Does anyone have any suggestions for anchors for a canoe in the BWCA? Thanks, Rick

Use a mesh bag and fill it with rocks. Then you aren't packing in any weight. You can also remove weight on the lake if you want to use it to control drifting. Going to try it for the first time this weekend, but I know others who have done this with success.

OK, mesh bag sounds great, any ideas on where to get several?

I've had good luck with a basketball net.Pretty cheap and bit more resilient than the mesh bags.

quote OgimaaBines: "I've had good luck with a basketball net.Pretty cheap and bit more resilient than the mesh bags."

+1

Thanks to all, heading to wallyworld to buy a couple of BB nets. Rick

We just tie our rope to one rock....about 2-4# is all that's needed, surprising how good it holds...the best rocks are the oddly shaped ones, easier to tie to and hold better...the most important part is have a lot of anchor rope and let it out...your anchor straight down will not hold...let out at least 2-3 times rope the depth of water your trying to anchor in.

With the bball net I tie one end closed with some scrap rope before hand. Then I fill it with a few rocks and put all the loops of the net through a biner. Tie the other end to your anchor rope and you're good to go.

JD

quote Wallidave: "We just tie our rope to one rock....about 2-4pds is all that's needed, surprising how good it holds...the best rocks are the oddly shaped ones, easier to tie to and hold better...the most important part is have a lot of anchor rope and let it out...your anchor straight down will not hold...let out at least 2-3 times rope the depth of water your trying to anchor in."

+1--the last part of this is very important once the wind picks up. Long rope = staying put with some sway which is good. Short rope = vessel drifting.

quote drrick: "Thanks to all, heading to wallyworld to buy a couple of BB nets. Rick"

Good call. That's all our group of 6-8 uses every year. I think you'll like how well they work.

I also use a basketball net, but I like the idea of using a biner to close the other end.

Dollar store mesh laundry bag.

A cheap zippered duffle bag will also work.

Just get a mesh bag.... forget the b ball net..... I usr my mesh bag to get craw dads.... use a fish carcus in the bag a small bendable stich to prop open put on shoreline at dark with a pull cord... yank it in =bait for a day....... anchor for the other part of day...

Dont forget to dispose of craw dads before moving lakes.

My mesh bag is pink. Buds give me s... my sis who had breast cancer knows the rest of the story........ ..

If you use floating anchor line, you can tie a piece of pool noodle or a quart empty bottle to the end of the rope. Then if you need to go ashore for whatever reason, throw the rope overboard, do your shore thing, come back to the same spot you were at, no need to re do the anchor.

quote lundojam: "Dollar store mesh laundry bag."

+1

Just don't buy the 3 pack! We tried one on the last trip and it ripped as soon as we put the first rock in! Nothing a little duct tape didn't cure, though.

The bigger Dollar Store mesh laundry bags held up well. The other thing I've used in the past that worked well is the mess bags that you buy oranges in.

quote buz: "If you use floating anchor line, you can tie a piece of pool noodle or a quart empty bottle to the end of the rope. Then if you need to go ashore for whatever reason, throw the rope overboard, do your shore thing, come back to the same spot you were at, no need to re do the anchor."

Good tip!

We have always used the mesh laundry bags also, the trick is to still wrap the rope around the bag after you have added the rocks. As to have the rope still securing the majority of the weight in the bag. The mesh just kind of holds it all together.

We also have used with great success a fishing net replacement net. Just the net part. Use just like the laundry bag, but is a lot stronger.

I use mesh orange and grapefruit bags. Cost is nothing and they pack down small. I take about 4 per trip and when one starts wearing out I just slip another one over it and re-tire the rope to them. They hold up fairly well and like I said the cost is zero. Can't remember where I got this tip/idea from.

I save them up throughout the year, and also have a few family members save them for me.

And thanks to yogi59weedr, I'm going to try to catch some craw dads with them next trip.

I use this: Kondos Canoe Anchor Bag

quote jdevries: "With the bball net I tie one end closed with some scrap rope before hand. Then I fill it with a few rocks and put all the loops of the net through a biner. Tie the other end to your anchor rope and you're good to go.

JD"

Another +1 on this.

I use an anchor for an anchor but I base camp and fish. Some folks get out of sorts when I tell them I portage an anchor however, after experimenting with a few different systems I found that an anchor holds better and is much more convenient. This anchor weighs about 3 pounds so it is really no big deal to carry it through the woods for a bit before I sit back down on my butt in the canoe. I make up the 3 pounds in other areas.

I've always used a mesh laundry bag, they are easy to pack and I usually bring two per canoe in case the rocks wrip the mesh. It's always worked for us, never had any problems!

I've always used these. I purchased 2 of them. 7 years ago and I'm still using them with no issues.

Anchor Bag

I just use a basketball net with a zip tie holding the end closed. Then I clip a carabiner to the open loops after I place a rock in it.

quote Savage Voyageur: "I just use a basketball net with a zip tie holding the end closed. Then I clip a carabiner to the open loops after I place a rock in it. "

Exactly the same with me... works very well.

The biggest thing with an anchor, to me, is customizing a system to raise and lower it. If its your own boat and not a rental, a system that lowers the anchor directly from the bow, and locks and or releases super quick and easy, will completely change the way you fish breaklines and drop offs. Lower your anchor, lock in place, fish, try deeper by easily lifting the anchor and drifting out a few yards, dropping and locking anchor quickly and back in business. All from the stern seat with one hand. Any of the anchor bags etc. mentioned will work with the system I outlined in a previous anchor post. Of course, just tying off to the thwart, as I used to do, works as well, its sort of like trolling with a rod holder or having the rod between your knees, both systems work, one just more comfortable/easy (for me at least).

Moonman.

I've used a 10 lb. potato bag with good luck.

yes onion-basketball-potato-mesh bags all work fine and really dont take up space or weight but i just find an irregular shaped rock(there might be 1 or 2 up there) and i have the rope, problem solved.

There was that one time where we walked over every perfect rock for an anchor, only to get to our campsite, and realize that the entire lake was slabs of granite and there was nothing to put into our (basketball net, laundry bag, potato sack.)

If you can't find rocks in the BWCA you will never find any fish! :) No need for an anchor then.