Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Spawn Sack on September 10, 2015, 10:12:20 AM
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If money was not an issue I'd love to get a windlass winch system for my anchor, but it's just too much $ right now. Instead will have to have "hand bomb" (I believe this is the proper jargon) the anchor off/on the bow roller.
I'm just wondering...what do ya'll do with all you chain and rope? Just leave it on the floor of the bow? Put it in a milk crate or something?
Also, does anyone have any tips for properly dropping anchor? I've just been pointing the nose upstream and tossing it over, then letting the boat drift back until the anchor bites, then tie the rope off on the cleat. Not sure if you are supposed to reverse a bit to get it to bite more, etc....
We don't have a bow roller yet, just been heaving the anchor overboard by hand and pulling it up and in the boat and leaving it in the bow when not in use. Currently the boat only has a rope guide on the bow. Planning to get the bow roller installed sooner than later.
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Here is a link to great anchoring resource. Hope you are enjoying your new rig.
Be safe...
http://www.fraserriversturgeon.com/
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We have a bow roller and put the chain in a milk type crate.
With the Fraser current we don't usually reverse to get it to bite.
A winch would be nice, but we just hand bomb it. Works fine if you have on guy on the motor and one guy with a bit of muscle hauling up.
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Sounds like you are doing the same thing as we do.
I thought about using a milk crate but it is a little higher that the depth of the bow area so it sticks up.
(cover doesn't sit right)
We have a roller on the front of the boat - helps a bit but it is still noisy and awkward.
Pull the boat forward so that the rope is straight up and down before you start pulling.
You may need to use the boat power to free the anchor sometimes (go upstream).
One extra thing that you might want to consider is a "break-away" heavy duty zip tie on your anchor.
Attach the chain to the anchor near the "heel" of the anchor and use a zip tie to connect the chain to the "tip" of the anchor.
Most of the time, you can pull the anchor up from the tip connection.
If you are stuck, you can break off the zip tie (by pulling) and pull up the anchor from the end that is stuck.
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When we anchor on the Fraser we always use a buoy system as mentioned in the Fraser River Sturgeon article . As well as a marker we mainly use it for safety to separate ourselves from the anchor should an emergency arise . Obviously the buoy is in the water attached ( tied or clipped) to your main rope anchor line with your slack , then cleat off to your boat. If a massive deadhead suddenly pops up , a boom breaks upriver ,you are about to get spooled or your friendly local Tug Boats just want you out of their way pronto . Simply untie off your cleats , throw the rope, power up and takeoff . Good Luck
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Thanks guys. I feel more educated already after reading the feedback and watching the video.
Our anchor is the "break away" type. Got two zap straps on the eye nearest the rear of the anchor. As I understand it if the anchor gets hung up the zap straps snap and the anchor will release it's angle/bite. Makes sense.
Also makes sense to drive forward close to over the anchor before pulling it up. Yesterday I was heaving on the anchor without much luck and actually pulled our BOAT over the anchor myself, then the anchor released once the angle was right. A lot easier on the back to drive the boat forward, then pull :o
I really like the design of the Anchor Caddie. Basically what I want. Was looking at pre-fab one in Cascade and they only carry the type (for hand bombing) where the anchor drops into a recess. This seems fine for transport but I've heard they are a pain to deploy as you need to lift it up and out to get it to drop. I like how with the anchor caddie type you can release it from back near the wheel. I don't plan to order an anchor caddie as with the exchange rate I think I could do better local.
Gonna check out Balmer Fabrication (Abby) and Primus Metalworks (Chilliwack) tomorrow. Both advertise that they make/install bow rollers. Will also check out AJ Ventures as I've heard good things about them. I'll pick who I have the most confidence will make the roller the way I want and if the price seems fair I'll go there.
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You might have your break away connected wrong.
I use a Danforth type anchor - I have a Fraser anchor but it is a monster and I only really need it during freshet.
Here's a typical Danforth anchor:
(http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/sdeans101/DANFORTH_ANCHOR.jpg)
What you want to do is attach your chain in a hole in the plate on top near where the straight round rod is and zip tie your chain at the end of the long, flat arm where the hole is.
Under normal conditions, you don't break the zip tie and pull the anchor up from the long end.
If it is stuck, you break the zip tie and the chain pulls the anchor out "backwards".
Take a look at this or Google "breakaway anchor":
http://reelboating.com/forums/index.php/topic/430-rigging-a-breakaway-anchor/
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Sorry maybe my description sucked. But I'm almost positive I have it hooked up right. Looks like this (assuming link works from Google images).
https://ca.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrSbl_XUvRVJwYAgYDrFAx.;_ylu=X3oDMTE0ZnFpb210BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjAzMDlfMQRzZWMDcGl2cw--?p=river+anchor+break+away+system&fr=yfp-t-715&fr2=piv-web#id=0&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi465.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr18%2FBudMilloorsSuck%2FRiver_Anchor.jpg&action=click
The (2) zap straps will break if the anchor got hung up and like you said it should come out backwards.
Our boat came with a 12lb Digger Anchor. It worked okay but our boat started to drift a couple times so I don't think it's sufficient for the Fraser. Maybe if I added more chain. Meh, currently for sale on Craig's List (actually I should put it on here too!) The 30lb Fraser anchor holds our boat no prob but is a big pain to haul in and out of the water. Need to get proper bow roller soon.
Went to place in Chilliwack yesterday knows for making this kind of thing. Nice enough guy buy basically made me feel like my boat was a POS. More or less told me that Harbercraft's are built cheap and in order to properly install HIS bow roller he would have to do a bunch of extra reinforcing of the checker plate, stiffen this up and that up, and blah blah blah so the bow would handle the weight/torque of the anchor. Guy from AJ Ventures in Chwk didn't mention any of that and they build boats and I'm sure are familiar with Harbercraft. Will Probably go there. Going to check out Balmer Fabrication in Abby soon maybe even today.
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The guy you went to seems to know more about your boat than the others do. I would go to him, in fact I probably already did. No b s just a job done properly.
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check out Keith at primus metal fab in Chilliwack also does really nice work
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Primus all the way!!
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Decided to go with Balmer Fabrication. Got a much better vibe from the guy than others. Younger gung-ho guy. Was more than willing to do the extra mods I wanted and not charge me an arm and a leg for it.
Going to abandon the anchor we were given and buy a new one. One we are using is all round tubing and seems it just does not work with the roller these shops crank out. Was going to cost as much or more to have a roller customized to work with the round body anchor. New anchor not that expensive just going to get one that works with the rollers this guy makes.
Luckily guy said I can use the rope that came with my boat (150 feet I think). Need to buy a new/longer length of chain I think there is only 5 feet currently attached to rope.
Going to bring the boat soon. Can't wait! Lifting the current 30lb anchor in and out of the bow with no roller sucks!!!
On a somewhat related note...
What do ya'll use to put your chain and rope in? Right now I'm using a black milk craft. Looks a bit ghetto but it works. How about those rope bags? Also want to put a rubber mat under the crate as it slides around a bit.
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Got bow roller done yesterday. Looks great! If I can remember how to post pics on this site Ill put a few up.
So just for a quick recap....dropping anchor I think Im fine with. Not sure if there is a guideline of how much rope/chain to let out for X feet of water. I probably let out about double(?). Eg for 20 feet of water 40 feet of line. Typicially just what seems about right and if it holds then I tie the rope off at the cleat.
For puling anchor I find this a bit more stressful. What we have been doing is starting the boat and driving upstream pretty much straight over the anchor. Not driving upstream and using boat power to pull anchor free. It's me pulling it out of the muck but I dont find it that big of a deal.
Sounds like if you wanna save your back, or if the anchor is hung up you drive upstream a bit and use boat power to dislodge anchor.
Any other tips? So far ive been anchoring in pretty slack water like mouth of the Vedder etc. Will have to have my system dialed in when we start sturgeon fishing in the main flow :o
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Alright hopefully this picture attaches properly...
This was the system that came with the boat. Just a welded on rope guide. Was a pain as the anchor would have to be lowered over the side of the boat, then once past the chain I could put the rope through the guide, let out enough length, and tie off to the cleat. Same logistical issue with retrieving the anchor...once into the chain I would have to pull the chain and anchor (30lb) over the side of the boat into the bow. We did make it work but am glad it's now gone.
(http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a485/spawnsack/Oldbow_zpsjg8gdov5.jpg) (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/spawnsack/media/Oldbow_zpsjg8gdov5.jpg.html)
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And the new set up!
Angled piece of metal separate from the roller is a chain stop. Can let the anchor out of the roller a bit if you are close to where you want to drop it, "catch" the chain with this device, then when you are ready to drop you just tug on your rope/chain and the chain will release and the anchor falls out. Guy who did the job suggested this and I think it's a good idea esp if you are in the boat alone you can drop the anchor from the driver's seat.
(http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a485/spawnsack/Newbow1_zpszfttogyf.jpg) (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/spawnsack/media/Newbow1_zpszfttogyf.jpg.html)
This was my idea. I like better than a milk crate or whatever. Chain and rope dump into this void. I could have paid extra to go tight to the contour of the bow but I was okay with a bit of a gap on wither side. Only needs to hold rope/chain not like it's a live well and needs to be water tight.
(http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a485/spawnsack/Newbow2_zpsuukblkob.jpg) (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/spawnsack/media/Newbow2_zpsuukblkob.jpg.html)
A shot inside the box.
(http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a485/spawnsack/Newbow3_zpstjoivio4.jpg) (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/spawnsack/media/Newbow3_zpstjoivio4.jpg.html)
Overall really happy with the work. Looking forward to getting back on the river soon!
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Now that is a river anchor! No screwing around with popping zap straps when you snag up to release just power up and pick it up.
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Haha yeah thanks ;D The anchor we were using before this was also a 30lb, but was the break-away design using zap straps. We were actually planning to use this anchor with the new bow roller, but it is the style with the round body. Was told the same thing by a few shops: that anchor will not sit very well in the roller and if you lose it in the river you will have a hard time finding a new anchor of the same dimensions/fit. So we just went with the new anchor. Plus I like the design of this better with no zap straps etc.
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When we anchor on the Fraser we always use a buoy system as mentioned in the Fraser River Sturgeon article . As well as a marker we mainly use it for safety to separate ourselves from the anchor should an emergency arise . Obviously the buoy is in the water attached ( tied or clipped) to your main rope anchor line with your slack , then cleat off to your boat. If a massive deadhead suddenly pops up , a boom breaks upriver ,you are about to get spooled or your friendly local Tug Boats just want you out of their way pronto . Simply untie off your cleats , throw the rope, power up and takeoff . Good Luck
Quick question: how do you rig your buoy so that it does not slip past the end of your anchor rope if you had to toss the whole shabang in the river and take off?
I have a big carabiner attached to the bouy. As I understand it after you let out your anchor line your clip the buoy to the rope and it will ride down the line and stop at the point where the rope goes under the water. Pretty common sense so far.
However, the way it is rigged up right now, if I were to toss my anchor line overboard while anchored up the carabiner would slip past the end of the rope and the anchor, chain, rope, and buoy would be bye bye!!!
My idea, not sure if a good one or not, is to rig up a "stopper" at the end of my anchor rope. I was thinking buy one of those football shaped plastic floats, like the ones used on a buoyant heaving line (about mango size). Feed that onto the rope, tie a knot before and after it so it can not ride up or slip off the end, maybe even add a big washer between the float and knot to make SURE the float/stopper can not slide past the knot (esp the one at the end of the rope!).
The way I see it if the buoy made to the end of my anchor rope this would prevent it from coming off. The float/stopper would just sit in my rope box and not be in the way.
Anyone have a different or better idea?
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Well, here is what I did. Have not tried it out yet but I don't see why it would not work. Basically just have a small plastic buoy trapped between two knots. I put a large washer between the buoy and knots on either side to make SURE the buoy can not slip over the knots. Was having trouble getting the anchor rope to burn on the cut end so I just wrapped it tightly with a bit of duct tape. The large carabineer that the big buoy is attached to will not slip over the stopper buoy. So, if I have to throw my anchor line overboard and take off, it seems to me that I will loose everything.
None of my buddies can fish tomorrow so I think it's a good idea instead of trying to dinker with this on the river esp alone, I'm going to take the boat to the lake, practice dropping and retrieving the anchor, throw the whole shebang over board and see what happens, etc. Better to sort any issues out on the lake than the river! Plan to hit the Fraser at least once later in the week :)
(http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a485/spawnsack/Buoy1_zpsqpcjisvj.jpg) (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/spawnsack/media/Buoy1_zpsqpcjisvj.jpg.html)
(http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a485/spawnsack/Buoy2_zpsjdnh3hlu.jpg) (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/spawnsack/media/Buoy2_zpsjdnh3hlu.jpg.html)
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This maybe a dumb question but why not just tie off to your big buoy ?
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When I used to braid loops for the dolphins to tie a skow off, we always just used electricians tape to wrap the tag ends. It won't peel off in the water like the duct tape will.
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This maybe a dumb question but why not just tie off to your big buoy ?
Haha this is probably a dumb response, but I don't really get how I would do this. I new to jet boat fishing only been at it for a couple months and only got this anchor set up in the last week. :o
The way it was explained to me by the guy I fish with is you have two options:
1- The way he does it. He carries a buoy but typically does not use it. He typically anchors up in the Vedder canal and slow water like that so he's not worried about someone driving into his anchor line. He runs 40 feet of chain and just a bit of rope on the end, like 6-8 feet, and this rope has a loop on the end. He's usually only 20-30 feet into his chain max. He says if he was getting spooled by a big spring or whatever he would grab is buoy, clip it to the loop on the rope with the carabineer attached to the buoy, throw his chain and the rest overboard, and take off.
He like this set up as the buoy will not float around much as it's on a short rope.
I'm not a huge fan of this setup as if an emergency were to arise (deadhead collides with anchor line or whatever) and there was only time to cut the anchor line, well you can't cut chain with a knife! And he doesn't carry bolt cutters. He says he keeps an eye on what's happening upstream and the odds of having to cut his anchor line are so small, especially in the water he fishes, he doesn't worry about ever having to cut his chain.
2- The way my boat is rigged up. 20 feet of chain (5/16) and about 100 feet of rope. Unlike my friend I WILL use my buoy as an anchor line indicator and clip it onto my rope after I let my anchor out and am tied off on the cleat. I was told to just clip the carabineer to the rope and let the current take it to the point where the line goes under water.
I'm not really sure how well this will work when pulling the anchor up as the carabineer will keep riding down the rope, then the chain, until it stops at the anchor. Might be a bit of a pain to unclip the buoy before the anchor drops into the roller.
My buddy doesn't like my system as he says if I were to throw the whole shabang overboard to chase down a big spring or whatever, the buoy has a lot of rope to ride down before it hits the "stopper" and could bump into another boat, be in the way of another boat, etc.
I argued well it is a pretty BIG/BRIGHHT buoy so I cant see someone driving into/over it, and if it bumps into another anchored boat it's not going to hurt it. And I'm not likely to be gone that long anyway, it's not like I'm coming back the next day to retrieve my anchor.
And as far as "tie off to your big buoy" (Canyon)...I don't really get how I'd do this :( Yeah I guess I could tie some of the loose line in the bow to it and throw it overboard, but if the knot comes undone all is bye-bye, and this would take more time then just clipping on with a carabineer.
I texted the guy who did my bow roller job and he basically said he has always fished a windlass and doesn't have the luxury of tossing his anchor line and coming back later for the anchor. So in the case of a run away spring he just gets his anchor up as fast as he can.
I replied in our boat this wouldn't work so well with two ppl (usually the case) as bringing the anchor up is kind of a two person job (one on the wheel/throttle, one on the anchor). So if the other person has a FISH on they can't really just put the rod down and start farting around with pulling anchor.
ANYWAY, I'm going to try my set up as is and if I don't like it tweak as I see fit.
If anyone cares to email me pics of their set up pls do so to kcp@alumni.sfu.ca.
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When I used to braid loops for the dolphins to tie a skow off, we always just used electricians tape to wrap the tag ends. It won't peel off in the water like the duct tape will.
Thanks for that. I'll rip off the duct and put electrician's tape.
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Being new to river boating myself I was just wondering at the point where the anchor line is thrown over to get picked up later it's still a 100 ft of rope in the water would it be better knowing the end of the rope is at the big bouy for an easier retrieval of the anchor line ?
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Keep the Bouy in your boat, you don't need an "indicator" while anchored, your Bouy will be bouncing off your bow.
Your description sounds like a Columbia river setup. Using the Bouy to lift anchor while driving forward.
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Being new to river boating myself I was just wondering at the point where the anchor line is thrown over to get picked up later it's still a 100 ft of rope in the water would it be better knowing the end of the rope is at the big bouy for an easier retrieval of the anchor line ?
Haha sorry I still don't know what you're asking. My plan was to have the ball clipped to the line as an "indicator" while fishing (so boats can see where my anchor line is). If I throw everything overboard, I guess depending on the current, my big buoy may travel all the way to the end of my anchor line until it hits the "stopper."
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Keep the Bouy in your boat, you don't need an "indicator" while anchored, your Bouy will be bouncing off your bow.
Your description sounds like a Columbia river setup. Using the Bouy to lift anchor while driving forward.
Yeah....I guess come to think of it I don't really see anyone else with a buoy being used as an "indicator." I can see not really needing one, say, anchored up in slow moving water like the mouth of the vedder and so on as the angle of you line will be pretty close to your boat. Very unlikely someone wil be driving THAT close to your bow/anchor line.
But what about out in the main flow? I'm thinking I will have more rope out and more of gradual angle in my anchor line, and in theory an increased possibility of someone driving over and possibly connecting with my anchor rope. No?
So Canso, assuming I keep my buoy in my boat unless I am clipping it on to power off and retrieve it later, do you think my current set up is alright? If there is a decent flow it seem that my buoy will ride to the end of my rope (90-100 feet) until it hits the stopper and could possibly get in someone's way and piss them off (want to avoid this)?
I guess you could do a quick loop knot in the slack rope and clip the buoy to that, then it will not ride down the length of rope. I just worry about rushing it, somehow the knot comes undone, the buoy separates from the anchor line, and I lose everything! :o With my set up at least once the buoy is clipped on it is not coming off my anchor line.
Hoping for some good tips if I should modify my set up. If I google "how to use an anchor buoy in the river" it is mostly the system where you use the buoy to bring up the anchor. I don't think this would work well in the Fraser and don't plan to try it.
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Well I took the boat out today on Cultas lake to arse around with the new anchor system - I like it! Gonna take it out in the river tmrw with a buddy.
System I tried to secure the big buoy that seems to work is grab a few feet of rope that is close the rope tied around the cleat. Make an overhand knot/loop. Click the buoy to that loop, undo rope around cleat, and toss over board. I think pretty much impossible for this knot to come undone.
I still like having the small buoy at the very end of my rope as, if somehow all my rope was to go overboard and I was not in more than 110 feet of water (about length of my rope and chain), it would float on the surface and hopefully I could hook onto it.
A few other observations:
-I could drop anchor in the Fraser by myself no problem (the quick release chain catch works awesome!), but driving forward and trying to retrieve the chain and rope would be pretty stressfull I reckon. Seems like more of a two person job. I would go out by myself if I knew I was going to a bar but I don't think I would try to anchor up in the main flow and try to pull anchor and drive the boat at the same time.
-Not that easy to pull up a 30lb anchor plus 20 feet of 5/16 chain! Definitley gonna put a pair of those blue rubber grippy gloves in the boat to make that a bit easier. I mean I can pull it up it's not a big deal, but I don't think the wife would be able to esp the initial yank to get it out of the muck. Perhaps powering a bit up river to break the anchor loose off the bottom where it's dug in BEFORE trying to haul it up might help?
Overall I'm happy with the system but now I can see why people pay for the windlass! Down the road I think I'd like to save up for one it would sure be nice to just flip a switch :o
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In the main flow you will still have a steep angle on your rope, no one will ever come close to your anchor rope. especially having a heavy anchor and chain with short rope.
My scotchman is always connected about 6' from the bitter end, then a small float like yours on the bitter end to help retrieve the rope. Don't ever forget to clip your scotchman, the small float will not keep anything afloat in the Fraser.
The only time rope can be a problem is when bar fishing from your boat in shallow water. If you need to save your spot when chasing a spring, use your chain and no rope or have a short rope on board just for this. I don't fish in crowds and always pull anchor when in shallow water <20'. Anything deeper I'm probably sturgeon fishing.
As for pulling anchor, I'm standing next to my steering wheel while pulling anchor so driving forward is no big deal when solo (not possible on all boats). My favourite anchoring device is a cam cleat, http://www.harken.com/productdetail.aspx?id=5478&taxid=390
I never tie off. Also when trying to release from the muck, pull in all slack and cleat, drive forward using the boat to release.
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Thanks Canso. Well I am I agree it is probably unnecessary with my set up to have the buoy clipped to my anchor line as an "indicator." Just seems like one more pain in the arse thing to deal with when pulling the anchor up which is a pain enough already.
I get what you're saying about fishing in shallow water and coming back for your spot. Like you I'm unlikely to be fishing amongst crowds in the first place. I'll rig up a short rope down the road for this purpose.
I currently don't have a cam cleat but I'm familiar with them and may install one down the road. Right now I'm happy with my set up and I would not go out in the main flow and anchor up. With my current confidence level I consider it a 2 person job. I mean, I can pull up the anchor and stand at the wheel, it's just too much going on for my current comfort level. I would go out by myself and pull up on a bar or possibly anchor up in the canal where there isn't much current.
Thanks again :)
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Yawn! Sorry to resurrect this discussion from last year. I was getting the boat geared up today hoping to use soon. Realized I still was pondering a few things about anchoring. If anyone has some feedback that would be awesome.
So after we got our bow roller set up done last fall I'd say we got out fishing 6 or so times. Being 100% new to river boating we (wife and I) were a bit too chicken to explore around the Fraser and fished mostly in the Vedder canal and near the mouth of the Vedder, and a bit in the Fraser around Island 22. This year we are planning to do more exploring, fish for sturgeon, explore more river!
So far we have not run into any major issues dropping and retrieving anchor. Our system is I am generally driving the boat, and when we get to a spot where want to drop anchor the wife takes over on the wheel and I get up in the bow. She spins the boat around nose into the current, and when it looks like a good spot I give the anchor a shove off the roller and down she goes! I try to drop anchor a bit above where I want to fish as depending on the speed of the current sometimes we'll drift back a bit before the anchor bites and holds.
We don't have a cam or clam cleat on the bow, just a regular cleat. I can see how a cam or clam cleat would be handy, but so far I have not had any issues tying off to the standard cleat. A couple times when we anchored up in faster water I had the wife give the boat a bit of gas as we drifted in reverse, so when I went to tie off on the cleat there wasn't a sudden tightening of the rope, and instead was more gradual, and easier to quickly do a couple figure 8 knots.
When time to go we start up the boat, give it a minute to warm up, then the wife will slowly drive over the anchor, and I'll pull up all the rope and chain and lastly the anchor back into the roller. We have not had to deal with a stuck anchor yet. I'm wondering...if your anchor is stuck, and you need to use the motor to free it, what's the best way to do it?
I imagine I would just tie off to the bow cleat, leave the rope going though/out of the roller, and slowly power forward. Or would you take the rope out of the roller and have it go over the side of the boat? I'm just thinking this as I would be a bit worried that if the anchor was really stuck, and you gave the throttle a good punch, it could possibly bend/damage the bow roller and the checker plate it is affixed to. And, if the anchor didn't free its self couldn't the boat suddenly whip/turn to one side??? It just seems that is the rope is not fed through the roller there is less chance of the bow being spun around and/or the roller being damaged by excessive torque.
Lastly, we have an anchor buoy which we have not yet used. Well, I tied to let it out once as an "indicator" and found it to be a bit of a pain when pulling the last bit of chain in, as the carabineer rides right to the last bit of chain where it meets the anchor, and now the anchor wont fall into the recess in the roller as the damn carabineer/buoy is in the way! So I have to dick around with unclipping the carabineer while trying to get the anchor into the roller. After this I decided I'd just use the buoy if we needed to chase down a fish or whatever. Plan is start up the boat, power ahead a bit to take tension of the rope. While wife is doing this I would tie a quick overhand loop knot in the rope, clip the buoy to it, and toss the buoy and all my extra rope in the water and take off. I reason it's not the best idea to just clip the carabineer to the rope as it will ride down to the very end, hit my stopper, and then be floating haphazardly 100feet or so down river, possibly bumping into other boats, other people's gear, and so on. I'd rather it float right over my anchor which is why tying off to a loop makes sense to me.
I should also mention that in an emergency I'm just going to cut the rope and lose the anchor. I have a good fixed blade serrated knife at the bow for this purpose.
Also, since I obviously have a lot to learn about river boating I am taking STS' river boating course on April 2nd. Looking forward to it!
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Look up anchor puller by ironwood pacific. They work great for chasing large sturgeon or tossing anchor in a hurry. You can put all the excess line into a mesh laundry bag so it doesnt float down river.
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Thanks Tenz85, I checked out these pullers on their website and youtube.
Maybe I'd have to see one work in person to appreciate how awesome it is but...I honestly can't see myself liking one that much.
At least when we were out last fall, often there were several other boats around. Seems like one needs to get their anchor up more or less where they are anchored, rather than having the luxury of powering off, letting the buoy bring the anchor to the surface, then stopping to pulling in all the rope + chain.
We were generally anchored up in 5-30 feet of water and I didn't find pulling up the rope/chain/anchor to be that big of a deal. However if I had several times this length of rope out in a deep sturgeon hole I might be singing a different tune!
Eventually would love to get a windlass but for now hand-bombing will have to do :o