Ultimate river/creek drag chain setup?

When roaming moving water of any speed a way to manage boat speed or drift is a must have. The ability to drift at an eighth of the speed of the current compared to full current speed invaluable. It will allow you more time to assess the structure. More casts or more accurate casts, one lure or pick it apart with three? It is only possible if you have the time. Plus on most clear shallow rivers the sound of you paddling back to make extra casts could very well spook those big bronze girls you were looking for. (If searching for something else you’re looking for the wrong fish…..j/k)

I’ve been back and forth through a few systems and I’ve settled with running this on all my boats. I use a low profile anchor wizard that I swapped the standard line with rot free, floating, neon green polypropylene line. Not because the stock line didn’t have those qualities, but because I wanted something high vis. If I get hung up on rocks or trees I want to easily be able to see the issue if it isn’t something that I felt the need to cut the anchor line. Or if it was something where the line needed to be cut it will float and be easily seen so I can attempt to recover safely after I assess the situation. My drag chain I use is fairly simple. I rely on three twelve inch lengths of 3/8 chain. I used to dip them in plasti dip but now just cover them with lengths of inner tube. Clip them on a carabiner and onto the anchor line.

What people don’t realize is you don’t need a heavy chain. You could add or remove lengths of chain to accommodate different conditions such as size/weight of vessel, wind and current. But what you will find is you can do all that with how far out behind your kayak you leave the drag chain. Barely touching bottom will just keep you facing downstream. The further out the more it slows you down. Just be mindful of obstructions. If I see some crazy limbs I’ll reel it up, pass it, and then drop it again. Also keep in mind that the anchor wizard will act as a drag if you don’t tighten it down all the way. I know this has saved me from being launched of the bow more than once. 

My Coosa is my primary river boat, this is the way I mounted the anchor wizard and utilized the factory drag chain chute. I put the anchor wizard on the left side. My right hand is my rod hand so when I’m fighting Moby dick I can easily reel in or release my drag chain. I started by removing the rear screw from the side carry handle. I figured out that if I cut the doubled up fabric portion of the handle it would allow the base to sit flat on the hull. I used the existing screw to mount the front of the AW.(anchor wizard from here on) I positioned it where I wanted it, made sure it was out of the way of my paddle strokes, and marked the rear mounting hole of the aw. I drilled a small pilot hole. Followed by using a step drill bit until I could slide the nutsert firmly into the hole. Then I threaded the threaded rivet tool on and crimped it down. Used a new stainless screw and fastened the aw back on. Routed the anchor line through and attached the drag chain. If the Coosa hits the water without the aw, I simply put a nylon screw into the nutsert.

This system could easily be altered to be used on any kayak or to fit anyone’s style of fishing. Hope it helps. Just remember any anchor system can be dangerous. Always have a way to cut the line in case of an emergency. Above all be safe!