submitted by Matt Campbell

Being able to anchor my Jackson Kayak Knarr has allowed me to catch more fish. This ability to position myself in a steady location to make the cast and presentation I am looking for is a huge advantage.

You can anchor your kayak in many different ways using tools from a simple weight on the side of your kayak to the Power Pole micro anchor. I have personally used a retractable clothesline hanger from Home Depot velcroed to my kayak with a weight tied to the end of it (aka the old school version of the Anchor Wizard device). Now I use a combination of an Anchor Wizard and a Power Pole. All of these are useful devices and can be employed in a variety of scenarios. You don’t have to spend a lot of money in getting an anchor setup on your kayak.

I have an anchor on my kayak every time I go fishing with the body of water and the type of fishing I am doing will dictating if will use more than one anchor. The Power Pole is designed as a shallow water anchor with poles 6 foot and 8 foot tall. You will lose about a foot off the pole of that because the setup requires the pole to sit above the water. Between the Anchor Wizard and the Power Pole I have utilized an anchor in everything from a creek to massive lakes like Kentucky Lake.

When I know that I will have shallow water to anchor in I will take both the Anchor Wizard and the Power Pole. This allows me to anchor my kayak facing in either direction. I can utilize the Anchor Wizard off the nose of my kayak to keep me pointed up river or in any direction on a lake as you get 45 feet of anchor line. The Power Pole will allow me to anchor facing down river in the current or in any direction in lily pad fields that you find on the Potomac River. Both of these options are very quiet and allow you keep yourself in a desired spot for making that perfect cast and presentation.

Most of the setups you see out there will have an anchor on the nose and tail of the kayak. Power Poles are designed to be run on the tail of your kayak as they utilize four bolt patterns that are pretty standard on fishing kayaks these days. An Anchor Wizard can be run in any direction that you would like to use it. I prefer to have mine off the nose and my Power Pole on the tail.

In the pictures you can see the orange 8 lb weight I have attached to my Anchor Wizard. This is run down the right hand side of my kayak from the Anchor Wizard next to my seat. From there it goes through the YakAttack tie downs I am using as guides to the nose of the kayak where I have carabiners on the anchor line and the weight. Having the carabiners there allows me to disconnect the weight when it is not in use. Having the tri-track on the Jackson Knarr allows me to put the tie downs on the outside of the rail and guide the line through them. This allows me to keep the line away from my steering setup for my Torqeedo. I also have the Power Pole on the back of my kayak and it is attached to a mount from Innovative Sportsman. This allows me to run both my Power Pole and my Torqeedo at the same time in line with no interference.

The versatility of both of these systems is spot on. The Anchor Wizard mounts into any rail on any kayak and can be moved from kayak to kayak with just a couple of nuts being loosened. The Power Pole mounts in place with four bolts and can be swapped between kayaks with ease.

All of these options are wonderful, but the most important part of anchoring is safety. You have to be able to read the water and determine where you should anchor and when. Most times in a lake you are not worried about current, but you do have to worry about wind. Be careful not to anchor too close to shore where you could get bounced up on some rocks by the wind. In the river you definitely need to pay attention and understand what you are getting into. I would strongly advise against just dropping an anchor in swift water and potentially getting yourself into a bad situation. Always wear your PFD and make sure you have a knife at the ready if you are going to anchor all the time. I keep an NRS knife attached to my PFD so if anything were to get sideways I can cut that anchor line quick and just let myself float down river and regroup. Be aware of your surroundings as well. If you know you are in a high traffic zone, that is probably not a good place to stop an anchor up.

Being able to secure yourself in position and make the presentation and cast you want to is a huge advantage. When the wind is blowing or the current is flowing, the ability to make that cast can be very difficult. Even if you make the right cast keeping the bait in the sweet spot for your retrieve gets difficult when you have the wind or current moving you around. Anchoring in position allows you to make the presentation and keep you in the zone during the entire retrieve.