Anchor line reel

Hello,

Trying to figure out a way to spool up my yak anchor line on some type of reel.  Looked at the various scuba diving reels but they seem too small to handle enough anchor line that will support an 8lb mushroom.  Ive seen the traditional extension cords wind up device, but want to minimize the size and clutter on my kayak.  My thought is to eventually connect the reel to some type of quick release buoy and throw it overboard while I'm anchored. 

I'm sure someone smarter than me has figured something that works good.

Thanks.

B

There's def people using dive reels for anchors. That's what I was going to make my Qras system with. 

Here's a picture of the breakaway anchor system based on a dive reel which I'm currently using.  When using the system, I lower the anchor to the bottom and let out enough additional line to get at least 1:3 scope. Then I run the red rope through the ring or carabiner in my anchor trolley, jam the end of the rope in a zig-zag cleat next to my kayak seat, and use the anchor trolley to run the buoy and dive reel out to the bow or stern of my kayak, depending on whether I want to be facing into or away from the current and/or wind. When I hook onto a big fish, I pop the red rope out of the zig-zag cleat and let the fish pull me away from the buoy and dive reel. 

When I'm done playing the fish, I go back to the buoy. If I want to stay in the same place, I pull the carabiner on my anchor trolley system back next to my seat, run the red rope through the anchor system's carabiner, jam the end of the rope in the zig-zag cleat, and run the buoy and dive reel out to the bow or stern of my kayak.

To raise the anchor, rather than using the dive reel to winch up the anchor, I pull up the anchor hand-over-hand, throwing the dive reel line into the water on the opposite side of my kayak from the anchor.  When I get the anchor into the cockpit of my kayak, I reel in the dive anchor line with no tension on it.

The chain helps keep the anchor lying on its side on the bottom, so its claws will stay engaged.  It's attached to the bottom of the anchor with a shackle, and to the top with a thin zip tie or a loop of heavy monofiliment.  If the anchor gets hooked on the bottom and I can't pull it loose, I pull on the anchor line hard enough to break the zip tie or mono.  Then my anchor line will pull on the bottom of the anchor rather than the top, which hopefully will let the anchor come loose from the bottom. A couple of details about this anchor release arrangement: (a) Be sure to leave enough slack in the section of chain between the bottom of the anchor and the zip tie so when you pull on the anchor line, the tension goes on the zip tie, not down to the bottom of the anchor.  (b) Be sure that the zip tie or mono is thin enough to permit you to break it by pulling on your anchor line when you're sitting in your kayak pulling straight up on the anchor line, which is harder than you might think.  Even a small zip tie is surprisingly hard to break. Tie your anchor to something on the bottom and experiment with different options until you find a zip tie or a loop of mono which you can actually break. (c) Bring a couple of extra zip ties or lengths of mono with you so you can replace the zip tie or loop of mono if you have to break the one on your anchor. The best place to keep the spares is on the loop at the top of the anchor.  Leave the spares long enough so you can cut one off the top of your anchor and still have enough length to attach it between the top of the anchor and the chain. If you don't have a spare zip tie of known strength with you, you can always tie the head of the anchor to the chain with fishing line, and hope that you don't get your anchor line hooked to the bottom a second time.

Thanks for the info and pictures.  Instead of a claw anchor, I was thinking of using a 5 or 8 pound mushroom.  Do you think the line on your reel can handle the weight or does the reel have the capacity to use a heavier line?

B

Thanks for the info and pictures.  Instead of a claw anchor, I was thinking of using a 5 or 8 pound mushroom.  Do you think the line on your reel can handle the weight or does the reel have the capacity to use a heavier line?

You need to check the strength of the line in whatever dive reel you decide to buy.  Don't trust the strength listed in the ads for the dive reel: Tie a piece of the line to something and try to break it by adding weight or by jerking on it. I suspect that any dive reel will have line which is way stronger than is required to lift a 5 or 8 pound anchor, and also stronger than you could break by pulling and jerking on it.  The question is whether the dive reel line is strong enough to hold your kayak against a moderate current or wind, and/or the tugging caused by waves hitting or rolling under your kayak.  It isn't safe to anchor a kayak in very much current, and I find that I have a pretty low tolerance for staying on anchor in waves of any size.  If the wind and waves start brewing up, I pull up my anchor and switch to trolling or some other method of fishing which doesn't involve being attached to the bottom.

I used to use a tie wire reel to hold my anchor line, and I used thick tuna leader as anchor line.  A picture of the tie wire reel is shown below; you can see the tuna leader on the right side of the picture. The tuna leader is real strong, but the problem with the thick anchor line is that I couldn't get as much as I wanted onto the tie wire reel.  I decided to switch to a dive reel with thinner but much longer line.

Great stuff I just ordered a dive line... I like the way your attached to bottom of anchor it all makes perfect since!!!

Thanks!!!