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Why Stick Anchors? | |
by Gary Poyssick |
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Ten years ago, there were only so many ways you
could anchor your boat. You tied a rope to a big chunk of metal (available
in a variety of shapes and forms, but still big pieces of metal) and dropped
it off the side of your boat. It hit the bottom, and if you had enough line
out, and a length of chain to keep the anchor laying sideways and stuck into
the mud, gravel, grass, or sand, there was a good chance you wouldn’t drift
fast into the sea wall twenty yards away, downwind and down-tide. | |
Anchoring in deep water
– or even moderately deep water – is a skill in and of itself; and one
best left for its own article. If your primary focus is on skinny water,
though, the options for anchoring your boat have – in the past ten years
especially – improved dramatically. The change has come in the form of
what we call “stick anchors”. The reason we call them stick anchors is
very simple; they’re sticks that hold the boat in skinny water – without
the need to drop that big heavy piece of metal off the side of your
boat. If you’re in four feet of water – or better-yet two feet of water
– even a four-pound piece of metal is a bit much.
Enter the stick anchor. Stick anchors are vertical sticks – either
hydraulic or physical/manual – that hold the boat in shallow water
without making a major hole in the grass, or making noise when you drop
it into the dirt.
There are a few clear advantages to stick anchors in skinny water.
• They don’t disturb grass any more than a walking crab; the small hole
they make has no impact whatsoever on the flats you’re fishing.
• They are easier to handle than a standard anchor.
• They give you much better control over the position and swing of your
boat than using a traditional anchor on a line and chain.
The “swing” factor is very important if you’re like a lot of us and rely
on live bait. If you use a regular anchor, you need to have line in the
water. The length of that line determines the ‘swing’ the boat makes in
the tide and wind. You can start throwing chum in one spot, and a minute
later swing ten feet (or more) away. It makes it difficult, at times, to
generate a steady chum slick – critical to getting bait to concentrate,
or “ball-up”.
A stick anchor – whether hydraulic or manual – defines a different
anchor point for that “swing”. Rather than swinging ten or however many
feet from your chum slick, you stay directly on top of it. The maximum
distance your boat can move out of the slick is roughly the width of the
beam.
• Lastly, all but one of them don’t cost much money.
Keep in mind, however, that stick anchors do not replace standard
anchors; they’re built for shallow water and aren’t the safest thing to
use on a day when the wind’s blowing a steady 25 knots.
We have looked at three different models of stick anchors. All three
worked wonderfully and are made by companies with a serious dedication
to keeping customers happy.
The first option is the hydraulic Power-Pole™
(www.powerpole.com). The
Power-Pole mounts behind your boat, off the stern. With the optional
remote control installed, a tap of your finger sends the pole into the
bottom. According to the company’s Web site, they’re appropriate for
boats from 17 to 26 feet, 2,000 to 3,600 pounds (depending on model),
and they will stick a boat in up to six to eight feet of water.
The primary disadvantage of the Power-Pole is cost. With all the options
(remote control, adapter plates so it fits your boat, and travel cover)
the Power-Pole comes in around $2,000.
Next comes weight — 30–35 pounds. If you ever get out of your boat and
pull it across sand (which we do frequently) adding another 30+ pounds
to the stern is simply not a good idea.
Finally, the Power-Pole has hydraulics, which have a tendency to break —
sometimes at the worst times. (Of course, the Power-Pole has a warranty,
and I’m sure the company works hard to keep customers happy. But that
isn’t very useful if you’re eight miles from a dock in skinny water, and
the hydraulics break.)
All that having been said, however, every forum member that owns one –
and many do – feel that the ease of use (and maybe the sexiness?) were
worth the investment. And none have had a single problem with the
equipment.
If you don’t want to make the investment in a hydraulic-operated stick
anchor, manual options are also available to offer the same primary
benefits. The two models we mention here cost less then $300 with every
bell and whistle, and weigh in at a maximum seven pounds (or less, in
the case of models that are made for kayaks).
The Original Perry Pole
(www.perrypole.com) has a mount that puts it on top of the boat.
Sticking the boat requires at least three movements because of the way
it’s built. It’s made well, and recent engineering modifications
improved its ability to stick well under windy conditions; it’s also
good at sticking a boat in deeper water.
The Wang Anchor
(www.wanganchor.com) mounts totally out of the way, is very fast to
put in and out of the bottom, and has few moving parts. The stick, which
weighs almost nothing, simply slides into the hole on the mount and
sticks in the dirt below the boat; this makes it very fast to stick the
anchor, and just as fast to move the boat.
It was the Wang Anchor image we used for the opening page of the
article.
Deep down we’re sort of happy we didn’t review the products. Although we
had access to all three, and still have them on one boat or another,
it’s hard to pick a favorite. The PowerPole is – as we said – the
sexiest by far. But does it hold a boat better, or in deeper water, than
do the alternatives at 4 (or more) times less money?
No. That’s review enough for us. The PowerPole is like those expensive
pliers a lot of us carry. Do they hold fish better than the grips we’re
reviewing soon? Not a bit. But man, do they feel good in the hands
J
Poyssick, for Team CapMel.com
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