is an Anchor required for shad fishing from kayak at Fletcher's?

[Konrad Wessels]

Hi All

Is an anchor required for shad fishing from kayak at Fletcher's? I have been warned about the risks getting your anchor (or improvised anchor) stuck on the bottom. Is it necessary to have some sort of an anchor or can you spin / fly fish on the drift? 

[Casey Peltier]

we have found an anchor preferable. an old gallon milk jug full of gravel and tied on with an old length of cheap rope means we could ditch it if necessary, but the streamlined nature of the bottle keeps it from snagging.

 you can’t anchor in strong current with it, but that’s kind of a safety thing: if the anchor won’t hold, paddle back towards shore a little bit to calmer water.

you do NOT want to fall out of the boat in strong current. been there. just don’t.

On Apr 2, 2021, at 5:04 PM, Konrad Wessels <kon...@wesselsint.com> wrote:

Hi All

Is an anchor required for shad fishing from kayak at Fletcher's? I have been warned about the risks getting your anchor (or improvised anchor) stuck on the bottom. Is it necessary to have some sort of an anchor or can you spin / fly fish on the drift? 

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[Gregg Rockett]

An anchor off fletchers is very dangerous.  See an article I wrote on this subject

[Barracuda]

Both things are true: fishing-wise, you're much better off anchoring. And the best spots are often along current seams -- where it's pretty dangerous to anchor in a kayak (IMO).

Canoes are a different story, however. Yes, not as fast and efficient to paddle, but definitely safer (if still not as safe as the Fletcher rowboats), particularly if you attach outriggers.

It's also true that you can often catch hickory shad (and occasionally American shad) in calmer waters and if all you have is a kayak, I'd suggest that over anchoring in current.

[peter odell]

you can also use a piece of heavy chain on a light rope, wrap the chain with duct tape and it rarely gets stuck.  Same caveat, will not hold in a big current, but I'd recommend a rowboat if you are going there.

[Kevin Brugman]

I know that this is being beaten to death, but a few follow up questions about the kayaks and am anchor.  Is the issue because so many people anchor a kayak at midpoint on the kayak?  If you use an anchor trolley like the Yak Attack lever lock, is it still as dangerous?  What makes the canoe any safer?  Is it because most canoers sit in the rear and anchor from there?

Thanks for the further clarification.

Kevin

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[tperkins]

My scary moments from anchoring comings from the retrieve, even when using an anchor trolley. If the anchor gets stuck you are broadside to the river trying to unstick it. That being said, use a rock or a brick and carry a sharp knife (i carry a cheap morakniv that works wonders on anchor line and any misc. fishing line i find while out)

[Kevin KB]

This makes a lot of sense.  One of those duh moments.

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[Miles]

I use my canoe at Fletchers, and I'm seeing some stuff that makes me scratch my head. I don't want to say people are 'wrong', but maybe I can provide a different perspective.

I use a 10 lb barbell plate for my anchor. It works well. I haven't lost one yet. I tie it off the stern of my canoe. Never tie an anchor to the side of your boat.

I am careful to only anchor in slacker areas current -- usually in an eddy -- and drop my boat into the seam or the current from there. Like Thomas says, retrieving the anchor is usually the most perilous part. By parking my anchor in an eddy, I can get upstream of my anchor a bit to retrieve it. I do have a knife on my life vest, but I've never used it for my plate anchor.

I often use a reusable shopping bag or something like that off the bow as a drag anchor to keep me pointed downstream in the wind. In a canoe, another dangerous time is strong upstream wind or gust. If the wind is pushing upstream and my canoe is in current, the canoe can get broadside to the wind and the current both. The wind pushing on the gunwhales one way and the current pushing on the bottom of the canoe the other way makes the boat want to flip upstream. The drag anchor helps me keep my bow pointed into the wind. I don't know if this happens in kayaks, but in general being broadside to the current is a bad idea anywhere.

Miles