocks, or dislodge some debris, but if you drag a fluke anchor, not only will you do that, you will also dig furrows in the bottom and turn up the buried sediment which could harbour toxins from years past.
If you tie the rope to your seat with a quick release loop, and have the anchor line run up and through the bow keel it may solve both problems. Does your canoe have scuppered gunnels? Maybe instead of drilling holes, you could attatch the trolley rig to the gunnels? Or, run the trolley from the bow keel loop back to the stern one
If there is an emergency, pull the loop and the line will run out free of the canoe. I don't like the knife part... to me, if I need to quickly separate from the anchor line, that probably means my gunnel is about to be swamped. One hand on the paddle trying to brace, the other fiddling around with a sharp knife...
I have also seen rigs where the anchor line has a small float in between the anchor and hull attachment point so you can paddle back after the emergency or fish fight and retrieve or attempt to retrieve the anchor.
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This arrangement seems needlessly complex and unseaworthy. I've never seen any vessel rigged to anchor in this way. I would think it to be potentially very dangerous to adjust the anchor point to or through amidships against a strong current or wind waves. Surely it would be better to setup the anchor attachment on a bridle, in lieu of a bow eye? To keep the force in the extreme ends.
The thing about this setup is that you can move it to the bow or stern in rough water. If you are only dealing with a slight breeze, which is enough to give you heck in an empty canoe while fishing, you can adjust the pivot point to suit your needs. It's far more hazardous to run an anchor line over the gunnel IMHO as you are more likely to have a gunnel pulled under the water if a motor boat wake takes you by surprise. I for one, or most sensible fishermen / women wouldn't be thinking about trying to fish in strong current or "high seas" in a canoe. And when your tripping and fishing from a wood canvass canoe, this setup is very sea worthy as you are not in open water dealing with tides and rogue waves that change. It also allows you to position the canoe to pull up the anchor and place it in the canoe. I don't see the OP drilling a hole in the bow for the anchor line or permanently attaching a bridle. But hundreds of bass fishermen use similar setups (as well as a dedicated, permanently installed bow anchor bridle) on their solo canoes and SOT fishing kayaks. Just depends on your preference and local waters.
Jason
Freaky things happen real fast. I can't see a scenario where I would anchor my canoe in moving water. I should add that I am almost always solo and don't have enough hands to paddle and wrestle anchor ropes. Dave
Yes, anchoring a canoe is definitely not something that can be done anywhere. As always, experience and good judgement
I anchored my canoe once. The wife bought a small anchor so my son and I went to try it out. It only took an hour to almost dump the canoe attempting to retrieve the anchor. I cut the line and swore off the anchor idea. But that is just me.
G
Guest
Guest
And me. At least in moving water.
I have had remediable issues anchoring in flatwater, but the only times I have had to cut the anchor, or felt endangered, was anchored in moving water. Even then I had a bowman who could scramble forward to cut the line.
I’d rather be anchored facing upstream, and I my usual solo guise that leaves a bow bridle in a very awkward location; I can only envision me trying to creep forward sans paddle, plunging the bow deeper into the current. In that regard the system Jason uses would allow me to in-extremis cut pully line attached to the canoe.
If anchoring in place was a big part of my paddling purpose I would have to consider using something similar, but I’m not ready to drill anchor pully holes through the sides of my boats.
I don’t anchor, and will never again in moving water. But if I did I wouldn’t want a fluke, mushroom, grapple or net. Maybe something like a teardrop or cannonball shape with a recessed eye bolt.
Which reminds me I have used a cannonball as an anchor in a canoe, from a small portable downrigger I once built. I also have a smallish proper anchor, marketed for canoes/PWC's etc that I have used, but never in moving water and I never had any issues. I did actually portage the anchor prior to getting the bb net.
