Which Side Should You Install An Anchor Trolley On Your Kayak?
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Kayak Fishing, SUP Fishing, Weekly Newsletter: 6-7-20
Anchor trollies are incredibly useful for kayak or paddleboard anglers.
They allow you to quickly reposition your boat without having to move or pull up the anchor.
Without them, you face whatever direction the current or wind decides to point you, which can be really frustrating if the fish are in the opposite direction you’re forced to face.
But which side should you put it on?
I’ve found that having it on one side, in particular, makes it much easier when I’m fighting a fish and need to drop anchor or reposition myself.
See which side I recommend putting your anchor trolley on in the video below.
Which Side Does The Anchor Trolley Go On? [VIDEO]
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Since I’m right-handed, I like to have the anchor trolley on my left side.
That way, if I’m fighting a fish or have to reposition my kayak, I can use my left hand to do that while keeping the rod in my right.
Which side do you prefer your anchor trolley to be on?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you know someone who’s thinking about installing an anchor trolley, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Hey Tony. Thanks for the thoughts as I just purchased a trolley. I’m left handed so I am going to place it on the right. My other consideration is how to effectively store the stake for access while fishing? Would love your or anyone else’s ideas on getting after this issue. Thanks for the consideration.
You’re welcome Rick!
I use 2 paddle holders to set the anchor stick on when not in use (one towards the front and the other towards the rear of the kayak and a small bungee to strap it down when moving or transporting.
Hi Tony – I bought an Ocean Kayak BG II, with the anchor trolley on the RIGHT. I just learned to use it with a 6 foot Yak Stick, which is very cool. However, what happens when the current is coming from Left to Right, and I need to deploy the Yak Stick on the LEFT? Is there a way to do safely do this without adding a 2nd anchor trolley on the LEFT? I am open for ideas. Thx!
Hey Fletcher!
Check out this mini course I put together on kayak positioning:
https://www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tip/kayak-positioning/
Anchor trolley location has become a recent issue for me. While I have installed a trolley on the left side,I have never used it due to tangling with other line and clutter in my yak,but that’s a personal issue. I am right handed my preferred casting zone is from 9 O’ clock to 2 O’clock. So I’ve reasoned, in the highly unlikely event that I catch fish, anchoring from the right rear of the yak would avoid potentially tangling a catch with the anchor line.
Hey Philip! Sorry to hear it hasn’t worked out for you, but I would keep at it because it can be a great tool when anchoring. Helps tremendously when you need to stop for a snack break, rigging, fighting a fish, or drifting and anchoring up every now and then to throughly fish an area.
Makes perfect sense, Tony. An additional reason for fly fishers is that they prefer casting when the wind is coming from their non-dominant side. That way, the fly line and fly are blowing away from them during their casting motion. Therefore, by anchoring from the non-dominant side, the wind will be blowing the anchored kayak and fly line in the same direction.
Good info David thanks for sharing!
I agree with you Tony. I put mine on the same side as you because I knew you had a good reason and I figured it was because your left hand is free when fighting a fish. These tips are very valuable thank you for sharing the information!
Good stuff Dave! No problem!