anchor weight?

Newbie here.....What weightr and style anchor would you recommend for use with a Quest in small rivers where depth varies 2'-12'? I looked at the 3# claw but it seems heavy. Will it move easily on an anchor trolley line fore and aft?

Thanks....

I have an Outback and the 3 lb anchor wasn't heavy enough in the wind and I have only fished lakes. I use a 5 lb 4 claw anchor. I had it out in 20 mph winds this weekend and the 5 lb anchor wouldn't hold. I went to Lowes and bought the 50' of 3/16" polyprpelene rope with the wind up plastic holder and it works great because it floats.

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Mike
2015 Pro Angler 12
Yellow with Humminbird side imaging

The type of anchor and weight depends also on the bottom. My mushroom anchor works great in the mud, but not so well on rock.

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Marc...
1978 Hobie 16 Keoke, sail# 36 84

As mb4859 noted he lengthened the anchor line and found success.
All things considered, having enough "scope"......the ratio of depth to line length is the key.
Most recommendations are a scope of at least 5:1......so 20 feet depth requires 100 feet of anchor line to safely anchor.
If there is no wind or current, you can use less scope....all depends on the conditions.....5:1 is a good rule of thumb.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Secure anchoring has less to do with weight and more to do with technique. I"ve never used an anchor heavier than 1.5 pounds and can securely anchor in any type of current or wind.

The trick is how much lead you put on the anchor. No anchor is made to be dropped straight down - you have to put some lead on the anchor. At the absolute minimum, for every foot of depth, you need 3 feet out. And that's the absolute minimum.

In wind or current, that amount should be doubled if not tripled. If you do that you'll stay put without having to lug a great deal of weight.

There are very few true kayak anchors out there, if any. The folding grapnel style anchor that came with both my Hobies is, well... junk. I can't imagine who designed that clunker.

A company which I believe is called Quick Tek makes a 1-pound fluke anchor that holds very well. Outcast used to make a 1.5 pound floating fluke anchor for float tubes that was fantastic for kayaks (they recently increased the weight due to folks not understanding how anchors work and thus ruined it). If you can find the old style, buy it and enjoy. I use one on my PA and can anchor in any kind of wind or current. Again, you have to understand that anchors aren't made to dropped straight down on a taut line. You have to get some angle on that line so the anchor can dig and hold.

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Thanks for the replies and tips about anchor lead. Hey Tom, the rivers I fish are loaded with small to large rocks. Is a fluke anchor more apt to get stuck where you can't remove it as easily?

Regardless of the type of anchor, if you have a stuck anchor, you have to move to the opposite side it was set to get it out.

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Marc...
1978 Hobie 16 Keoke, sail# 36 84

-This anchor is meant to be let strait down, and that's exactly what I do with it. It's worth every ounce to lug around.

Most any sort of anchor is apt to get hung in a shallow river with a rocky bottom. Most times you can get to the opposite side and have it come free. Many fluke type anchors have sliding attachment point so if you move you can get the pull point to shift to the bottom of the anchor.

The only alternative in most cases is just to carry an extemely heavy anchor, which I prefer not to do nor have I found it necessary.

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The 3 pound, folding anchor I purchased has a line attachment hole cast into the "head or base" of the anchor.
This is where I attached a second line that allows you to "pull the anchor backwards" if the tines were to get stuck.
The design is common for river anchors where rocks and other bottom born stuff can swallow up an anchor.
All you need to do is go up stream or 180 degrees away from the angle of the stuck anchor and the pull on the retrieve line......it has always worked for me.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Instead of 2 lines, you can connect your anchor line to the bottom of the anchor, and then attach it to the normal pull point with a wire-tie that can break if the anchor hangs up and you pull hard from the up current angle.

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006