Hey fellow yakers. I've had my Jackson kayak Cuda 12 for about five months now and I absolute love it! I would love it more if I could hear some ideas on an anchor and a fish finder. My anchor set up right now is a three pound mushroom looking anchor tied to 100ft of para cord that loves to tangle up into a huge ball and render itself useless.

Im not very good and reading directions and I'm scared to drill lots of holes in my yak so some anchor system with minimal install and hassle would be nice.

Next, I badly need a fish finder. That's one I don't need to explain why I need it.

Which brand? What model? Down scan and GPS would be nice but I understand that they might be too large to fit.

Any advice is sorely needed. I just want to use my yak to its full potential.

I use a bruce claw anchor with 1/4" rope and am quite happy with it. I have a small zigzag cleat to tie it off with and just coil the rope when pulling it in, no problemos. Some people use a retractible dog leash for their anchor rope.

Both Lowrance and Hummingbird are fine sonars, the difference will be in the user interface, ease of navigating through menus, etc. I have a Lowrance Elite 4 with GPS, down scan, and regular sonar, it's pretty decent. I mount the display on a YakAttack mount on a gear track, and the transducer with a Mad Frog Liberator on a gear track. Try out the various menus on various models.

I use 1/4 inch rope too. Para coard is too skinney. I wind it up on a pc of pvc that has a float on each end. Also on one end i have a bungie and carabiner to clip to anchor trolley and a j cut in the other end of pvc for a keeper. Best anchor setup i have seen.

I have the elite 4 hdi Lowrance and love it. Color, down scan, sonar and GPS. Got it on clearance at Academy for 200

Anyone way I could see a picture of this anchor set up? I really like the idea of it, but I want to make sure I've got the right picture in mind

Sorry for not linking but my anchor setup is like one in a YouTube video by Stephen Pearson called "Kayak Anchor Float." The type of bungee he uses is sold in the camping area of WalMart, not in the area with the rest of the bungees, caribiners, etc.

http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/11/quick-release-diy-kayak-anchor-system.html
I made one like this and it worked pretty well

I think this is similar to what christian myrick is talking about, I made this video several years ago. Take a look, maybe it'll help show what you're needing. I made the whole "trolly" with little shackles on the front and rear handles so I can take the whole thing off. I wasn't too fond of the idea of screwing some pulleys onto the side of my kayak, and having them potentially get knocked off or leaking water, so I just did it to the handles.

I follow VentureTube on YouTube. He posted a good video on a simple cost effective Kayak Anchor Setup. Follow the link for your viewing enjoyment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCOwhQgT_M8

Again, there are many good anchor setups so please if this doesn't work....keep googling and you'll find an answer

I picked up a small dive reel from amazon for about $12 - lets me anchor in deeper water easily & is easier to keep my line organized - it is attached to a float in case i need to let it go(or just want to mark a spot to float by). It uses 1/8th rope with 200lb limit. I figure if i'm pulling more than 200lbs on it... i've got bigger problems and probably would prefer it break. The reel is all plastic and IS cheap - so i don't trust it to carry any weight (line gets looped on a cleat). I've been happy with the setup.

float >> clipped to >> dive reel >> cleat/tie >> clip around rope (optional - for when i use anchor trolley - i clip the rope to the trolley ring) >> clip >> anchor

The last clip there lets me swap my anchor for different types - especially brush.

here is an old thread from a few yrs back.
lots of info on "The basics" of yak angling. some of the pics have perished but
it still has nice literature, pics & videos...
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/6730012/1