If any. I have a clamshell type anchor that weights 3 lbs and looking for something that will hold me better.

But if I go much heavier it gets hard to retrieve. I'm 74 and my shoulders don't work like they used to.

I'm older than you, and I don't like stake-out poles. I use a 1 kg(2.2 lbs) Bruce-style anchor on my kayak. It will hold in almost any kind of bottom, and it comes up pretty clean. I can stick the shank down in a flush rod holder and it's out of the way. To prevent losing it under an immovable object, connect the anchor rode to the back hole, and lash it to the front hole with a couple of tie-wraps. If it gets stuck, you can pull up hard and break the tie-wraps, and it will pull out backwards. I've learned that from bad experiences.

I voyaged 12,000 miles in a 38-foot power boat between Puerto Rico and Venezuela, anchored thousands of times, and the 33 lb Bruce on it held when none of the other four anchors would. Hated them at first but became a convert. I use a 2 kg(4,4 lb) Bruce on my flats skiff. YMMF. I used a 4 lb dumbbell on my yak, but it rarely worked well. The mushrooms work pretty good, but always come up really nasty. My opinion. Others will have other faves. IslandJim

well if you are 74 in a kayak
you can use whatever you like

i have a small like #3 LB mushroom anchor i use
at Lake Arlington i don't really like being anchored though

Like others have said.. different strokes for different folks... I hate anchors in kayaks, but sometimes they are necessary. If I need to stay put in deep water, the 10 lb mushroom is what is going overboard.. it scoops up the most stank but it works every time unless you dont have enough rope to reach bottom.. ask me how I know.

The small folding anchors work well with enough anchor rope, on almost all type bottoms where there is something for it to grab.. you can plow up a lot of bottom in silty areas.

I prefer the stake out pole in most of the areas I fish.. lilly pads and shallow grass flats. Having an anchor trolley installed makes life a lot easier using any of them.

In addition to the SpotLock feature of my Old Town Autopilot I use a stern mounted grapple-style anchor.........being able to anchor by the bow or the stern is very advantageous in varying wind conditions. This one is stainless steel, weighs 3# and is stowed and deployed with an Anchor Wizard. It holds well and is light enough to be retrieved easily.

What IslandJim said. the 1 kg Bruce anchor is the cat's meow. My experience with the other anchors mentioned on this thread has been disappointing. The Bruce seems to work extraordinarily well on virtually all types of bottoms.

#5 rubber coated dumb bell with 20' 1/4" poly line wrapped around middle and dog leash style clip has always worked well for me. I found claw type anchors get hooked on submerged brush making hard, if not impossible to retrieve.
A bonus to the dumb bell is leaving it hooked to a padeye or trolley, then if you flip, it unrolls and holds the kayak in place instead of drifting away

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071YTHC98/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use that.

Fishing the flats I kept a plastic-coated mushroom on a short line behind the seat. I could ease it down and get out to stalk the fish on foot. Very stealthy. For anchoring deeper in mud or sand I used a Bruce Claw, and a grapple-type anchor in oysters. I had a 18" to 24" length of vinyl-coated stainless 5/16" cable on each one to preclude oyster cutoffs.

I currently use a 1.5 folding Grapple anchor and it's been working fine for me and I also fish saltwater. Early this year, I snagged and lost my 3 lb grapple while fishing around junk in Freeport TX, but my spare 1.5 is doing great for me. I also use a stack out pole when fishing shallow in freshwater.

I prefer an anchor trolley on my kayak.

For those of you that use an anchor wizard, what's the best way to mount the piece with the pipe where the anchor line runs through? I have a 14.5' Native Slayer (OG paddle, not pedal). I've got the hand crank mounted where I like it, but I haven't found a great solution for mounting the other part. The tube faces inwards towards the kayak which prevents the tube from sliding over the edge. I'm at work right now but can upload some pictures when I get home for clarification if I'm not making sense. The other thought, has anyone rigged up the anchor wizard to work with an anchor trolley? If so, what's the best way to do this and what're your thoughts?

I don't use an anchor unless I am crappie fishing and I rarely fish for crappie that are suspended in open water. Because of this I am almost always near some sort of exposed structure and use this spring grabber. If possible, I use the wind to my advantage and grab something upwind and drift into position.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AZ9UR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Obviously, it grabs timber and boat docks well. However, it can grab a clump of grass or lili pad as well. You can also "whip" it around a fat bridge piling/pier... just make sure that you don't whip it around and hit yourself in the head (ask me how I know...LOL). A better way to tie off to a pier is to jam it into a crack and then paddle/pedal around the pier.

I keep it tied to about 25' of 550 cord of which 10' is wound up/tied off because I usually only need about 10' of cord.

Got a bruce anchor delivered the other day, hooked a chain up to the upper hole and hooked the chain up to
the lower with a snap tie. This thing will hold me better than other anchors. Tied 50 ft of anchor rope to the lower end of
the chain and that should hold me in 15 FOW, maybe more. Can't wait to try it, unfortunately were going to be below zero over
the weekend here in CO.

thats a really strong throw
to go around a pillar
we used to have to do it in the cellular industry
it would take around 20 tries

Yep...looked like a monkey at first and then you get the "whip" down. It's less of a throw and more of a well-orchestrated overhead windmill while letting the cord slide through your hand.