Five Accessories for Safer, Easier Boat Anchoring in Big Rivers

In theory, anchor fishing on a big river could require as little equipment as a boat, an anchor and some rope. However, most days and anchoring situations can prove to be at least a bit of a hassle, and at worst quite dangerous if you are not properly prepared. Here are five anchoring accessories that if you use once, you will likely not go again without.

1) Anchor Ball and Retrieval System- Unless you have a windless for retrieving your anchor when you are done fishing for the day or decide to relocate, you realize quickly how un-fun pulling a heavy anchor can be. Anchor buoys and retrieval systems help solve this by doing most of the hard work for you. By simply allowing the balls buoyancy, the attached pulley, and your boat motor to do the work, the system pulls the anchor to the surface as you motor slowly upstream. The ball also helps float your anchor rope if you release or "drop off" the anchor.

2) Jam Cleat- Many big river anglers (particularly in the Pacific Northwest) prefer to release from their anchor line when they hook a big fish. No one thing makes this process easier than a jam cleat. When anchoring, you simply play out enough line to get you in a safe and desired spot, and then place your line into the cleat opening- the downstream force pulls your line tight and snug into the cleat like a Chinese finger trap. When you want to release from your anchor, you simply pull up on the tag end of the rope and it releases the boat, sending you drifting downstream.

3) Spare Rope Bag- If you find you often release from your anchor to fight fish or motor to shore, a bag or container to hold your excess anchor rope is a must have. While anglers use solutions ranging from bungee cords to hose reels to bags of many types, the cheapest and easiest solution is probably a laundry bag. Not only does it provide a convenient place to store rope and chain (you can simply put the bag inside a five gallon bucket or a basket), it is easy to play the rope out of as you deploy anchor. Once you have secured the rope in your jam cleat, leave enough rope out to half hitch the top of the bag shut, securing the extra line inside the bag. A buoy in the bottom of the bag will help it all float when you throw it overboard to drift downriver.

4) Sea Anchors/Drift Socks- Although sea anchors have a variety of uses, they come in particularly handy when anchoring in windy situations. Putting out sea anchors tied to each side of your stern will add extra downstream force, aiding in keeping the boat pointed straight up and down the river. If the wind is especially strong in a perpendicular direction, two sea anchors on one side of the stern will help counteract the force of the breeze.

5) Safety equipment- While deploying and retrieving anchor, it is best to don personal floatation devices (PFDs) or life jackets. Also, it is a smart idea to have a sharp knife on hand. Sadly, anchoring accidents are an annual cause of boats sinking. A boat that ends up with an anchor line wrapped around its prop or outdrive can be swamped and sink in a matter of mere seconds. If your anchor rope becomes tangled in anything near the stern of your boat, cutting the rope is the best solution. While doing so might cost you an anchor, it is much cheaper than leaving your boat on the bottom of the river and could save the lives of you and your passengers.