Simple Trick To Make Sure You Don’t Lose Your Kayak Anchor
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Kayak Fishing, Weekly Newsletter: 7-18-21
Have you ever lost your kayak anchor?
Well, I have lost one.
And that will never happen again!
In this video, you’ll learn the quick trick to rigging up your kayak anchor so you’ll never lose one.
Check it out below!
Trick To Not Losing Your Kayak Anchor [VIDEO]
Click here to join the Insider Club
A popular kayak anchor is a grapnel anchor (pronounced “grapple anchor”).
It’s great because this anchor folds up and you’re not wasting a ton of space on your kayak.
But the problem with this type of anchor is that it gets stuck pretty easily on the bottom.
And if you have them rigged up improperly, there’s virtually no way to get them out.
How To Rig A Grapnel Anchor
Most anglers tie the rope to the top of the anchor only.
But if you notice on these anchors, there’s also a tie-off spot on the bottom.
You really need to secure your rope to the bottom of the anchor and then on the top section, you want to tie a breakaway point.
Using two heavy-duty zip ties, create a breakaway point with the rope on the top of the anchor.
The heavy-duty zip ties hold onto a smaller zip tie that is attached to the rope.
Once you give a nice tug on the rope, the smaller zip tie will break and the anchor will release.
And don’t worry, there’s no extra trash going into the water with this rig!
Those heavy-duty zip ties are going to keep a tight hold on the smaller one.
Want to take a deep dive into the best kayak fishing tactics? Get the Salt Strong Kayak Fishing Mastery Course here.
Conclusion
It just takes a couple of zip ties to ensure that you don’t lose your kayak anchor.
If you rig up your anchor properly, you’ll be able to easily break it away from the bottom and move to your next spot.
And if you want to master the art of kayak fishing, get the Salt Strong kayak fishing course here!
Do you have any other tips for not losing your anchor?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who has lost an anchor or wants to learn more about kayak fishing, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
Related articles:
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Great idea that I learned a long time ago that was employed for my reef anchor when bottom fishing offshore in a 23′ boat. Now, scaled down to kayak use, perfect. GREAT suggestion to retain the zip tie and not contribute to the already pollutant plastics in the water. I’ve also done the same thing with mono but zip ties are so convenient and hopefully they come back up with the anchor. Thanks for sharing. We all need to be good stewards to our precious resource.
Thank you for the great feedback Scott!
Remember to keep a few spare zip ties with you too. If you do have to yank your anchor free, you’ll be able to re-rig and use your anchor again on that same trip.
Plus, zip ties are like duct tape that can help you in many other ways. You can probably make a decent repair to the transmission of an ’86 F-150 with the right combination of zip ties. 😉
Ah yes, very important as well!
More zip ties aren’t necessary. Try using only one zip tie and thread it between half of the rope weave before securing it to the anchor. It provides enough to hold to bring the broken piece of zip tie back into the boat to be properly discarded.
Will have to try that out, thanks for the tip!
Great tip, thank-you!! New to kayak fishing, can’t wait to hook up w a big redfish.
My pleasure Alex!
I’ve heard this rig being called “the rock rig”. I’ve been using it for the past 3 to 4 years and have had to use it a few times out on the water. Works every time! I use lightweight zip ties and haven’t had a problem yet with them chafing through or breaking before I’ve needed them. I do like the additional zip tie idea in order to keep my trash with me! Time to re-rig it that way! Always great stuff as usual Tony!
This is a life saver, especially at Haulover. I’ve lost 2 anchors over there haha. The doubled up zip tie definitely helps keep it all together after a release. It’s not 100% though, sometimes the tie will break in different spots and may end up in the water, but its better than leaving an entire anchor and rope in the water.
Tony, good video but get a flush cutter and cut off those murderous zip tie ends. Save your hands & keep your blood!
Micro Flush Cutter (harborfreight.com) Only use them on plastic and they will last.
Will definitely check it out!
Save money and buy a lighter instead. Leave about 1/16 or 1/8 of an inch after trimming a zip tie and singe the plastic tag end. The plastic will round off a bit and be no problem for your hands, etc. Then you also have a lighter for your kit in case you have to spend the night outside.
I read about this years ago and set my anchor up that way, but with only one light duty zip. I like your method better because I have always worried about that one zip chaffing against the roughness of the anchor and breaking loose when I don’t want it to do so. I’ll be re-rigging it to your way when I finally get my kayak wet again, with the added bonus of not dumping the broken zip. I always find some trash to take away from the water on every outing, so I certainly do not want to add trash.
How about not losing your anchor when you want to quick-release it because of a big catch? I often have my anchor secured to the kayak with a quick-release clip if targeting large fish. It lets you use the kayak as a drag of sorts while you go for a ride. I’ve only had one very short ride. 🙁 But, you never know. So, I tie a buoy (with my name and contact #) at the very end of the rope which is hopefully long enough to reach the surface.
Good idea with the name and contact number! Never thought of that!
Good point! I do have my anchor secured to my kayak with a carabiner that i can easily unclip if needed. I also have a small buoy close to the clip so when i disconnect it the buoy signals where my rope is so I can retrieve it (and so others don’t run it over)
Definitely a must for anchors. I would even consider it for boats, but essential for kayaking fishing in deeper water. Thanks for the concise video on this hack. I’ve used 25-30 lb mono in a pinch but I like the multiple zip tie setup. I also add a short length of chain to help the anchor lay down and catch better (BTB/deeper water fishing).
From a safety standpoint as well with kayaks, you never want to be strongly secured (or stuck) to bottom. Thats a recipe for disaster if you get caught in strong current or a large boat wake that can possibly cause you to flip.
Clever, Tony. Until now I have used a marker buoy tied to the distal end of the anchor which I pull to free the anchor when it gets stuck. I like that your method has less stuff to carry and tangle. I assume the trick lies in getting the breaking strength right on the thin zip tie so that it has enough tensile strength to hold the boat in a steady current but breaks when you pull sharply on the anchor rope.
Yes on a kayak you don’t need much to hold the rope in place since you need to break the tie with your own strength. On a boat you may have to use a stronger tie (or use some twine) and you can break the anchor free under the power of the boat. Make sure you pull from an angle as well, and not directly above the anchor.
Thanks Tony – will need to add the additional two – good tip
Kayak Course – really enjoyed it
Thank you for the great feedback Pablo!