# Best homemade anchor?



## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

Hey everyone I hope that I'm not askin' something that's been posted to death on here but here goes.I did have a really good anchor but because of my own stupidity I left it behind at a lake one day last year.My question is what's the best thing to use to make me another anchor(the 1 I lost was store bought)with?I don't wanna go any heavier than 3-5lbs on this.Lookin' for any helpful suggestions.Thanks,Steve


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## Rybo (Jul 23, 2009)

A 3-5lb dumbbell from target, with rounded edges, and a good 15-20' of thin nylon rope. You can buy some flairlead-esque guides and a stainless steel caribener from lowe's. Then order online, or hit West Coast Marine for a cinch guide or something similiar. 

Definitely do not buy the caribener at West Coast Marine. They're about $40 overpriced. They're $8 at lowe's. You could get some nicer flairleads at West Coast Marine, as well as the nuts and bolts for installation. 

Total cost around $35.


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## sauguy (Apr 8, 2004)

best and cheapest homemade one was a mesh bag with rope tied to it. everytime he used it he would fill the bag with rocks he found on shore. at end of trip, he would empty the bag and fold it up.


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## DC9781 (Apr 3, 2009)

I'm not sure what design you are going for (trolley system, basic.. ) but this place
http://kayakfishinggear.com/anchorsandanchoraccessories.aspx is where I got my zig zag cleat and some other supplies. Shipping was only $2.00 and I got the order in 3 business days. The cleat + shipping was still cheaper than local retail. 

I use a 4lb neoprene dumbell that I got from Walmart. Probably could've gone with a 3lb. It works great!


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## leovpin (Mar 18, 2009)

Another vote for Walmart dumbbell. I use a 5lb. and only anchor in still water.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

leovpin said:


> Another vote for Walmart dumbbell. I use a 5lb. and only anchor in still water.


Yeah I was thinking of the dumbbell idea but figured I'd get more input from other people first.Oh yes I only anchor in still water as well.I usually just fish lakes & like to drop in an anchor once in awhile.


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## CWG (May 12, 2010)

I've eyeballed running a 1/2" pvc along side, just under the side rails, up and out the nose. Saw a photo of a guy who drilled a hole 2" down from the nose and rigged a spot to clip the anchor on once in the water. Zig Zag cleat back by him controlling anchor. He just had the rope laying around the boat however.
As to homemade- grease the front of the canoe, vaseline etc.
find a small cloth sack, fill it with about 5 pounds of that mortor mix (home depot/DIY/lowes) and lay it on the greased nose, press it in gently taking form of the very front. Let it cure, it will pop free iwth little effort. solvent cleans up.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I'm also a WalMart neoprene-covered dumbbell user. I have used it mostly for windy days on my local lakes, I will get to a spot I want to fish pretty hard and drop anchor. It's fast and easy, and the best part is that in weedy areas there's about no chance of it slipping. The weight gets down in the weeds and that helps hold it in place.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

The PVC running down the side seems a little too much. One or two guides will suffice.
I think the natural progression is once you get a yak, you get into the mode where you want to modify the heck out of it. But time will most likely lead you to a point where less is more.

If you're just going to be in lakes, how about one of those retractable dog leashes with a 3 lb dumbbell on it?
Cheap, easy, simple.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Bubbagon said:


> The PVC running down the side seems a little too much. One or two guides will suffice.
> I think the natural progression is once you get a yak, you get into the mode where you want to modify the heck out of it. But time will most likely lead you to a point where less is more.
> 
> If you're just going to be in lakes, how about one of those retractable dog leashes with a 3 lb dumbbell on it?
> Cheap, easy, simple.


I will say this for lakes, I don't want a pre-set rigging point for my anchor to attach. Depending on the wind direction and the area I am trying to fish, I may want to have it tied off to the rear of the boat, or even on either side. Most of the time I am working weed lines, and if the anchor is on the front of the kayak and the wind blowing straight towards shore, my kayak will be pointing straight away from the bank, which is not a good casting position for me (especially with the fly rod). I change my tie-off point depending on the location and conditions in lakes.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

TheCream said:


> I will say this for lakes, I don't want a pre-set rigging point for my anchor to attach. Depending on the wind direction and the area I am trying to fish, I may want to have it tied off to the rear of the boat, or even on either side. Most of the time I am working weed lines, and if the anchor is on the front of the kayak and the wind blowing straight towards shore, my kayak will be pointing straight away from the bank, which is not a good casting position for me (especially with the fly rod). I change my tie-off point depending on the location and conditions in lakes.


If the wind is really that much of an issue, than why not just rig up a simple anchor off the front, and a simple anchor off the back? 3-4 pound dumbbells hanging off each end.
Simple, super cheap, and perfectly effective against the wind.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

Bubbagon said:


> If you're just going to be in lakes, how about one of those retractable dog leashes with a 3 lb dumbbell on it?
> Cheap, easy, simple.


That's another good idea you got there Bubbagon.I was thinking something along those lines but i thought it might not work for some reason.However if it's rated for a large type of dog then I don't see why it wouldn't work.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

CWG said:


> As to homemade- grease the front of the canoe, vaseline etc.
> find a small cloth sack, fill it with about 5 pounds of that mortor mix (home depot/DIY/lowes) and lay it on the greased nose, press it in gently taking form of the very front. Let it cure, it will pop free iwth little effort. solvent cleans up.


Thought about something like that as well.Everyone has some good ideas so far.Gonna take everything into consideration & finally make me another one.An anchor definitely come in handy yesterday.Probably woulda bben able to catch a few more fish if I woulda been able to stay in place.


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## panfish2 (Jun 21, 2005)

I use a window weight and a chain link works well and is not hard to retreive.


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## leovpin (Mar 18, 2009)

Here is my anchor trolley. It is simple, was made using Home Depot parts and I can set the anchor anywhere from bow to stern. I need to get a ziz-zag cleat at some point








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