I saw a post on another site where a guy was using an old fly fishing reel with 50lb test braid as his anchor line.

Seems compact enough. Anyone forsee any problems with this idea?

I would want more than 50 pound test just because I know that I have pulled more 50 to get the anchor up out of the mud or rock. I tie on the bottom of the anchor and put a twist tie at the top, so when she get stuck the twist tie breaks and I can pull it up from the bottom. I like the idea and I am fixen to look in the garage for a old reel and see what kind of line and how much I can get on it.
Thanks for the idea!

Was he attaching it to a anchor trolly? If not then the is just one point of attachment. Also I would like more them 50lb test for the anchor.

Hmm, come to think of it he was only using it on his second anchor which he dropped straight down tied to a cleat. His first anchor was on the trolley. I guess you could route the line through the trolley and then wrap to the cleat. Might take a bit more fiddling to exactly position versus tying to the trolley itself.

I just spent an hour last night tying hook drops (leaders) for 20 new catfishing jugs with 50 lb braid.

That stuff HURTS when you pull on it hard. I am afraid if you were to exert much force on it with wet hands it would cut like a scalpel. It cuts dry hands easily enough.

knots in braid often act as a self cutting device when stressed enough and that would worry me on an anchor.

the best organizer I have found for anchor line is a "yo-yo" looking spool sold at Home depot for stowing extension cords. Itself secures the line no mater where you stop pulling it out or rolling it in and the entire line is inside a container that looks like a giant orange bagel.
Next best is a simple "h" shaped device made for the same purpose. The Yo-Yo" is $10 and the "H" spooler is about $3.

For my own, I use a 10" section of pool noodle and 1/4" cotton rope. I replace it every year (or every new boat whichever comes first) but doesn't hurt the hands even when breaking anchor loose from rocks.

Last objection to braid as an anchor line is that it WILL cut straight through the hull on most yaks in a heartbeat. I had a very nice Blue cat break a Berkley Cherrywood rod at the first eye leaving me with a short stump of a rod, with a good fish on and a lot of braid left. There were a couple of hard runs that went under the boat in shallow water and with no rod left I had to just let him go until I could turn the boat and give chase. I had DEEP cuts in the bottom of the hull from the braid.

Just my 2cents, Phill

Not as neat as some I've seem on here, but this is my anchor setup. I have added a float to the line.

CRR, that is way cool and really efficient !

I use those coffee and creamer cans for my catfish baits, chum, cut shad and organizing everything in the world,but had not thought of doing that.

Holy Carp! Thanks for the warning about braid and hull damage! All of a sudden I'm feeling even better about swapping my kayak catfish rigs to 30lb mono.

One of the many reasons I enjoy this forum!

Yet another use for a Folgers can!

Those dog leashes that wind them selfs up work good, just not real long.

I use an old very large Phlueger Metalist Fly Reel for parachute cord for a great tie off line.

BUT for my anchor rope I do the same as I have always done whether on a kayak or a 23 ft center console bay boat. I use a plastic bucket or the anchor locker(for a large boat) or a wide mouth plastic jar (for a kayak). I just drop the rope in the jar and let it fall and lay as it falls. Then the anchor goes in on top of that and holds the rope in place. When you anchor just drop the anchor and let the line feed out exactly backwards of the way it went in. It will not tangle and is the easiest in and out I have ever done. Anytime you wind a rope on something you invariably get some twist in the rope. It is this twist that causes the rope to tangle, usually at just the wrong time. The rope is always either in the jar or being used with the anchor. It is simple, easy, tangle free, and works every time.

Excellent CRR! This is exactly what I was talking about on another thread. I plan on painting mine black and adding some holes in the bottom for drainage.

This only applies to those sissy pedal boats right?

Here's one more!!!!!