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Creating a kayak chain anchor

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A stealthy river anchor is easy to make. Ours for this project cost about $25. <br><br> 1. Start with five lengths of 1/4-inch chain, from 10 to 12 links (12 to 14 inches long). You’ll also need a large carabiner and some Plasti Dip or a similar product. <p> <em>All captions: Dave Mull</em>
A stealthy river anchor is easy to make. Ours for this project cost about $25. 1. Start with five lengths of 1/4-inch chain, from 10 to 12 links (12 to 14 inches long). You’ll also need a large carabiner and some Plasti Dip or a similar product.

All captions: Dave Mull

2. Tie mono-filament fishing line on one end of each length of chain and dip each in Plasti Dip to coat. Completely immerse the whole strand in the Plasti Dip can. Pull chain out to achieve an even coating on each. The links will stick ­together, which makes the ­anchor quieter.
2. Tie mono-filament fishing line on one end of each length of chain and dip each in Plasti Dip to coat. Completely immerse the whole strand in the Plasti Dip can. Pull chain out to achieve an even coating on each. The links will stick together, which makes the anchor quieter.
3. After letting most of the excess Plasti Dip drip back into the can, place the chain where the coating can dry. We propped four ­layers of cardboard in a cardboard box and steadied it with a barstool; 4-inch screws were easy to twist into the cardboard to hold each length apart from the others.
3. After letting most of the excess Plasti Dip drip back into the can, place the chain where the coating can dry. We propped four layers of cardboard in a cardboard box and steadied it with a barstool; 4-inch screws were easy to twist into the cardboard to hold each length apart from the others.
4. After the coating is completely dry (at least four hours), snip the mono-filament as close to the coating as possible, string the chain on a carabiner and tie anchor line to the narrow end.
4. After the coating is completely dry (at least four hours), snip the mono-filament as close to the coating as possible, string the chain on a carabiner and tie anchor line to the narrow end.
“I use the chain anchor a lot as a brake — not to ­completely stop, but to move slowly down-current with the anchor dragging,” says longtime Michigan kayak bass ­aficionado Jeremy Crowe. “The more line you let out, the slower you go, until you actually anchor and stop. I usually let the anchor slow me down enough so I can take 10 or 15 casts at a piece of structure instead of just the two or three I could make going at the current’s speed.” <br><br> Crowe and his fiancée, Shannon Williams, fish kayak bass tournaments throughout the season and especially enjoy river and stream contests. Crowe, who provided the instructions for this ­project, notes that he needs five 12-inch lengths of 1/4-inch chain to slow his Jackson Big Rig, while Shannon’s smaller Jackson Coosa requires just three, sometimes four, to counter most currents. <br><br> The couple routes anchor lines to the tail of their yaks, which keeps the crafts tracking straight and steady in the current. <br><br> Another good anchor in current (as well as on lakes) is the Chene Kayak Anchor (<b><a href=http://www.cheneanchor.com/ target=
“I use the chain anchor a lot as a brake — not to completely stop, but to move slowly down-current with the anchor dragging,” says longtime Michigan kayak bass aficionado Jeremy Crowe. “The more line you let out, the slower you go, until you actually anchor and stop. I usually let the anchor slow me down enough so I can take 10 or 15 casts at a piece of structure instead of just the two or three I could make going at the current’s speed.”

Crowe and his fiancé, Shannon Williams, fish kayak bass tournaments throughout the season and especially enjoy river and stream contests. Crowe, who provided the instructions for this project, notes that he needs five 12-inch lengths of 1/4-inch chain to slow his Jackson Big Rig, while Shannon’s smaller Jackson Coosa requires just three, sometimes four, to counter most currents. The couple routes anchor lines to the tail of their yaks, which keeps the crafts tracking straight and steady in the current.

Another good anchor in current (as well as on lakes) is the Chene Kayak Anchor (cheneanchor.com), which ­retails for about $30. This has a sliding O-ring for anchor line attachment, which allows easy extraction from snags. There’s no way to use it as a brake to slow downstream progress, however.

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